On August 10, Kazakhstan celebrates the day of the great poet, thinker Abai Kunanbayev. This holiday appeared on the calendar on behalf of the Head of State. The whole world celebrates the birthday of Abai , the great Kazakh poet and thinker. This year marked the 179th anniversary of his birth. Today is the birthday of Abai Kunanbayev, a poet, educator and philosopher, the founder of Kazakh written literature and its first classic, a cultural reformer who advocated rapprochement with European culture. Abai Kunanbayev is a great personality. Like Pushkin for Russia, Shakespeare for England, Abai personifies Kazakhstan. His works are unique – timeless.