Bukhar-Zhyrau Kalkamanov

Born 1693; died 1787. Kazakh poet.

Bükhar was a minstrel and counselor to Khan Ablay. His song and verses have been preserved by oral transmission. Their basic themes are the creation of the great khanate and the unification of the Kazakh tribes (the poems Well-wishing and Ablay). The poet speaks of the necessity of peace with Russia and migration to free lands (for example, in the poem In Khan Ablay’s Time). Many of his songs are of an instructive, didactive nature.