Sagyntay Sungatay – archaeologist, orientalist

Abstract

Sagyntay Sungatay, the archaeologist and orientalist died on the 9th of February 2019. The researcher, who was fluent in several languages (Kazakh, Chinese, Uigur), had a lot of unrealized ideas. Among them is the Early Iron Age Ile population culture study, which he seriously engaged in since the mid-1990s, when with the attainment of independence by Kazakhstan, he took a serious intention to return to his historic homeland. The researcher had extensive field experience, acquired both in China and in Kazakhstan. S. Sungatay had a chance to take part in at least four international expeditions – Chinese-American, Kazakh-French, Kazakh-French-Italian, Russian-Kazakh. In the last years of his life S. Sungatay worked at the Institute of Oriental Studies named after R.B. Suleimenov of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He took an active part in the implementation of projects under the program “Cultural Heritage”, revealed more than 3500 documents on the history of the Kazakh Khanate, written in Chinese, Manchu, Oirat, Chagatai languages.