Abzhanov Hankeldy Makhmutovich was born on October 11, 1953 in the settlement to Atas of the Zhanaarkinsky region of the Karaganda area in a family of the employee. After the graduation of Aktau high school in 1971 he entered the department of history of KAZGU which he ended in 1976 magna cum laude. His labor activity began at the Tselinograd construction institute as the teacher of chair of philosophy and scientific communism.
1977-1979 – the teacher of chair of the history of the USSR (KAZGU).
1979-1993 – the employee of Ch.Ch.Valikhanov Institute of history and ethnology where he passed a labor way from the senior laboratory assistant to the head of department.
1993-1999 – the head of chair of a historiography and a source study of Abay KAZNPU.
1999-2009 – the professor of the L.N.Gumilev Euroasian National University, the head of the department, the deputy director of scientific center of the humanitarian researches Eurasia at the same university.
2009-2011 – the first deputy director of Institute of history of the state.
Since May, 2011 – the director of Ch.Ch.Valikhanov Institute of history and ethnology.
Since February 28, 2013 – the corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The work under the direction of the member of the Academy of Sciences R. B. Suleymenov defined a circle of his scientific interests: studying of national culture and intellectuals history. His formation as the scientist passed within the walls of the Ch.Ch.Valikhanov Institute of history and ethnology: in 1983 – protection of the master's thesis («The growth of shots of the rural intellectuals of Kazakhstan and its role in the conditions of the developed socialism (1961-1980)», and in 1992 – the doctorate thesis (The rural intellectuals of Kazakhstan: the historical experience of formation and social practice (1946-1985).
The scientific cooperation with such members of the Academy of Science as M. Asylbekov, K.Nurpeis, O. Ismagulov was embodied in a series of scientific publications. Abzhanov Hankeldy participated in writing of books «The textbook on the history of Kazakhstan through the ages» (1992), «The History of Kazakhstan through the ages» (Almaty, 1992), «The History of Kazakhstan through the ages (Essay) (Almaty, 1993), (Almaty, 1994), «A science and equipment of the USSR. The chronicle» (Moscow, 1987, 1988), «The History of Kazakhstan through the ages» in five volumes (2010), «Қазіргі Қазақстан тарихы» (The modern history of Kazakhstan) (2010), «The History of modern Kazakhstan» (2010), «The history of the Kazakh Khanate» (2011), «National idea: the destiny and the future» (2012), etc. collective works.
Hankeldy Abzhanov is the author of about 600 scientific and popular scientific publications, among which there are over ten monographic researches, textbooks and manuals. The historical destinies of the national intellectuals, theory-methodological problems of scientific knowledge, questions of a periodization of national history, national idea and new concepts in research of actual problems of national history received an objective assessment and an extended coverage in them. Analyzing the sociocultural content of historical consciousness of ancient Turkic peoples, their outlook, sources of formation of the national intellectuals, value of society of an era of the Soviet Kazakhstan Hankeldy Abzhanov made a worthy contribution to overcoming of «blank pages» of the history of Kazakhstan. His works are published in the Kazakh, Russian, English, Arab, Uigur, Turkish languages.
Under the direction of Hankeldy Abzhanov 15 Doctors of Science, 40 Philosophy Doctor are prepared. In different years he took part in work of dissertational councils as the member, and as the chairman, he also was the chairman of advisory council on historical sciences of State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Hankeldy Abzhanov is the member of the state commission on onomatology under the RK government, the member of the National commission of RK for UNESCO and ISESCO, the vice-chairman of the National congress of historians of Kazakhstan. The Editor-in-chief of the scientific magazine «Otan tarikhy» (Native history).
Hankeldy Abzhanov is the owner of the state grant «The best teacher of Higher Education Institution» (2008). He is awarded by breastplates «For merits in development of a science of the Republic of Kazakhstan» (2003), «For merits in development of a science of the Republic of Kazakhstan» (2007), a medal «The soul opener of the Kazakh language» (2008), the anniversary medals «10 years to Astana» (2008), «20 years of independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan» (2011), «National revolution – 90» (2013) (Mongolia).
