ALMATY – The ninth edition of Kazakhstan’s record book, also known as the Kazakh Encyclopedic Information Reference Book or the Kazakhstan Book of Honour, was unveiled recently in Almaty.
The book chronicles the extraordinary and unique accomplishments of Kazakhstan nationals. It is similar to the Guinness Book of World Records, but for the people of Kazakhstan.
The first edition of Kazakhstan’s record book was issued in 1999 and was a thin booklet in Russian without illustrations. Today, it is a Kazakh and Russian language publication (652 pages), which includes 1,656 entries supported by 1,400 photographs. The creators of the book were invited to its unveiling and were awarded certificates for their contributions.
The book of records is a unique publication. Along with the truly outstanding achievements of Kazakhstan nationals, it contains facts, which undoubtedly deserve respect, but have no relation to the record. For example, a magnetic woman, whose body is able to hold up to eight kilogrammes of metal objects and the creator of the first site in Kazakhstan for bird watching are listed on the same row.
The editorial board also decided to list themselves as record holders. They hailed their publication as “Kazakhstan’s first book of pioneering records and the origin and source of social change brought on by the achievements of Kazakhstan nationals.”
Some records create genuine interest, for example, the Dudaev and Sherhanov dynasties. The former is the largest medical family in the world with 25 dentists, while the latter consists of 40 watchmakers. Alexander Schakowsky, a 67-year-old musicologist, is a blood donor. He has donated 520 litres of blood over the course of 43 years. And now he is working on the translation of the immortal poems of Mukagali Makatayev into Russian.
