Ablai Khan

Abilmansur — Ablai — was orphaned young and worked as a herdsman. He won fame for his courage against the Dzungars; he took the name Ablai because he shouted his grandfather's name as a battle cry.

He united the Kazakh batyrs against the Dzungars and pursued cautious diplomacy between the Chinese and Russian empires to preserve the khanate's independence. In 1771 he was elected khan of all three zhuzes in Turkistan.

Ablai Khan is buried in the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. His name stands for unity and independence in Kazakh history, and Almaty has a monument and an avenue named after him.