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An exhibition titled "Kazakh Officers – Participants of World War I" was held at the Faculty of History of Buketov Karaganda University, organized by the military-historical reconstruction club "Galea." The event was attended by students from general education schools in Karaganda, as well as undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. According to Igor Dmitrievich Khlebnikov, a research associate at the Faculty of History, the exhibition is dedicated to the 110th anniversary of World War I. The goal is to highlight a little-known chapter of national history and introduce the personalities of Kazakh officers who participated in the war. "Unfortunately, there is a prevailing opinion in society that World War I is something very distant from us. However, it had a direct impact on Kazakhstan. The Civil War, the 'Alash' movement, and the first attempts to build Kazakh statehood were all the result of historical processes triggered by World War I," noted Igor Dmitrievich. At the exhibition, students showcased photographic materials related to the participation of Kazakhs in World War I, some of which were presented to the public for the first time. Special attention was given to participants of World War I who later became part of the command staff of the military units of the Kazakh state formation Alash-Orda. The exhibition featured uniforms of captains of the Russian army, military personnel from Austria-Hungary and France, as well as representations of officers from the 22nd Turkestan Rifle Regiment, which was stationed in Kazakhstan before the war. In particular, members of the "Galea" club reconstructed a historically accurate uniform complete with medals and insignia corresponding to the service record of Captain Gali Samuratbekov, who later became a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 2nd Alash Regiment (Horse-Kazakh Regiment of the 5th Siberian Rifle Division). At the conclusion of the event, the organizers received numerous positive responses, which will undoubtedly serve as an incentive for further research and active study of Kazakhstan's history. The event was conducted as part of a scientific project funded by grant AP23488994 titled "Implementation of Civic Education Goals in the Context of School Historical Education for Sustainable Development of Kazakh Society" (2024-2026) (Committee of Science, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan).
