On February 2, 2025, Mayan Rakhimzhanovna Izbasar, one of Kazakhstan’s first female architects, passed away. She dedicated her life to urban planning, teaching, and the development of architectural education.
After graduating from the Leningrad Institute of Civil Engineering in 1959, she began her professional career at the Kazgorstroyproekt State Urban Planning Institute and worked on the construction of KarGRES. In 1961, she entered the postgraduate program at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering named after V.V. Kuibyshev, which she completed in 1965. From that point on, she devoted her career to teaching.
From 1980 to 1996, Mayan Rakhimzhanovna worked as a senior lecturer in the “Urban Planning” department at AASI–KazGASA. Since 1996, she had held the position of associate professor in the same department. In 2004, she was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of KazGASA.
Throughout her career, she made a tremendous contribution to the development of Kazakhstan’s architectural science and education. As the author of over 100 scientific and methodological publications in Russian and Kazakh, she actively engaged in research and mentored new generations of architects. Under her guidance and mentorship, many honored and distinguished architects of Kazakhstan emerged, who today lead the country’s foremost architectural and urban planning institutions.
Mayan Rakhimzhanovna was a member of the Union of Architects of Kazakhstan, the Union of Urban Planners of Kazakhstan, and an honorary architect of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2013, she was awarded the T.K. Basenov Medal for her outstanding contribution to architectural education.
For many years, she taught key urban planning disciplines, supervised diploma projects, and inspired students with her dedication and example. Her knowledge, mentorship, and devotion to her profession left a lasting impact on her students.
The International educational corporation (KazGASA) expresses its deepest condolences to the family, colleagues, and students of Mayan Rakhimzhanovna.
Her work, love for architecture, and genuine care for people’s futures will remain in the memory of the architectural community, inspiring future generations.
