Background
Khālidī was born in Ayagoz, Kazakhstan, to a Chala Kazakh family, though he referred to himself as a "Noghay" - a Volga-Ural Muslim, or Tartar, as his father was a native of the Kazan area.
Khālidī was born in Ayagoz, Kazakhstan, to a Chala Kazakh family, though he referred to himself as a "Noghay" - a Volga-Ural Muslim, or Tartar, as his father was a native of the Kazan area.
He studied in several madrasas, first in his hometown of Ayagoz, then in Semipalatinsk, Lepsi, and Bukhara.
His mother was a native of Ayagoz. Khālidī"s writings utilize several Turkic languages, including Tatar, Ottoman Turkish, Chagatai, and vernacular Kazak.