The family of Nursultan Nazarbayev, 1st President of Kazakhstan (1991–2019) and Security Council Chairman (1991–2022), includes members prominent in politics, business, entertainment, education, art, and others. Described to have collected wealth and power through nepotism and corruption, the family is the most influential one in the country. The family is sometimes referred to as the Nazarbayev dynasty.

The family was especially influential during the entirety of Nursultan Nazarbayev's authoritarian rule and the first years of the Tokayev presidency. After the 2022 Kazakh unrest, the dynasty, including Nazarbayev himself, who lost the title Elbasy, and other connected members of the family, lost their government positions and titles. Radio Free Europe, however, reported that the family still has political influence to this day.

In 2024, Timur and Dinara Kulibayev, Dariga and Nurbol Nazarbayev and Nurali Aliyev were among the 75 wealthiest people in Kazakhstan.

Immediate family Spouses Sara Nazarbayeva

Sara Nazarbayeva, the first and the only legal wife of Nursultan Nazarbayev, was born on 12 February 1941 in Karaganda Region. Before her marriage to Nazarbayev on 25 August 1962, she was a metallurgist at the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant.

During her tenure as the First Lady of Kazakhstan, Sara Nazarbayeva held the titles of the president of the "Böbek" Republican Children's Charity Fund and honorary professor at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and was awarded Order of Friendship, 1st class.

In 2023, rumours surfaced that the Nazarbayevs divorced, as information appeared stating that Sara Nazarbayeva changed her surname to her birth surname. This point was especially pushed as she was now not in the public spotlight and her sole proprietorship was now attributed to "Sara Konakayeva". The official website of Nursultan Nazarbayev, however, stated that she remains his only legal spouse.

Gülnar Raqyşeva According to different sources, including Radio Free Europe and Rakhat Aliyev's book Godfather-in-law, Gülnar Raqyşeva was the second, unofficial wife of Nursultan Nazarbayev. This information was neither denied, nor confirmed officially.

The extra-marital affairs of Nazarbayev with Gülnar Raqyşeva were first mentioned in Nazarbayev's son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev's book Godfather-in-law. Raqyşeva, a former flight attendant, is said to have left her job after her affair with Nazarbayev began, and has shortly been elevated to the position of Air Astana Vice President. The career of Raqyşeva's father, Oraz Raqyşev, has also substantially grown since then.

Gülnar Raqyşeva was born on 2 March 1970 in Tula, Soviet Russia. Her father Oraz Raqyşev was doing military service there at the time. From 1981 to 1986, Raqyşev and his family were sent to Hungary, and thus Raqyşeva attended school in Mór. As of now, Gülnar Raqyşeva is the owner of the "FIRMA CHARMES" company, which has 40 locations. In 2023, the company was circulating 100 million tenge. Raqyşeva is also the co-chairperson of the "Sergio Group" and "My Service" companies, the owner of the "Barys" charity. In 2023, the annual income of "Sergio Group" was valued to be around 4–6 billion tenge.

Rakhat Aliyev also reported that Raqyşeva gave birth to two daughters to Nazarbayev and now lives in Spain. However, her social media accounts list her as living in either Almaty or Astana. In 2023, Raqyşeva seemed to have denied having an affair with Nazarbayev.

Äsel Qurmanbaeva Äsel Qurmanbaeva (née Isabayeva) is said to be the third wife of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Qurmanbaeva, the affair with whom is confirmed by Nazarbayev himself, was born in 1981 in Almaty. Her father Tilektes Esbolov has been leading the Almaty Agrarian University for two decades. Qurmanbaeva, who studied to be a choreographer, was once titled Miss Kazakhstan.

It was reported in 2024 that Qurmanbaeva, who only worked as art director in the Astana Ballet Theatre, owned a three-room apartment in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, which was valued starting from 2 million dollars. She was also internationally listed to have received 30 million dollars through offshore companies.

In his "My Life" 2023 memoire, Nazarbayev admitted to have had an affair with Qurmanbaeva. He also wrote that they have two sons, Tauman (born 2005) and Bäiken (born 2008). It was said that the wedding was done according to Islamic traditions.

Children

Nursultan Nazarbayev officially has three daughters from Sara Nazarbayeva and two sons from his unofficial marriage to Äsel Qurmanbaeva. According to Rakhat Aliyev, he also has two daughters from his affair with Gülnar Raqyşeva.

Children from Sara Nazarbayeva Dariga Nazarbayeva

Born on May 7, 1963, Dariga Nazarbayeva is a former politician, who held such government positions as Deputy Prime Minister, Senator, Senate Chairwoman, and Leader of the Nur Otan faction in the Mäjilis. The eldest daughter of Nazarbayev, she was documented in the Panama Papers as having several offshore entities.

Dinara Kulibaeva

Born on August 19, 1967, Dinara Kulibaeva (née Nazarbayeva) is the second daughter and middle child of Nursultan and Sara Nazarbayev.

De facto chairpersons of Halyk Bank, Dinara Kulibaeva and her husband Timur Kulibayev's joint wealth was valued to be 5 billion dollars in 2024. She, together with Kulibayev, is the second-richest person in Kazakhstan. Kulibaeva is the only Central Asian woman to ever be featured in the Forbes World's Richest People list.

Aliya Nazarbayeva

Born 3 February 1980 in Almaty, Aliya Nazarbayeva is Nursultan and Sara Nazarbayevs' youngest daughter.

Children from Gülnar Raqyşeva Nursultan Nazarbayev's former son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev reported that Nursultan Nazarbayev has two daughters from his extra-marital affair with Gülnar Raqyşeva. He has also stated that the three live in Spain.

Children from Äsel Qurmanbaeva In his 2023 memoire "My Life", Nursultan Nazarbayev admits that he has two sons from his second unofficial marriage to Äsel Qurmanbaeva, Tauman (born 2005) and Bäiken (born 2008).

Tauman Nursultanuly was born on April 6, 2005. In April 2023, Tauman married Energy Minister Almasadam Sätqaliev's daughter Anadelya Maydanova. Baiken Nazarbayev was born on December 5, 2008.

Grandchildren Nursultan Nazarbayev is known to have 10 grandchildren, all born from daughters: Dariga's 3 children, Dinara's 3 children, and Aliya's 4 children. Below are the most notable of them:

Nurali Aliyev Nurali Rahatuly Aliyev is an entrepreneur. The eldest son of Rakhat Aliyev and Dariga Nazarbayeva, he is therefore Nazarbayev's eldest grandchild. Nurali Aliyev is married and has four children.

Despite the decline of the Nazarbayev clan's political influence after the 2022 Kazakh unrest, Nurali Aliyev was appointed Chairman of Transtelecom in 2023.

Aisultan Nazarbayev

Born on August 26, 1990, Aisultan Nazarbayev was a football player and entrepreneur. According to his official biography, Aisultan is Nursultan Nazarbayev's grandchild, and second son of Rakhat Aliyev and Dariga Nazarbayev. In his later years, Aisultan posted numerous times on social media that his actual father is Nursultan Nazarbayev himself and that his life is in danger. DNA results stating that his father is Rakhat Aliyev were found to be fabricated and thus his true biological parents are unknown.

Aisultan Nazarbayev passed away in London on August 16, 2020. A British coroner reported that he died of natural causes, which were related to his drug addiction.

Venera Nazarbayeva Born on October 24, 1995, Venera Nazarbayeva is the youngest child and only daughter of Rakhat Aliyev and Dariga Nazarbayeva. In 2018, she married into the Shaizhunussov dynasty.

Ancestry Nursultan Nazarbayev belongs to the Şapyraşty clan of the Senior jüz. His ancestry goes in this order: Nursultan, Äbiş, Nazarbay, Köşek, Qarasay, Esqoja, Şapyraşty.

Nursultan Nazarbayev's father Äbiş and mother Äljan Buqarbaiqyzy (née Jatqanbaeva) were farmers. Äbiş could not serve in the military after suffering an injury on his arm while extinguishing a fire. At the end of World War II, the family returned to Shamalgan. Nazarbayev started going to school in 1948, where he learned Russian; at the time, he lived with his maternal grandfather as his parents did not have property there at the time. Afterwards, Nazarbayev moved to the higher part of Shamalgan, where, after mastering Russian, he could interact with the ethnically Russian majority.

Siblings Satybaldy Nazarbayev Satybaldy Nazarbayev was married to Svetlana Nazarbayeva. They had two children: Qairat Satybaldyuly and Samat Äbiş, both of whom went on to serve in different government positions.

Bolat Nazarbayev Nazarbayev's younger brother Bolat Nazarbayev had numerous wives. The exact number of his wives and children is not known. His eldest wife was Güljan Nazarbayeva (née Aitmuhambetova; 1955 – 2020). Bolat and Güljan had three children: Gülmira, Qundyz and Nurbol.

Bolat Nazarbayev's harem included numerous women. The list of them and their children is this: Mayra Qurmanğalieva: Hanbolat; Gülnar Düisebaeva: Hantöre, Janel; Dinara Mametekova: Erkejan, Muhammed; Juldyz Taşova

After Bolat Nazarbayev's death, 14 of his children volunteered to share his will.

Bolat Nazarbayev, who was shown as a person of charity in state media, owned assets and bazaars. Officially, the exact sources of his immense wealth are unknown, though most sources agree that he gained access to much of his wealth through his brother Nursultan. Many sources also confirm that Bolat, who's a plumber and mechanic by profession, enriched himself through corporate raid.

Änipa Nazarbayeva Nursultan Nazarbayeva's sister Änipa Nazarbayeva was, at some point, married. Her daughter Elmira is married to Azamat Jylqybaev.

Corruption The Nazarbayev dynasty has achieved immense wealth and political influence during the Nazarbayev presidency. Nursultan Nazarbayev's daughters and siblings were featured on Forbes, and have appropriated culturally important sights and bazaars to themselves, sometimes through corporate raid.

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