Yedilbay Akimov

Yedilbay Qurbanbayevich Akimov was born on 13 March 1979 in the Chimboy district of Karakalpakstan. In 2003 he graduated from Berdakh Karakalpak State University.

He began his working life as a teacher at Children's Music and Art School No. 1 named after bakhshi Esjan in Nukus. He later played in the folk ensembles “Amiw tolqini” and “Gulzar” of the Karakalpakstan branch of the Uzbek State Philharmonic, was a member of the pop group “Jigitler” from 2001, and from 2017 a musician of the Karakalpak State National Folklore Ensemble “Ayqulash”.

From 2021 he was artistic director of the “Muxalles” dutar ensemble of the philharmonic's Karakalpakstan branch. His repertoire included the dastans “Garip ashiq” and “Sayatxan and Hamra” and folk songs such as “Dutarim”, “Ne bilsin”, “Mung qalmas” and “Qaraqalpaqta”; he was also known as the author of a number of melodies.

In 2020, on the eve of Independence Day, he was among the social-sector workers awarded the Shuhrat Medal; in 2023 he received the badge “For services to culture and art”.

Yedilbay Akimov died on 30 March 2026, aged 47.