Faculty of Oriental Studies of Al-Farabi KazNU was opened in 1989 and is one of the youngest faculties of the university. The faculty teaches eight oriental languages: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Japanese and Korean.Faculty of Oriental Studies of Al-Farabi KazNU is the largest center for the training of highly qualified specialists with knowledge of Oriental languages. The study of Oriental languages ​​(in particular, Arabic) within the walls of the University dates back to the 70s of the 20th century. Established in 1989 on the basis of the Department of History of Asia and Africa and the Department of Arabic Language, the Faculty of Oriental Studies relies, therefore, on the more than 40-year tradition of studying the languages ​​and history of the countries of the East.Kazakh Oriental Studies is both an ancient and a young science. On the ancient land of Kazakhstan lived and created such great minds of the East as al-Farabi, Mohammed Haydar Dulati, Mahmud Kashgari. Traditions of the ancients were continued in his work by Chokan Valikhanov.Modern Kazakhstani oriental studies are inextricably linked with the name of the spiritual leader of Kazakh Muslims, Professor A. Derbisaliev, a prominent Arabist scholar who was at the origins of the Faculty of Oriental Studies and was his first dean in 1989-1991.Since 1996. In 2003 and from 2005 to 2011, the Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies was Prof. Aldabek Nurzhamal Abdrazakovna, the founder of the Kazakhstan School of Historical Sinology, a prominent Kazakh scientist. Aldabek N.A. author of many books. Her research is devoted to the issues of Kazakh-Chinese relations, topical problems of history, culture, foreign and domestic policy, China's social and economic development, Chinese language and literature.From 2011 to 2017 the dean of the faculty was Jubatova Bayan Nursultanovna - doctor of philology, associate professor, famous Arabist scholar.

From 2017 to 2022, the dean of the faculty was PhD Paltore Yktiyar Moldatoruly.

From 2022 to the present, the dean of the Faculty is Natalia Borisovna, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of Em.

Today's Faculty of Oriental Studies is a recognized center of Kazakhstan Oriental studies, where highly qualified pedagogical staff work, an interesting and creative teaching and educational process is carried out, scientific research is conducted, and the student life is full. Among the partners of the faculty are embassies of eastern countries in Kazakhstan, as well as the largest universities of China, Korea, Turkey, Iran, India, Japan, Egypt, etc. where teachers and students of the faculty undergo scientific and language internships. The embassies of the eastern countries render great assistance to the Faculty of Oriental Studies. In addition to educational and fiction literature, the language classrooms of the faculty are equipped with necessary audio and video equipment, computers, TV sets with satellite dishes, which allow receiving transmissions from the countries of the studied language. At the faculty there are 2 multimedia classes, 3 computer classes and 2 language laboratories, classes in which significantly increase the level of proficiency in the eastern languages. Internet, modern educational technologies, language audio and video courses are an integral part of the educational process at the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Computerization of oriental studies and education is one of the most important strategic tasks in the development of Kazakhstani oriental studies.