On March 9, 2025, Hulizar Abdullaieva—a distinguished educator and activist of the Crimean Tatar national movement—passed away at the age of 78 in occupied Crimea. She dedicated her life to preserving her native culture and language.

Hulizar was born on June 12, 1947, in exile, in the settlement of Aim in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan. She was the sixth child in the family of Abduljemil and Mahfure Mustafaiev, where all children became active participants in the struggle for the return of Crimean Tatars to their homeland.

After graduating from Samarkand State University as an English language teacher, she returned to Crimea with her family in 1976, settling in the village of Zuya. However, in 1979, Hulizar and her relatives once again faced repression by the Soviet Union and were forcibly deported to Krasnodar Krai. Only in 1989 were they able to return to the peninsula.

For many years, Hulizar Abdullaieva worked in Crimean Tatar educational institutions, including a school in Bakhchysarai and a boarding school for gifted children in the village of Tankove. She was not only a teacher but also a mentor who raised generations of young Crimean Tatars with a deep love for their culture, language, and traditions.

The memory of Hulizar will remain in the hearts of many generations of those who knew her or were nurtured by her teachings.