This scientific article examines the main stages of the pedagogical activity and the role in the higher education system of the prominent ethnographer of Kyrgyz society, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor Ertabyldy Joldoshevich Sulaimanov. The relevance of the research is explained by the need to reflect the formation of Kyrgyz ethnographic science and pedagogy in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries through the scientific and pedagogical path of a single individual. The article provides a profound analysis of the scientist's educational journey, which began at the A.S. Pushkin Jalal-Abad Pedagogical College and continued at the Department of Ethnography of the Faculty of History at Lomonosov Moscow State University. The author emphasizes the significant influence of the giants of the Soviet ethnographic school, particularly Academician Yu.V. Bromley, on the development of E.J. Sulaimanov as a specialist. The main part of the article reviews the multifaceted activities of the professor at Osh State University (1987–2005) and Jalal-Abad State University (from 2005 to the present). His career path, from lecturer to the positions of dean and head of department, as well as his contribution to the professional training of history specialists in universities, is supported by historical data. As a result of the study, the significance of approximately 150 scientific works by E.J. Sulaimanov is revealed, including the textbook "Ethnography" (2010), which has become an indispensable tool for students. The scientific article analyzes the functioning of his pedagogical school, formed by the professor's professional advice and mentorship provided to young scientists.