The Emirate of Bukhara ( fa, , Amārat-e Bokhārā, chg, , Bukhārā Amirligi) was a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
polity in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is modern-day
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
and
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. It occupied the land between the
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya, tk, Amyderýa/ uz, Amudaryo// tg, Амударё, Amudaryo ps, , tr, Ceyhun / Amu Derya grc, Ὦξος, Ôxos (also called the Amu, Amo River and historically known by its Latin name or Greek ) is a major river in Central Asi ...
and
Syr Darya rivers, known formerly as
Transoxiana. Its core territory was the fertile land along the lower
Zarafshon river, and its urban centres were the ancient cities of
Samarqand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
and the emirate's capital,
Bukhara
Bukhara ( Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and the city ...
. It was contemporaneous with the
Khanate of Khiva
The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except fo ...
to the west, in
Khwarazm, and the
Khanate of Kokand to the east, in
Fergana
Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km ...
. In 1920, it ended with the establishment of the
Bukharan People's Soviet Republic.
History
The Emirate of Bukhara was officially created in 1785, upon the assumption of rulership by the
Manghit emir,
Shah Murad. Shahmurad, formalized the family's dynastic rule (
Manghit dynasty), and the khanate became the Emirate of Bukhara.
As one of the few states in Central Asia after the Mongol Empire not ruled by descendants of Genghis Khan (besides the
Timurids), it staked its legitimacy on Islamic principles rather than Genghisid blood, as the ruler took the Islamic title of Emir instead of Khan. In the 18th-19th centuries,
Khwarazm (Khiva Khanate) was ruled by the Uzbek dynasty of
Kungrats.
Over the course of the 18th century, the emirs had slowly gained effective control of the
Khanate of Bukhara
The Khanate of Bukhara (or Khanate of Bukhoro) ( fa, , Khānāt-e Bokhārā; ) was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1500 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its ...
, from their position as ''
ataliq''; and by the 1740s, when the khanate was conquered by
Nadir Shah
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian ...
of
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, it was clear that the emirs held the real power. In 1747, after Nadir Shah's death, the ataliq Muhammad Rahim Bi murdered Abulfayz Khan and his son, ending the . From then on the emirs allowed puppet khans to rule until, following the death of Abu l-Ghazi Khan, Shah Murad assumed the throne openly.
Fitzroy Maclean recounts in ''
Eastern Approaches'' how
Charles Stoddart and
Arthur Conolly were executed by
Nasrullah Khan in the context of
The Great Game, and how
Joseph Wolff, known as the Eccentric Missionary, escaped their fate when he came looking for them in 1845. He was wearing his full canonical costume, which caused the Emir to burst out laughing, and "Dr Wolff was eventually suffered to leave Bokhara, greatly to the surprise of the populace, who were not accustomed to such clemency."
In 1868, the emirate lost a
war with
Imperial Russia, which had aspirations of
conquest
Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms.
Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, ...
in the region. Russia annexed much of the emirate's territory, including the important city of
Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
. In 1873, the remainder became a Russian
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...
, and was soon surrounded by the
Governorate-General of
Turkestan.
Reformists within the Emirate had found the conservative emir,
Mohammed Alim Khan
Emir Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan ( uz, Said Mir Muhammad Olimxon, 3 January 1880 – 28 April 1944) was the last emir of the Uzbek Manghit dynasty, rulers of the Emirate of Bukhara in Central Asia. Although Bukhara was a protectorate of the R ...
, unwilling to loosen his grip on power, and had turned to the Russian
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
revolutionaries for military assistance. The
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
launched an unsuccessful assault in March 1920, and then a successful one in September of the same year. The Emirate of Bukhara was conquered by the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
and replaced with the
Bukharan People's Soviet Republic. Today, the territory of the defunct emirate lies mostly in
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
, with parts in
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
and
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. In the first half of the 19th century it had some influence in northern Afghanistan, as the emirs of the
Chahar Wilayat Chahar or Chakhar may refer to:
Sino-Mongolian uses
* Chahar Mongols, a Mongol tribe
* Chakhar Mongolian (Chakhar), a Mongolian dialect spoken by the Chahar tribe
* Chahar Province, a former province of China named after them
* Chahar Right Front ...
(
Maimana,
Sheberghan,
Andkhui,
Sar-i Pol) nominally accepted Bukharan suzerainty.
Culture
In the era of the Manghyt emirs in Bukhara, a large construction of madrasahs, mosques and palaces was carried out.
Located along important trading routes, Bukhara enjoyed a rich cultural mixture, including
Persian,
Uzbek, and
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
influences.
A local school of historians developed in the Bukhara emirate. The most famous historians were Mirza Shams Bukhari, Muhammad Yakub ibn Daniyalbiy, Muhammad Mir Olim Bukhari, Ahmad Donish, Mirza Abdalazim Sami, Mirza Salimbek.
[Anke fon Kyugel'gen, Legitimizatsiya sredneaziatskoy dinastii mangitov v proizvedeniyakh ikh istorikov (XVIII-XIX vv.). Almaty: Dayk press, 2004]
The city of Bukhara has a rich history of Persian
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
and
literature
Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to ...
, traditions that were continued into the Emirate Period. Prominent artists of the period include the poet
Kiromi Bukhoroi, the
calligrapher Mirza Abd al-Aziz Bukhari
Mirza may refer to:
* Mirza, Kamrup, town in Assam, India
* Mirza (name), historical royal title & noble
* ''Mirza'', the genus of giant mouse lemur
* "Mirza", song by Nino Ferrer
* '' Mirza – The Untold Story'', Punjabi action romance film ...
and the scholar
Rahmat-Allah Bukhari. Throughout this period, the
madrasahs of the region were renowned.
File:Chor Minor.jpg, Chor Minor Madrasah, Bukhara (2006)
File:Gorskii 04653u.jpg, A bureaucrat in Bukhara, ca.1910
File:Large Medallion Suzani.jpg, Large Medallion Suzani (textile) from Bukhara, mid-18th century?
Administrative and territorial structure
Administratively, the Emirate was divided into several beyliks or bekliks:
#
Baljuvon, (now
Khatlon Region,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
).
#
Hisar, (now Tajikistan)
# Burdalik, (now
Lebap Region,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
)
#
Guzar, (now
Qashqadaryo Region,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
)
#
Charjuy, (now
Lebap Region, Turkmenistan)
# Darvaz, (c 1878, now Darvaz district, Tajikistan)
#
Dehnav, (now
Surxondaryo Region, Uzbekistan)
# Kabakli, (now
Lebap Region, Turkmenistan)
#
Karakul, (now
Bukhara Region, Uzbekistan)
#
Karategin, (now
Rasht district, Tajikistan)
#
Karshi
Qarshi ( uz, Qarshi/Қарши, ; fa, نخشب ''Nakhshab'') is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Region. Administratively, Qarshi is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Qashqadaryo. I ...
, (now Qashqadaryo Region, Uzbekistan)
#
Kattakurgan, (now
Samarkand region
Samarqand Region (Samarkand Region) ( uz, Самарқанд вилояти, Samarqand viloyati, russian: Самаркандская область) is the most populous region of Uzbekistan. It is located in the center of the country in the basi ...
, Uzbekistan)
#
Kulyab
, image_skyline = Kulob 2700 th Anniversary monument - panoramio.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The 2700th Anniversary monument, Kulob
, image_flag =
, image_seal =
, ...
, (now Khatlon Region, Tajikistan)
#
Karshi
Qarshi ( uz, Qarshi/Қарши, ; fa, نخشب ''Nakhshab'') is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Region. Administratively, Qarshi is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Qashqadaryo. I ...
, (now Qashqadaryo Region, Uzbekistan)
#
Kerki
Kerki is a city in and capital of Kerki District, Lebap Province, Turkmenistan. It was formerly known as Zamm and, between 1999 and 2017, as Atamyrat.
Geography
It is situated on a plain on the left bank of the Amu Darya river. Nearby town ...
, (now Lebap Region, Turkmenistan)
#
Nurata
Nurota (sometimes spelled as Nurata, uz, Nurota, Нурота; tg, Нурато; russian: Нурата) is a city and seat of Nurota District in Navoiy Region in Uzbekistan. Its population is 32,300 (2016).
History
Nurota was founded as the anc ...
, (now
Navoiy Region, Uzbekistan)
#
Panjikent, (now
Sughd province, Tajikistan)
#
Rushan, (now
Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region, Tajikistan)
#
Samarkand
fa, سمرقند
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
, (now Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan — part of Russia since 1868
#
Shahrisabz, (c 1870, now
Kashkadarya Region
Qashqadaryo Region ( uz, Qashqadaryo viloyati, Қашқадарё вилояти, قەشقەدەريا ۋىلايەتى; old spelling ''Kashkadarya Region'', russian: Кашкадарьинская область) is one of the regions of Uzbekist ...
, Uzbekistan)
#
Urgut, (now Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan)
# Falgar, (now Sughd province, Tajikistan)
Amirs/Emirs of Bukhara (1785–1920)
*''Pink Rows denote progenitor chiefs serving as Tutors (Ataliqs) & Viziers to the Khans of Bukhara.''
*''Green Rows denote chiefs who took over reign of government from the
Janids and placed puppet Khans''.
*''A photo of Mohammed Alim Khan, final emir 1911-1920, is shown at
Emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
''.
See also
*
Timeline of the Uzbeks This is a timeline of the Uzbeks.
15th century
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th century
20th century
See also
* Shaybanids
*Manghud
The Mangghud, or Manghud ( mn, Мангуд, ''Mangud''), were a Mongol tribe of the Urud ...
References
Bibliography
*
Literature
* Malikov A., The Russian conquest of the Bukharan Emirate: military and diplomatic aspects in Central Asian Survey, Volume 33, issue 2, 2014, p. 180-198
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bukhara, Emirate of
1785 establishments in Asia
1920 disestablishments in Russia
Former countries in Central Asia
Former emirates
Former monarchies
Former monarchies of Asia
Former Russian protectorates
History of Bukhara
Mongol dynasties
Subdivisions of the Russian Empire
States and territories established in 1785
States and territories disestablished in 1920
Turkic dynasties
History of Uzbekistan