Abulghazi Bahadur
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Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur ( Chagatai and , Abulgazi, Ebulgazi, Abu-l-Ghazi, August 24, 1603 – 1663) was the
Khan of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid occupation by Nader Shah betwee ...
from 1643 to 1663. He was a member of the Uzbek Shaybanid dynasty. He spent ten years in
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
before becoming khan, and was very well educated, writing two historical works in the Khiva dialect of the
Chagatai language Chagatai (, ), also known as Turki, Eastern Turkic, or Chagatai Turkic (), is an Extinct language, extinct Turkic languages, Turkic language that was once widely spoken across Central Asia. It remained the shared literary language in the region u ...
. He was a descendant of
Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
through
Arab Shah ʿArab Shāh (, Turki/ Kypchak: شاه عرب; ''Arapša'' in the Russian chronicles) was Khan of the Golden Horde from 1377 to 1380. He held the traditional capital Sarai during a period of civil war among rival contenders for the throne. Thr ...
.


Life

Abulghazi was born in
Urgench Urgench (//, ; ; ) is a district-level city in western Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Xorazm Region. The estimated population of Urgench in 2021 was 145,000, an increase from 139,100 in 1999. It lies on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal ...
,
Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarazm, Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid Iran, Afsharid occupat ...
, the second son of the ruler, 'Arab Muhammad Khan. Since he was born 40 days after his father defeated a raid by
Ural Cossacks The Ural Cossack Host was a cossack host formed from the Ural Cossacks – those Eurasian cossacks settled by the Ural River. Their alternative name, Yaik Cossacks, comes from the old name of the river. They were also known by the names: * ...
, he was named "Abul- Ghazi" (''father of Warrior''). He lived in Urgench for 16 years until he was appointed as governor of Kat by his father. Towards the end of his father's reign, a civil war broke out against him led by his brothers, Habash-sultan and Ilbars-sultan. Abulghazi had to flee to
Samarqand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek and Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarkand is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level ...
and take refuge at the court of
Imam Quli Khan of Bukhara Imam Quli Khan (Chagatai language, Chagatai and ; 1582–1644) was the son of Din Muhammad Khan and the third ruler of the Bukhara Khanate, who reigned from 1611 to 1642. Imam Quli Khan belonged to Ashtarkhanid dynasty. During the reign of Imam ...
where he lived for two years. His younger brother Afghan Muhammad fled to Russia where he lived in the
Qasim Khanate The Qasim Khanate (also called ''Qasimov'', ''Kasimov'', or ''Kasim''), also known as the Tsardom of Kasimov (), was a Tatar-ruled khanate which existed from 1452 until 1681 on the territory of the Russian state. It was located within modern-da ...
. His other brother Isfandiyar Khan finally prevailed and became khan in 1623. He offered Abulghazi the governorship of Urgench, his birthplace.


Life in exile

After ruling as the governor of Urgench for three years, Abulghazi rebelled when his brother was visiting
Hazorasp Khazarasp (), or by its more ancient name Hazarasp (, meaning ''"thousand horses"''), is an urban-type settlement in Uzbekistan, administrative centre of the Hazorasp District. Its population is 18,800 (2016). It lies at the head of the Amu Darya ...
, but was defeated and fled to Esim Khan, ruler of the Qazaq Khanate, in 1626. After staying with him for three months, Abulghazi defected to Tursun Muhammad Khan, a rival of Esim Khan in
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
. After living in Tashkent for two years, Abulghazi went to Imam Quli from where he tried to capture Khiva in 1629. However, Isfandiyar captured him and Abulghazi was expelled to
Abiward Abiward or Abi-ward, was an ancient Sasanian city in modern-day Turkmenistan. Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consist ...
, whose
Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
governor sent him to Safi I's court in
Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
. Abulghazi lived there as an exile from 1629 until 1639 studying Persian and Arabic history. He eventually escaped from the Safavid court to
Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
and lived among the
Teke tribe Teke is a major and politically influential tribe of Turkmens in Turkmenistan. History The Oghuz forebears of the Teke migrated to Transoxiana in the 8th century. The tribe is called the Turka by explorer Alexander Burnes in his 1834 book ...
for a while. In 1641 Abulghazi went to the
Kalmyk Khanate The Kalmyk Khanate (, ''Xal'mg xana uls'') was an Oirat Mongol khanate on the Eurasian steppe. It extended over modern Kalmykia and surrounding areas in the North Caucasus, including Stavropol and Astrakhan. During their independence, the Kalm ...
where he tried to enlist
Kho Orluk Kho Orluk (; 1580-1644) was an Oirat prince and Taish of the Torghut- Oirat tribe. Around 1616, Kho Orluk persuaded the other Torghut princes and lesser nobility to move their tribe en masse westward through southern Siberia and southward along ...
's help.


Reign

Abulghazi finally acceded to the Khivan throne in 1643 after his brother's death. But his position was only secure around Urgench as most of Khiva was conquered by the
Bukhara Khanate The Khanate of Bukhara was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1501 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its capital during the reign of Ubaidullah Khan. The Khanat ...
. Abulghazi only managed to secure his position in 1645 when Nadir Muhammad Khan of Bukhara died. Abulghazi's early years on the Khivan throne were spent fighting rebellious
Turkmen tribes The major modern Turkmen tribes are Teke, Yomut, Ersari, Chowdur, Gokleng, and Saryk. The most numerous are the Teke. The origin of all of these tribes is traced to 24 ancient Oghuz tribes, among which the Salur tribe played a prominent r ...
after his summary execution of 2000 Turkmen elders in Hazorasp in 1646. He managed to subdue most of the
Karakum Karakum may refer to: * Karakum Desert, a desert in Central Asia * Aral Karakum Desert * ''Karakum'' (film), a 1994 Turkmen film * Karakum Canal, Turkmenistan * Karakum District, Turkmenistan See also * Karakoram, a large mountain range spanning t ...
and
Mangyshlak Mangyshlak or Mangghyshlaq Peninsula (; ) is a large peninsula located in western Kazakhstan. It borders on the Caspian Sea in the west and with the Buzachi Peninsula, a marshy sub-feature of the main peninsula, in the northeast. The Tyuleniy Ar ...
tribes by 1653. He also repelled raids by Kalmyks in 1649, 1653 and 1656. Towards the end of his reign he started a major campaign against
Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...
which lasted well into his successor's reign. He left the throne to his son Anusha Khan and died in
Khiva Khiva ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva, Хива, ; other names) is a district-level city of approximately 93,000 people in Khorazm Region, Uzbekistan. According to archaeological data, the city was established around 2,500 years ago. In 1997, Khiva celebr ...
in 1663.


Works

Abu al-Ghazi is known as the author of two historical works: "Genealogy of the Turkmen" ''
Shajara-i Tarākima ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' () is a Chagatai language, Chagatai-language historical work completed in 1659 by Khan of Khiva and historian Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur. ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' is one of the two works composed by Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur that hav ...
'' finished in 1661 and "Genealogy of the Turks" '' Shajara-i Turk'' finished in 1665. These are important sources for modern knowledge of Central Asian history.


''Shajara-i Turk''

The ''Shajara-i Turk'' was Abu al-Ghazi's opus magnum. Its title has been variously translated as the "''Genealogy of the Turks''" and the "''Genealogy of the Tatars''", "shajara" being Arabic for "genealogy". Because using the word "Tatar" for "Turks" was a widely used misnomer, it is now obsolete to call the work "Shajara-i Turk" as "Genealogy of the Tatars" instead of "Genealogy of the Turks" since it is a work on the
Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...
. According to Abu al-Ghazi, in ''Shajara-i Turk'' he used the work of
Rashid-al-Din Hamadani Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (;‎ 1247–1318; also known as Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, ) was a statesman, historian, and physician in Ilkhanate Iran.Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi or Sharif al-Din Ali’ Yazdi (; died 1454, Yazd), also known by his pen name Sharaf, was a 15th-century Persian scholar who authored several works in the arts and sciences, including mathematics, astronomy, enigma, liter ...
, and other writers, totalling 18 historical sources, and corrected them in accordance with Turkic oral traditions which he was taught in his youth. A manuscript of the ''Shajara-i Turk'' was purchased in Tobolsk from a Bukhara merchant by Swedish officers detained in Russian captivity in Siberia. Using the local literate Tatars, the Swedish officers first translated the book into Russian, and then they re-translated it into various other languages. The French translation of the ''Shajara-i Turk'' was first published in Leiden in 1726. The French translation served as an original for a Russian translation published in 1768-1774. In 1780 it was published separately in German and English, and during the 18th century was widely read in Europe. Numerous critical translations of the ''Shajara-i Turk'' were published in the 19th and 20th centuries, which serve as historical sources for modern scholars. The first critical translation, undertaken by professional scholars, was published in
Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
in 1825. The Turkish translation of the text published in Kazan was undertaken by philologist
Ahmed Vefik Pasha Ahmed Vefik Pasha () (3 July 1823 2 April 1891) was an Ottoman statesman, diplomat, scholar, playwright, and translator during the Tanzimat and First Constitutional Era periods. He was commissioned with top-rank governmental duties, including pr ...
and was initially published in 1864. The most influential Western publication was ''Histoire des Mogols et des Tatares par Aboul-Ghazi Behadour Khan, publiée, traduite et annotée par le baron Desmaisons'', St.-Pétersbourg, 1871-1874.
Nikita Bichurin Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin (; – ), better known under his archimandrite monastic name Hyacinth, sometimes known as Joacinth or Iakinf, was one of the founding fathers of Russian Sinology. He translated many works from Chinese into Russian, w ...
was the first to notice that the biography of the epic ancestor of the Turkic people Oguz-Kagan by Abu al-Ghazi and the Turco-Persian manuscripts ( Rashid al-Din, Hondemir, Abulgazi) has a striking similarity with the
Maodun Modu () was the son of Touman and the founder of the empire of the Xiongnu. He came to power by ordering his men to kill his father in 209 BCE. Modu ruled from 209 to 174 BCE. He was a military leader under his father Touman and later ''chanyu'' ...
biography in the Chinese sources (feud between father and son and murder of the former, the direction and sequence of conquests, and so on). That observation, confirmed by other scholars, associated the name of Maodun with the epic personality of the Oguz-Kagan. The similarity is even more remarkable because at the time of the writing, no Chinese annals were translated into either oriental or western languages, and Abu al-Ghazi could not have known about the Eastern Huns or Maodun. The literary significance of ''Shajara-i Turk'' is that Abu al-Ghazi was openly against the use of the Chaghatay literary language because it carried a strong Persian influence. Abu al-Ghazi's language is an easy, simple folk language of the Khiva Uzbeks and is quite different from the Chaghatay literary language. The style of Abu al-Ghazi, despite the scientific nature of his compositions, is distinguished by clarity and richness of vocabulary, and is interspersed with Uzbek folk expressions and proverbs."Abu al-Ghazi"//''Literary Encyclopedia'' ''(in Russian)'' Abu al-Ghazi's son, Abu al-Muzaffar Anusha Muhammad Bahadur, reassigned the task to complete the work of his father ''Shajara-i Turk'' to a certain Mahmud bin Mulla Muhammad Zaman Urgench. It was finalised in 1665. The work lists a Turkic genealogy starting from the biblical
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
and the primogenitor of the Turks, Oguz-Khan, and provides legendary details on their descendants including
Chengiz Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns, conquering ...
and the Shaybanid dynasty, providing a good picture of Mongol and Turkic views of history at that time.


Works

* ''
Shajara-i Tarākima ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' () is a Chagatai language, Chagatai-language historical work completed in 1659 by Khan of Khiva and historian Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur. ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' is one of the two works composed by Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur that hav ...
'' ("Genealogy of the Turkmens", 1659) * '' Shajara-i Turk'' ("Genealogy of the Turks", 1665) ** Edition

** Translation


Legacy

16413 Abulghazi, an asteroid which was discovered on 28 January 1987 by
Eric Walter Elst Eric Walter Elst (30 November 1936 – 2 January 2022) was a Belgian astronomer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle and a prolific discoverer of asteroids. The Minor Planet Center ranks him among the top 10 discoverers of minor planets ...
at
La Silla Observatory La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Several other telescopes are also located at the site and are partly maintained by ESO. The observato ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, was named after him.


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* "Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur." ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 11 June 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bahadur, Abu Al-Ghazi 1603 births 1663 deaths 17th-century Iranian historians Historians of Central Asia Khans of Khiva Uzbeks Expatriates in Iran Chagatai-language writers Exiled royalty