The Samarkand klan (alternatively Samarqand) is an Uzbek

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

led by Ismoil Jurabekov.Collins, p. 255 The clan is one of two major clans in Uzbekistan; the other, its main rival, is the

Tashkent clan The Tashkent clan is a powerful political clan based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan that controls the Uzbek National Security Service (known as the SNB, or MHH), and since late 2005 the Interior Ministry. The Samarkand clan is its biggest rival for con ...

. To a lesser extent, the

Ferghana clan 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 fr ...

is also a rival.Sengupta, p. 286 Former Uzbek

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Islam Karimov and current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev come from the Samarkand clan.Uzbekistan: Karimov Appears To Have Political Clans Firmly In Hand
RFE/RL. 31 August 2006. Accessed 24 June 2009.

Background

In contemporary Uzbekistan, tribes no longer exist. Modern Uzbek clans either operate at the family level or at the national level. The term "clan" today usually refers to patronage networks created by marriage or friendship.Collins, p. 254 Some prefer to call the groups "factions".Roy, p. 13 The government of Uzbekistan, since the fall of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, has attempted to deny existence of clan politics.Sengupta, p. 285

History

The Samarkand clan came to power in Uzbekistan in 1983 after it replaced the

Ferghana Clan 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 fr ...

.Roy, p. 128 Ismoil Jurabekov, the head of the Samarkand clan, is known as "the Gray Cardinal" because of his role in bringing Islam Karimov to power. However, by 1993, Karimov began to restrict the power of the Samarkand clan. Karimov's patronage of the Samarkand clan had been causing discontent among the other clans, and he wished to stop this resentment to prevent revolt.Collins, p. 263 In the following years, he continued to weaken the power of all clans in the country. Jurabekov became an adviser to Karimov, but was ousted in 2004 after criminal allegations were made against him, in a move thought to strengthen the rival Tashkent clan. Jurabekov had previously been one of the most powerful men in the country. Interior Minister Zokir Almatov, from the Samarkand clan, also resigned in late 2005, citing poor health.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book , last = Sengupta , first = Anita , title = The formation of the Uzbek nation-state: a study in transition , publisher = Lexington Books , year = 2003 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PC5SZ_NwARgC&pg=PR1 , isbn = 978-0-7391-0618-1 Ethnic groups in Uzbekistan Politics of Uzbekistan Central Asia Clans Shavkat Mirziyoev

Background

History

See also

References

Bibliography