The ''Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia'' (; ) is the largest and most comprehensive

encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

in the

Uzbek language Uzbek is a Karluk Turkic language spoken by Uzbeks. It is the official and national language of Uzbekistan and formally succeeded Chagatai, an earlier Karluk language endonymically called or , as the literary language of Uzbekistan in the 19 ...

, comprising 14 volumes. It is the first general-knowledge encyclopedia in Uzbek. The Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia was printed in the Cyrillic script. Although the encyclopedia contained some articles translated from the

Russian-language Russian is an East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is the native language of the Russians. It was the ''de facto'' and ''de j ...

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

'', its coverage of topics skewed towards Uzbek interests.

History

The ''Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia'' was published 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 ...

from 1971 to 1980 by the Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia Publishing House. Doctor

Ibrohim Moʻminov Ibragim Muminov (Russified form Ibraghim Muminov) (, November 7, 1908, Tezguzar – July 22, 1974, Tashkent) was an Uzbek intellectual and scholar. Founder of the philosophical school in Uzbekistan. Early life Muminov initially studied at makta ...

, a member of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, was the chief editor of volumes one through nine. Komiljon Zufarov was the chief editor of volumes ten through fourteen. The ''Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia'' was not available in Russian.

Content

The Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia is a comprehensive source of knowledge in

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

studies and in the

applied sciences Applied science is the application of the scientific method and scientific knowledge to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines, such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted with basic science, ...

. A major value of the encyclopedia is its comprehensive information about the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in general and the

Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...

in particular. Every aspect of life in Soviet Uzbekistan is systematically presented, including history, economy, science, art, and culture. There are comprehensive biographies of prominent Uzbek cultural and scientific figures who are not as well known outside of

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. The ''Uzbek Soviet Encyclopedia'' contains extensive writings on

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, and generally positive coverage of Uzbek Sufi philosophers such as

Khoja Akhmet Yassawi Ahmad Yasawi (, ; ; 1093–1166) was a Turkic peoples, Turkic poet and Sufism, Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of tariqa, Sufi orders throughout the Turkic languages, Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the ...

. The encyclopedia criticizes anti-Soviet writers such as Abdulrauf Fitrat and

Choʻlpon Abdulhamid Sulaymon oʻgʻli Yunusov (, 1893 – 4 October 1938), most commonly known by his penname Choʻlpon (sometimes spelled Cholpán in English), was an Uzbek poet, playwright, novelist, and literary translator. Choʻlpon was one of Centra ...

as bourgeois nationalists, but these figures were rehabilitated during

glasnost ''Glasnost'' ( ; , ) is a concept relating to openness and transparency. It has several general and specific meanings, including a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information and the inadmissi ...

References

{{Reflist, 2 Culture of the Soviet Union Uzbek-language literature Uzbek-language encyclopedias Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic 1971 non-fiction books 20th-century encyclopedias Soviet encyclopedias

History

Content

See also

References