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Abstract

Mulla Qirgʻiz madrasa (1910–1912) and Ota Valixon toʻra mosque (1915), both in Namangan, Uzbekistan, are two masterpieces of late Islamic architecture in Central Asia. My paper is dedicated to its architectural features and its place in the context of Russian colonial period.

There are no special studies dedicated to these monuments, just some brief notes (Azimov 1982, Nielsen 1988, O'zbekiston ziyoratgohlari 2014). The architectural analysis that I did in situ revealed many special features, some already mentioned in the literature, some new (the use of Russian brick- and woodwork, pentagonal plan in the madrasa, very high cupola and interpenetration of inner and outer spaces in the mosque, etc.). The innovative approach to the tradition is clearly seen in both buildings. That supports an opinion that the mosque was built by the same architect as the madrasa, namely usto Mulla Qirgʻiz ibn Ibrohimboy.

These buildings were never studied in the wider architectural and cultural context. Unfortunately, this architectural context itself is almost unknown: the late Islamic / early colonial period is the less studied from the whole history of architecture in Central Asia. There are only some case studies (Muradov, first of all), one short monograph (Nielsen) and unpublished surveys of typology (Kondriakova). My preliminary research (including the study of the monuments in situ) shows that in the first decades after Russian context Central Asian clients and builders did shown no interest in new Russain/European forms. New approaches became visible in the 1910s only. Mosque and madrasa in Namangan are among the very few that represent new approaches in the traditional Islamic architecture. The most interesting thing that their builders took new spaces and plans, and not the decoration. I argue that the very long survival of traditional architecture after Russian conquest can be viewed as kind of stubborn resistance of the Islamic communities of Central Asia to the changes brought by the colonisation. This approach changed with time. The ruling elites started to use European decoration as a sign of its Europeanization, as in palaces of Bukhara and Khiva. The religious clients in Namangan use different approach: they took new construction practices and spacial solutions in search of internal renovation of Islamic buildings, and not for its superficial modernisation.

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Stories and dreams featuring prominent Sufi masters such as Ahmad Yasavi are interspersed within local contemporaneous sources discussing the conquest and establishment of Russian rule in Central Asia during the 19th century. Within this period, local stories of Sufi masters and claims of their prophetic intervention represent an indigenous attempt to understand and explain the Russian conquest by tapping into pre-existing communal and historiographical traditions. This can entail figures, such as the 12th century Sufi master Ahmad Yasavi, prophesizing the eventual fall of Turkistan to Russians, or even offering guidance, through dreams to the participants of the conflict. Descriptions of the Russian conquest in these sources also draw parallels to the Mongol Conquest of the 13th century, by underscoring the actions of Sufi masters in the latter. This conference paper will examine these phenomenon through the use of two main primary sources. These are the Tarikh-i Jadidiya-i Tashkend, completed around the year 1886 by Muhammad Salih, and the Khulusat-al-Ahval written by Abu Ubaydullah around 1866. Both authors were residents of Tashkent and participated in the defense of the city against the Russians in 1865. Salih’s Tarikh-i Jadidiya-i Tashkend is an extensive work, a substantial portion of which is dedicated to the history of the city of Tashkent and the Russian conquest of the region in the 1860s. The Khulusat-al-ahval is an autobiographical work which also contains valuable historical information on Tashkent due to the fact Abu Ubaydullah served as a civil servant for the Khoqandi governors of the city during the mid-19th century. Both texts contain anecdotal stories and dreams attributed to important Sufi figures. Utilizing Rogers Brubaker’s concept of groupness as an event for a theoretical framework, I argue that the events of the Russian conquest led to a momentary rise in groupness or communal identity for Central Asian participants. This rise in groupness is represented by textual allusions to Sufi masters and comparisons with the Mongol conquest, both of which drew on wider communal and historiographical traditions in Central Asia.

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In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the cultural life of Central Asia, particularly in the Khanate of Khiva, witnessed the rise of an enlightenment movement and the influence of modernist ideas. Sayyid Islām Khwāja (1872-1913), a prominent figure in this movement, played a significant role in laying the foundations of facets of modern statehood in the Khanate and promoting its development. His participation in several official visits to the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg, along with his familiarity with elements of modern state exemplified by the empire, influenced his ideas of enlightenment and reform. On his direct initiative, modern social institutions were created in the Khanate, with financing planned from the Khanate's treasury. Despite his progressive outlook, Sayyid Islām Khwāja invested his own considerable sums in the construction of a madrasa, a traditional institution of higher education, rather than modern infrastructural facilities. He also established large charitable funds in support of this educational institution. How can one explain the pursuit of traditional religious activities by a man who had a modern worldview and was the initiator of a number of modern cultural projects?

This paper examines the cultural initiative stemming from the intersection of political modernism and religious aspirations championed by Sayyid Islām Khwāja. It explores how his religious inclinations influenced the establishment of the madrasa, part of the architectural ensemble of Ichan-Kal’a in the city of Khiva, showcasing his ultimate preference. Furthermore, this study aims to reconstruct the historical activity of Sayyid Islām Khwāja’s madrasa, with particular emphasis on the construction process, the allocation and utilization of waqf property, the staffing of the institution, the educational curriculum, and the types of textbooks employed within the madrasa. The primary sources of this study are the waqfnāma, notarized in 1906 in the form of a long scroll, as well as other comcominant waqf documents.

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Nasir Khan Tura Kamal Khan Tura ogli is a person who worked for a long time for the freedom of the peoples of Turkestan. In 1913, he joined the Jadids and led them materially and spiritually. After the February revolution and the October coup of 1917, he led an active and open movement for the independence of the region. After being exiled in 1925, he got acquainted with the ideas of Jamaluddin Afghani and Muhammad Abdo. After returning to his motherland in 1928, he raised an uprising for independence. After the defeat, 92 people were repressed with their leader. In the article, the previously unknown facts are highlighted on the basis of archival documents.