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Abstract

Seeking meaning in life, the modus operandi of faith and religious dictum serve to provide a process, an algorithm whence the personal quest for the spiritual path receives guidance and direction. The practices, formulas, directives and approaches provided via the agency of sacred texts and enlightened sages are required to be comprehended and recognized by those aspiring the empyrean pathway—the celestial realm—the absolute transcendence as opposed to the mundane physicality of daily existence. The sage Nasir-i Khusraw (1004—1060) used poetry to project are analyzed for his ideas related to the pathway for transcendence. He viewed the word/s (Sukhn) as the construct of liminality, the threshold that kept the seeker at the edge, the boundary of the outside daily world and the inside celestial realm.

In my paper, 6 poems (from Diwan) which lead the seeker on the pathway of transcendence are analyzed. In the view of our sage, the supreme guidance of God via the Tanzil (revelation) of the words of the sacred Qur'an was bestowed to Prophet Muhammad via the angel Gabriel-- these works of God were then gifted to humanity. The words (Kalam) of God, both facile and complex-- requiring interpretation, elaboration, multiple explanations. The meanings and elucidation may be simple, referred to as Tafsir, or searching for deeper essence referred to as Tawil (going to the source) of the message. To understand the Tawil, virtue and goodness is required-- a clean existence, opens the mind to enlightenment and to the perspicacity and discernment of the soul.

Nasir is known for myriad genres in communication via words. Particular famous are his travelogue- the Safar-nama (Book of Travels), the philosophical-theological edification / didactic instruction doctrine - Gushayish wa Rahayish (Knowledge and Liberation), and collection of poetry -- the Diwan.

The Book of Travels contains information both alluring and informative, the text on Knowledge and Liberation is appropriate for the advanced scholar, the poems of the Diwan are geared to and offered to the general lay people.

In the Diwan, Nasir proclaims:

I am a shepherd for the Moses of our time, to a flock

which feeds on knowledge through the night of this world

No shepherd can go without crook or bowl;

my bowl is a book, my crook my tongue.

With colorful metaphors, steady discourse, lively composition -- Nasir's poems serve to enrich and enhance the neuroplastic transposition of the seeker on the path of virtue and transcendence.

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Abstract

After the military invasions of the Russian Empire in 1839 and 1853 the ambassadorial relations between the three khanates increased in frequency. Even the Kokand khan, who always strived to maintain an alliance with the Khiva Kongrats against Bukhara, an attempt was made to stop these feuds. According to Shāhid ul-iqbāl from fear of attacks by the Russian army, the Kokand khan sent an ambassador to the Bukharan emir, presented submission and offered to take power into his own hands. In particular, the source notes that he "proceeded from the reflection that it is better to submit to him (Bukhara Emir) than to surrender to the Russians".

The dispatch of «Russian agents» also confirms these events, reporting that “the Kokand khan Khudayar-bek sent two embassies to the Emir of Bukhara with the offer of his allegiance and with a request to enter with an army into the country. There has never been an example of any ruler ceding his dominion to another voluntarily. I don't quite believe this suggestion. But in any case I don't think it is necessary to go with an army to Kokand”.

Kokand rulers' attempt to involve the Ottoman Sultan in these events also intensified. Historical chronicles and archival documents provide information that both earlier and in 1864, after the retreat of the Āvliya-Āta fortress to the hands of Russian troops, the Kokand ruler Sayid Muhammad-khan sent his high-ranking official Sayid Yaqub naqib to the Ottoman sultan's court to inform him about all political situations in the region, thus wishing to receive at least moral support.

It should be noted that in Anjum at-tawārikh there is information, which is not found in other sources, that in the early 19th century the Kokand ruler Ālim-khan (1798 - 1810), having realized the importance of uniting the three khanates, made an attempt to create an alliance. The source notes that, "...sometimes from the mouth of the shrinking pearl [khan] came such words: this small country, i.e. Fergana, Bukhara and Khorezm cannot accommodate several khans. [Therefore] the khans and emirs of these regions, having chosen one among them for greatness and leadership, should rule it with consent". The author of this historical work with regret emphasizes that Ālim-khan sent his ambassadors and called to the union, that the khan of Khorezm accepted his proposal, but not having received an answer from the Bukhara emir, left this world".

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Abstract

The survey analyzes various archive documents and historical sources related to the social-religious situation of people of different religions, particularly the Jews in the Bukhara Emirate during the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries.

The Bukhara Emirate (known as "Bukhara Khanate" in international historical literature and locally as the "Bukhara Emirate") is considered from 1756 to 1920 according to some sources. The Bukhara Emirate, a multi-religious and multi-national state, hosted diverse communities, including Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Christians. The term "Bukhara Jews" began to be used in the 20th century by foreign travelers arriving in Central Asia to refer to Jews across the entire Turkestan region.

The Bukhara Emirate, with its Islamic Sunni Hanafi legal system, managed affairs based on Shari'a laws. Different religious representatives faced various taxes and exemptions compared to other Islamic states. For instance, Jews adhered to specific restrictions such as avoiding certain clothing, refraining from building new synagogues, repairing existing ones, abstaining from riding horses. To distinguish themselves from Muslims, Jewish men tied by a rope their waist, while women had noticeable veils in their paranjas.

Bukhara had three Jewish neighborhoods, known as "guzar" (quarter): Mahallai Kohna (XVI), Mahallai Nav (XVII), and Mahallai Amirobod (XIX). The total number of Jews in the Emirate exceeded four thousand. Jewish education, including religious teachings in synagogues, was common, and boys typically received education, while girls were married off around the ages of 12-13. Polygamy was prevalent in Jewish families, and many women married early.

In the late 19th century, when the Bukhara Emirate became the protectorate of the Russian Empire and the ruler Emir Said Abdulahad Khan (1885-1910) proclaimed a law (1885) about the abolition of slavery were significantly influenced the Jewish community and its socio-religious life. Many archive documents illustrate their transition to Russian citizenship.

Consequently, during the late 19th century – the early 20th century, socio-religious changes among the Jews in the Bukhara Emirate were influenced significantly by the stratification processes under the influence of the Russian Empire. The Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Bukhara Jews lived together, maintaining their distinct ethnic identities. All their religious ceremonies continued to be performed in eight synagogues in their neighborhoods.