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Abstract

The abstract offers a reinterpretation of one of the most influential concept on the history of Khiva Khanate (Khwarazm) in the early modern period. According to Yu. Bregel, 'frequent attacks on the territories of Iran and Bukhara were a defining feature of political life in Khorezm during the 19th century', that led V.V. Bartold to describe it as a barbaric country of robbers.’ The scholar notes that 'during the reign of the Shaybanids (Arabshahids), the cultural level of the Uzbeks in Khiva was incomparably lower than in Bukhara; even Khiva Khan Abulgazi (1603–1664) was forced to take on this task himself, as there was no one among his subjects capable of writing the country's history.'

In this case, Abulgazi Khan's own statement about writing his historical work ‘Shazharayi Turk’, where he emphasises that ‘due to the negligence of his ancestors and the lack of a capable person, he was forced to write the history of his country himself’, served as the basis for this conclusion.

V.V. Bartold attributes Abulgazi Khan's high level of education to his ten-year stay in Iran, and this view also supported by A.N. Kononov.

Only through careful analysis can appropriate conclusions be drawn about the reality of the situation. One should not forget that Abulgazi Khan was 26 years old when he was sent to Persia. It is unlikely that the most prominent member of the khan's family did not receive a basic education at that age.

Abulgazi Khan was born and raised during a period directly linked to the political stability, growth in foreign trade, and economic and agricultural development that had been achieved during the reigns of his grandfather, Haji Muhammad Khan, and his father, Arab Muhammad Khan.

The Madrasah of Arab Muhammad Khan, built in Khiva in 1613, naturally became a centre of learning and education.

Appointed ruler (kadhuda) of Urgench at the age of 16, Abulgazi Sultan played an active role in almost all the country's military and administrative affairs. As he himself noted, he was given a special talent to know the history. This quote from ‘Shazharaya Turk’ can also be seen as a tool used by Abulgazi Khan to legitimise his accession to the Khivan throne.