Emirate of Bukhara Эмират Бухара Emirat Bukhara (Russian) Амирати Бухоро Buxoro Amirligi (Uzbek) Амирати Бухоро Amirati Buxoro (Tajik) - Principality in Russia - |
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| Motto: "Солнечная Земля" Solnechnaya Zemlya (Russian) "Қуёшли эр" Quyoshli er (Uzbek) "Замини офтобӣ" "Zamini oftoʙī" (Tajik) ("Sunny Land") |
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| Capital | Tashkent | ||||
| Official languages | Russian, Uzbek, Tajik | ||||
| Government | Local constitutional monarchy | ||||
| - | Prince | Serajul I Alimovich | |||
| - | Governor-General | Raeem Gamdanov | |||
| - | Head Minister | Yusuf Ablayev | |||
Emirate of Bukhara (Russian: Эмират Бухара, Emirate Bukhara; Uzbek: Бухоро Амирлиги, Buxoro Amirligi; Tajik: Амирати Бухоро, Amirati Buxoro) is one of Russia's principality-level territories located in the Grand Duchy of Central Asia.
Bordering the Governorate of Alash to the north, and Persia to the south, Bukhara is Central Asia's second-most economically active region, mostly in the petrol and minerals industry. It is also considered one of the Islamic capitals of Russia. However, it has also been one of the hotbeds of separatism, three times during the Russian Civil War, World War II and the Tumultuous 1990s, which has resulted in extremely poor interethnic relations between Russians/Europeans and Uzbeks.
The Russian principality was created in 1923 as a constitutional Emirate, as part of the Grand Duchy of Central Asia, as part of Kiril I's continuation of the Russian Empire. Procurator General Alexander Wrangel installed Pavel Grebenshchikov as its first Governor-General.
In Ramadan of 2017, the Russian Supreme Court allowed for the return of the usage of the "Emirate" name, and to allow local courts to use traditional Islamic rule and law. Therefore, its last non-Muslim Governor-General amicably stepped down in 2018.
History[]
Russian Civil War[]
Sayyid Mir Muhammad Alim Khan was overthrown in a Bolshevik offensive led by Mikhail Frunze. From 1921 to 1923, Bukhara was the sight of fierce fighting between White Russian and Red Bukharan forces.
The Emir aligned himself with the Whites, and agreed with Tsar Cyril I and Baron Pyotr Wrangel in 1922 to make the Emirate a principality-level territory within the Russian Empire.
Generals Lavr Kornilov, Boris Rezhukin led the Bukhara operations.
By this point, the Bolshevik movement was severely cracked, and beginning to fall, with the resurgent Imperial Russians waging numerous battles throughout the former Russian Empire against fringe Bolshevik groups.
Afterwards, Bukhara became a constitutional Emirate.
Golden Age of Uzbek and Tajik Culture[]
Under Russian rule, Uzbek and Tajik culture experienced a golden age, with the use and promotion of Uzbek and Tajik alongside Russian in the public curriculum, whereas in the pro-Russian Emirate, Persian and Chagatay were the official languages. This was done via the formation of the Native Council of Bukhara (Uzbek: Бухоро маҳаллий кенгаши, Buxoro mahalliy kengashi; Tajik: Шурои махаллии Бухоро, Şuroi maxallii Buxoro; Russian: Туземный Совет Бухары, Tuzemnyy Sovet Bukhary), a council which still exists today, meant specifically for protecting, preserving and promoting Uzbek and Tajik alongside Russian. As a result, many of the native Uzbek and Tajik peoples actively supported Russian rule.
In the 1930s, Bukhara became home to land developments, as part of an aggressive push by the Democratic Socialists assembly to modernize Russia. More railways, weapons factories and mining sites were built in Bukhara.
World War II[]
During the Second World War, Bukhara contributed a total of 104,310 soldiers, and a crucial for the wartime economy. Native Bukharans consisted of the second-largest amount of Muslims serving in the Imperial Russian military during World War II, and served mostly in the Imperial Army. The majority of Bukharans fought on the Pacific Theater against the Japanese Empire. Some noted and famous native Bukharans was Abdusamat Taymetov, first Uzbek to serve as a pilot for the Imperial Air Force. Bilal Salimov, an Uzbek noble was ennobled by the Emir himself, left the rich noble life to go serve on the frontlines - later becoming the Governor-General of Bukhara.
Independent Bukhara 1989-1994[]
In 1985, Franko Korkunov became Prime Minister, with Yevgeny Shaposhinkov as the Procurator General and Wolfgang Rasskazov as the Foreign Minister. Bukhara became a hotbed of interethnic struggle between Uzbeks and ethnic Russians, whom the former felt were elitist and had no respect for the indigenous.
Iskander Musaev, the Head Minister supported the All-Uzbek Army Council, which evidently became separatist, composing of Uzbek military veterans and officers. They carried out attacks on pro-government forces and property. Korkunov's liberalization policies, as well as General Grachev's martial law only inflamed the situation.
In 1989, Musaev declared independence from Russia, and proclaimed the Islamic Republic of Bukhara, which the ruling Alimovs also opposed. Musaev declared the Alimovs as enemies of Islam. Russian military operations in Bukhara became a failure once-more, and Bukhara was able to withstand repeated Russian attempts to subjugate it. It isn't until 1993, when Pavel Grachev was deposed of, and replaced with the more hardliner Wassily Felgenhauer.
Rather than utilizing the military, Felgenhauer and Russian authorities funded paramilitaries, who trained independently, forming irregular Volunteer Forces. In 1994, General Felgenhauer ordered a merciless operation in Bukhara, marked by night-time raids, military patrols, and the destruction of the supply chain, and shut-downs of energy centers, resulting in a severe famine in Bukhara, one that General Felgenhauer promised "would last as long as possible" if Bukharan separatists didn't surrender. Musaev was killed in a Spetsnaz operation on November 1, 1994, and a week later, many more separatists surrendered or were killed, thus ending the 1994 Bukhara operation.
The House of Alimov was restored as the local ruling monarchy, and the Russian authorities allowed for the sending of aid towards displaced citizens and re-opening of the local supply chain. However, martial law was instilled.
Although the Russian government permitted the Alimovs to continue using the Emirate name and title, however the Alimovs feared that thanks to the radical Islamic nature of the rebels, that the Emirate name would espouse negative views, and therefore, changed Bukhara from an Emirate to a standard Khanate.
Post-1994, Modern Days[]
After the 1994 Bukhara operation, most of the scape focused on the relations between Russians and native Bukharans, which for the most part, remained scarred up to today. The bitter taste of bearing the brunt of three major separatist attempts have causing a long-lasting distrust between Uzbeks and Russians, as well as other pro-Russian groups like the Baltic Germans, East Ukrainians and Manchus.
The local economy pretty much remained reliant on underground economy, and the supply chain came under the control of wealthy magnates from elsewhere in Russia (not necessarily all ethnic Russians), as quasi-punishment and token of distrust among Russian authorities of Uzbeks having access to essential supply chains.
In the early post-1994 world, many companies in the technology, petrol and energy industries refused to do business with Uzbeks, with the latter forming the lowest parts of employment.
It isn't until 2005, when the Peace Society of Bukhara (Общество мира Бухары) was formed in an attempt to heal the relations between the two, and help foster rebuilding Bukhara together. In 2008 however, relations finally began to improve between ethnic Russians and native Bukharans, reaching their highest points in 2011 and 2012.
In 2011, the local Assembly approved for the government-funded reconstruction, preservation and re-building of mosques that may have been damaged in the various turmoils.
During the Bukhara Day 2012, Tsaritsa Maria I visited Bukhara, during a speech at the Royal Alimov Palace in Tashkent, she stated, "We do not hate the Uzbek people, we want the Uzbek people and need them to build Russia and Bukhara to the best state possible. We could not do it without the hands of the Uzbek people."
The governments of Russia and Persia also signed the Transit Agreement, which would build maglev railways between Persia and Central Asia, to which Bukhara would be a major focal point.
2017 - Reusage of the Emirate name[]
In 2014, local Bukharan politicians and the All-Uzbek Council began to promote the return of the usage of Emirate, and the title of Emir of Bukhara. The victory of the Islamic Alliance in Bukhara spearheaded and enabled this. The Senate gave it a greenlight, and also via Autonomy Rights Laws, local Bukharans would be able to enforce Islamic policy in the public.
Therefore in 2016, the last Russian Governor-General of Bukhara, Ivan Vasiliyev, stepped down due the local constitutional changes positing that the Emir, Governor-General, and Head Minister are all Shia Muslims. While the topic of enforcing jizyah taxes on non-Muslims came up, the Emir of Bukhara decided not to enforce it, as to not receive massive backlash. The only local Constitutional law regarding religion was that it is illegal to convert Shiite Muslims to non-Shiite factions, even Sunni Islam.
The Islamic nature of Bukhara in reality mimics that of Dubai, rather than Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Iran.
Separatism and Ethno-Religious Tensions[]
The effects of the 1990s remain strong in Bukhara today, as the Emirate is home to separatist movements. These separatists currently oppose the Bukharan royal family. In addition, unlike the neighboring Emirate of Khwarazm, tensions between Uzbeks and Russians are high in Bukhara.
Demographics[]
Currently, 80% of the population is Uzbek, 15% Russian and 5% others, including Tajiks and foreigners, mostly from China and Persia. The overwhelming majority of the ethnic Russians live in the big cities, mostly in Tashkent and Bukharagrad. The latter is mostly inhabited by Tajiks, who form the majority of the city's population.
Currently, Shia Islam forms 80% of the population, with Sunnis forming 5%, 10% are Russian Orthodox and 2% others, mostly Buddhists, who are foreigners and/or expatriates from China who inhabit Tashkent. Buhkara is home to one of Russia's oldest madrasas, and was at one point, one of the centers of culture during the Islamic world, with many of most well-known poets and astronomers from the Muslim World having come from Bukhara. It is considered one of Russia's Islamic centers, and receives visitations from Shiite nations such as Iraq and Persian.
Of the Russian Orthodox, 80% are followers of mainline Russian Orthodoxy, the Church of Bukhara - who operates in Moscow, is a native Uzbek-speaking autonomous church within the Russian Orthodox Church, and is under the control of the Moscow Patriarchate. Many consist of converts from Islam and/or their descendants.
Due to the tensions between Uzbek Muslims and Russian Orthodox, there has been a large-scale surge of Russian Orthodox migrating out of Bukhara and into other parts of the country.
Religious Freedom[]
Although the Emirate currently declares Islam the official local state religion, and the Emir, Head Minister and Governor-General are all by law, Shia Muslim, and the public government supports building of mosques, and employs imams. Islamic-based television is given to local Bukharan citizens for free and the government funds Islamic publications and media. However, unlike other Islamic theocracies, in spite of the ethnic tensions, Bukhara has religious tolerance towards minorities, particularly Sunni Muslims and Christians who form the largest majority (mostly Russian Orthodox), without having to pay a jizyah tax. The only local law that non-Muslims must follow is the prohibition of conversion of Muslims to Orthodox Christianity, however many native Bukharans who do convert to Christianity avoid this by simply migrating to other parts of Russia. Conversions of Shiites to a non-Shia branch of Islam is also forebidden.
If treated as an independent country, this would make Bukhara the most religiously-tolerant Islamic states, along with Dubai. Its predominant public promulgation of Islam, but its acceptance of non-Muslims has earned it the name "Russian Dubai".
The religious tolerance in spite of being promulgated by Law, has not been reflected within the people, and there has been attacks between both Uzbek Muslim and Russian Orthodox.
Education[]
- Bukhara Grand State University (Russian: Бухарский Государственный Университет, Uzbek: Бухоро давлат университети) - largest public research university in Bukhara
- Uzbek College of the Arts and Technology (Uzbek: Ўзбек санъат ва технология коллежи, Russian: Узбекский колледж искусств и технологий) - Alimov-owned private university catering to the native Uzbeks, Bukhara's largest Uzbek-oriented school
- Grand Royal Imperial University of Tashkent (Russian: Большой Королевский Университет Ташкента, Uzbek: Тошкентнинг Буюк Қироллик университети) - Romanov, Alimov and Wrangel-funded, one of Bukhara's most prestigious private universities, private research
- Wrangel Grand School of Mining and the Mineral Sciences (Russian: Школа горного дела Врангеля) - Wrangel-owned private school dedicated for mining and mineral research
- Ulugh Beg Grand Madrasa (Russian: Большое медресе Улугбека, Uzbek: Улуғ бегим катта мадрасаси) - one of the oldest and most prestigious madrasas of Russia, built in the 1400s, also a World UNESCO site, considered one of Russia's most expensive madrasas
- Jadidist School of Bukhara (Russian: Джадидская школа Бухары, Uzbek: Бухоронинг жадидчилар мактаби), Russia's only Jadidist school of thought, Alimov-owned
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