American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
44
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue07 2025
PAGE NO.
44-46
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue07-10
24
Progressive Engineering Ideas of The Jadids Of
Turkestan
Sayfullayev Samarbek Dilshod o‘g‘li
Independent researcher at the Department of Social Sciences, Tashkent State Transport University, Uzbekistan
Received:
21 May 2025;
Accepted:
17 June 2025;
Published:
19 July 2025
Abstract:
The principal activities of the Turkestan Jadids are most evidently expressed through their publications
in the press. In addition to addressing social and economic matters, they also discussed engineering and
technological developments in detail. International events consistently captured their attention as well. The Jadids
advocated for renewal and modernization across all sectors of society and actively sought to implement these
ideas in practice.
Keywords:
Jadidism, press, Sadoyi Ferghana, Yangi, Yangi usul, engineering and technology, lithographic machine,
Matbaai Is’hoqiya, printing press, Tarixi traktur
.
Introduction:
Following the Timurid era, scientific and
cultural development in Central Asia began to decline
significantly. The field of engineering, in particular,
lagged far behind global progress. This stagnation
stemmed primarily from the inadequacies of the
prevailing socio-economic systems in the khanates of
that time. The autocratic monarchies, entrenched
ignorance, denial of secular knowledge, and the self-
serving priorities of the ruling elites had effectively
blocked the nation’s path to progress. Tragically, these
feudal policies, perpetuated over centuries, left a
profound imprint on public consciousness. People
became entangled in trivial domestic issues, losing
sight of greater aspirations.
METHODOLOGY
By the end of the 19 th century, Tsarist Russia had
colonized much of Central Asia. The local population
mounted several national liberation movements in
pursuit of independence. However, the region’s lack of
industrial and technological advancement, as well as
the underdevelopment of national engineering and
scientific disciplines, resulted in these efforts being
suppressed by the Tsarist regime. At the turn of the
20th century, a new socio-political and cultural
movement
—
Jadidism
—
emerged in Turkestan. The
Jadids aimed to liberate the region through the
advancement of science, industry, and technology. As
one of the prominent Jadid thinkers, Munavvar Qori
Abdurashidkhanov, lamented: “While the European
nations soar through the skies, we debate about hair
and beards; while they explore the depths of the sea,
we argue over the length of garments; while their cities
are lit and heated with electricity, we continue
debating whether geography and natural sciences
should be taught in schools.”
DISCUSSION
Jadidism and Engineering Ideals Originating in the
Russian Empire during the second half of the 19th
century, the Jadid movement reached Central Asia by
its end and spread widely in the early 20th century.
According to Jadid thought, liberating nations from
socio-economic backwardness required a radical
reform of the educational system, incorporating
modern and innovative teaching methods. The term
jadid itself derives from Arabic, meaning “new” or “new
method.” The Jadids believed that the future of the
nation rested on the advancement of secular sciences,
particularly engineering. They argued that the
country’s technological and industrial backwardness
was a key obstacle to development. Agriculture, the
backbone of the region’s economy, was especially
underdeveloped and lacked mechanization.
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, agriculture
dominated both the economy and the daily lives of the
population, as industrial production remained minimal.
However, technological innovation was absent in this
vital sector. Without modernization, true progress was
impossible. The Jadid intellectual Abdulla Avloniy
expressed this despair in his writing: “You sleep in the
arms of ignorance
—
awake, oh nation, cast off the cloak
of darkness. Rise, for the time and the people demand
it!”
Similar
ly, Cho‘lpon wrote in one of his articles: “In my
previous article, I noted that none of our farmer
brothers use agricultural machines... Yet these
machines are indeed useful.” He added: “Americans
plant one wheat seed and harvest twenty sacks;
Europeans buy our cotton for five kopecks and sell it
back to us for twenty-
five.” From these observations,
it is evident that the Jadids understood the importance
of engineering and technological achievements in
national development.
The Role of Engineering and Technology in Society
Engineering and technology form the foundation of
human civilization and are the defining features of
modern culture. No society can achieve sustainable
progress
without
scientific
and
technological
advancement. Scientific-technical development not
only shapes modern society but also determines the
economic progress of nations and individual
enterprises alike. Hence, the history of science and
technology is an integral part of world history. The
development level of engineering knowledge in any
period offers insights into human progress. Thus,
evaluating a historical phase of a society requires an
understanding of its scientific and technological
condition. At the turn of the 20th century, the situation
in Central Asia in this regard was far from ideal.
Social needs arise from economic relations, which in
turn shape the conditions for technological progress.
The development of engineering is driven by the
interaction between humans and nature. Technology
enables the replacement of human physical effort with
mechanical power, overcoming the limits of human
psychophysical capacity. History shows that societal
advancement has always depended on the
development of productive forces
—
an area closely tied
to engineering. The social function of technology lies in
its ability to enhance labor productivity and expand
human technical culture. New technologies cannot be
created without a sufficient level of engineering
knowledge aligned with natural laws and practical
human activity.
Is’hoqxon To‘ra Ibr
at: A Pioneer of Technical
Innovation. The Jadids, having understood these social-
philosophical truths, did not neglect the importance of
engineering
knowledge
and
technological
development. Among them, Is’hoqxon To‘ra Ibrat was
particularly notable for his contributions to technical
progress.In 1908, Ibrat undertook a significant initiative
by purchasing a lithographic printing machine from a
printer named Gaufman in Orenburg, with payment
deferred over ten years. He transported the equipment
by train to K
okand and by camel to To‘raqo‘rg‘on,
enduring great hardship. In April 1908, he established a
printing house named Matbaai Is’hoqiya on the site of
a former bathhouse he had constructed in 1905 .
This was a remarkable achievement for its time. Before
then, copying books was a labor-intensive and time-
consuming task performed manually by calligraphers
over months or even years. The limited number of
books made them inaccessible to the broader public.
The opening of the printing house greatly expanded
access to knowledge and literature.
In his works, Ibrat frequently emphasized the
usefulness, convenience, and efficiency of technology
for society. For example, in his poem “Tarixi Traktur”,
he wrote:
A marvel of an era, the tractor has arrived,
It has made our tasks easier, now the tractor thrives...
…Where once three men struggled with an old plow,
Now a tractor tills ten fields in a single day .
Between 1909 and 1913, the Tarbiyai Atfol society in
Bukhara sent talented youth abroad, especially to
Istanbul and through it to Germany, with the aim of
bringing back technical knowledge and initiating new
industries in Turkestan. In one of his articles, Abdurauf
Fitrat called on his compatriots to awaken from their
slumber, to keep pace with European innovations, and
to open the path to enlightenment by expanding the
new Jadid
CONCLUSION
In summary, the Jadids envisioned a sovereign
Turkestan empowered through science, education, and
technology. Newspapers published by the movement
often compared the state of affairs in Europe with
those in Turkestan in terms of economy, agriculture,
industry, and technology. Special attention was given
to teaching natural and exact sciences in Jadid schools.
The Jadids also prioritized sending talented youth to
Germany and Turkey to acquire modern education and
develop a pool of qualified specialists. The purchase of
a lithographic machine by Is’hoqxon Ibrat was, in
essence, a revolutionary step in the field of book
printing in Turkestan. They firmly believed that such
efforts wo
uld serve the nation’s development and that
true independence could not be achieved without
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
progress in these fields.
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Jadids. Abdulla Avloniy. A Treatise. Olim Oltinbek.
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–
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