Literature of Mirzo Ulughbek’s Time
in Alisher Navoi’s Interpretations
Nurboy Jabborov
TASHKENT STATE UNIVERSITY OF UZBEK LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
AFTER NAME A.NAVOI, TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN
jabborov-nurboy@rambler.ru
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of the views of the great Uzbek poet and thinker
Alisher Navoi on the literature of the reign of Mirzo Ulughbek, encyclopedic scholar, the
Temurids’ ruler. The author studied the ideas and interpretations on this theme in the works
of Navoi on the basis of the following classification: 1) the praising of Mirzo Ulughbek in the
works of the great poet; 2) The literary environment that emerged during the period of Mirzo
Ulughbek and the attitude to its representatives’ work; 3) the development of literary and
aesthetic thinking during the time of this ruler.
In the concluding section of Alisher Navoi's epic poem "Farhod and Shirin" and in "Majolis
un-nafois" (“Tender meetings”) Mirzo Ulughbek is described and praised as a unique hafiz who
memorized and learned the Holy Qur'an with seven recitations, a great astronomer who wrote
"Ziji jadidi Koragoniy", as well as he was referred to as a poet with a great taste. In the
example of Abdullatif Mirzo it was illustrated that Mirzo Ulughbek's natural inclination towards
poetry was passed on to his children too.
In addition, the author of the article used information from Abdurazzoq Samarkandi's "Matla'i
sadayn va majmai bahrain" and Davlatshah Samarkandi's "Tazkirat ush-shuaro" to prove his
views. It has been scientifically proven that the information in these sources is valuable in
terms of supplementing the views of Alisher Navoi provided in the "Majolis un-nafois" and
enriching it with new facts and evidences. In turn, the views in the monographs of V.V Bartold
"Ulughbek and his time", Ergash Rustamov’s "Uzbek poetry of the first half of the XV
century" were analyzed too.
Key words:
literature, literary environment, poetry, poet, tazkira, qasida, artistic-aesthetic
thinking, scientific analysis
The Journal of Eurasian Turkic Studies
ISSN 2636-0810
June, 2021
VOL. 6 pp. 76~92
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1. Introduction
The works of the great poet and thinker Alisher Navoi, who raised the development of
Turkish classical poetry to unprecedented heights and raised the national artistic and
aesthetic thinking onto a global scale, provided unique information about the masterpieces
of literature during the Timurids’ period. In particular, during the reign of the great writer
Muhammad Taragay Ulughbek (1394–1449) in Movarounnahr, there were written valuable
works about the development of not only mathematics, astronomy, history, but also
literature and literary studies. Although a number of researches have been undertaken on
the literature of Alisher Navoi and the Timurids’ period, this scientific problem has not been
fully discovered yet. In the treatise "Majolis un-nafois" and other works of the great thinker,
there is valuable information, especially about the literature of Mirzo Ulughbek and his
time. To systematize this information and conduct scientific research in this field is one of
the urgent tasks encountering the study of Navoi’s works.
The ideas and interpretations on this topic in the works of Hazrat Alisher Navoi can be
studied on the basis of the following classifications: 1) the character of Mirzo Ulughbek
in the works of the great poet; 2) the literary environment that emerged in his time and
the attitude towards the work by representatives of this environment; and 3) the
development of literary and aesthetic thinking during the time of this ruler.
It is important that the study of this topic produces new scientific conclusions about the
literature of the period of Mirzo Ulughbek and the development of literary and aesthetic
thinking in his time, as well as the study of scientific and creative views of Alisher Navoi.
2. Description of Mirzo Ulughbek in the Works of Alisher Navoi
At the end of his work "Farhod and Shirin," while writing his advice for Shah Gharib
Mirzo, the son of Sultan Hussayn Boykaro, Hazrat Alisher Navoi, wishing him to follow
the example of the great Timurids’ ruler Mirzo Ulughbek, focused on the following:
Sultan Ulughbek – Turkhan’s grandsone –
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Like him the world has not seen anyone.
Many of his equals had left this world
They are never remembered in a word,
But to science he had found such a way.
That the sky came down to his eyes, pray,
The observatory he built is world’s beauty,
See, within the world there is another sky.
Having learned the astronomy science so much,
That he had written “Ziji Kuragoni” as such.
Those who are born till doomsday
Would write following all his way (Navoi, 2011 (6): 719).
The great poet wrote that the world had never seen a sultan like Mirzo Ulughbek, that
all his "contemporary equals" - his peers, equals- have passed away, and the people of the
period would not remember any of them. Unlike his peers, thanks to mastering of science
and knowledge even the sky seemed to come down lower before Ulughbek's eyes. The
observatory he built presents the "beauty of the world." It can even be called another heaven
within the sky. “Ziji Jadidi Koragoniy” is a proof for his high level of knowledge of the
celestial sciences. “The importance of this work is so high that until the Day of Judgment,
those who study astronomy will rely on its scientific judgments. Hazrat Navoi, who believed
that "knowledge is an adornment to the eyes, and there is another adornment to soul and
spirit". By saying these words of wisdom Alisher Navoi has in mind to state that to possess
knowledge is not only necessary for Shah Garib Mirza, but it is also necessary for all rulers
and their descendants. According to the great poet, it is necessary not to be satisfied with
one kind of knowledge only, but also to possess all kinds of knowledge:
If not satisfied with one among all sciences,
Master all sciences well, don’t dare to refuse.
Mirzo Ulughbek is an example to all with his encyclopedic knowledge. According to
Hazrat Alisher Navoi’s statement in “Majolis un-nafois,” “His human perfection was
extremely high… He learned by heart the Holy Qur`an by reciting seven times, he knew
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well the space, stars, wrote about the location of stars. Mirzo Ulughbek’s perfection in
science displayed his inclination to music too” (Navoi, 2011 (9): 412). That is, he also
created poems. The text of the following passage is provided as an example of his work:
No matter how much wealth of beauty you own as due,
Don’t treat them naughtily as the bad eyes observe you.
According to Alisher Navoi, Mirzo Ulughbek's interest in poetry was passed on to his
children. In particular, in the “Majolis un-nafois” he states that Abdullatif Mirza, the third
son of the great sultan, was "a merchant, a tempting man, and a madman," that he "had
other evil characters," and that "the wise man and the king killed his father for the advice
of the world. He had a natural temperament and recited poetry well. ” The following is
an example of this:
Making a glare the eye causes hundred evils to soul and spirit,
How can I be thankful, O, God, that eye will never pain or hurt!
(Navoi, 2011 (9): 413)
Mirzo Ulughbek's appraisal and description come only at the end of Alisher Navoi's epic
poem "Farhod and Shirin" and in "Majolis un-nafois." Of his descendants, only Abdullatif
Mirza is known for his character and temperament, and for his "beautiful recitation of
poetry." Finding and studying the poetic works of Mirzo Ulughbek and Abdullatif Mirzo
is one of the tasks facing literature today.
3. The Attitude of Alisher Navoi to the Literary Environment of Mirzo
Ulughbek's Period and to the Creativity of Representatives of This
Environment
Mirzo Ulughbek, who had reached the peak of perfection in science, naturally paid special
attention to the development of science and enlightenment. This great ruler mobilized all
his forces to promote the activities of the madrasas, which were the institutions of higher
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education of that period. As a result, famous scientists in various spheres of science, as well
as famous poets and writers who had made a worthy contribution to the development of
our national literature emerged. In particular, it is known that the famous Abdurahmon Jomi
studied at Ulughbek’s Madrasah in Samarkand, which played an important role in the
history of Eastern culture and science, where he listened to lectures by Qozizoda Rumi.
Later, Hazrat Alisher Navoi in the same madrasa learned much from mentor Fazlullah
Abullaysi.
During the reign of Mirzo Ulughbek, dozens of other poets and writers, such as Mavlono
Mir Karshi
1)
, bearing a Khatoiy penname and Mavlono Kavsari, who was described as the
"teacher of the people of Zurafo" (“Witty minded”), were actively involved in creative work
(History of Uzbek Literature, 1978: 235-238). As a result, a literary environment with
unique creative traditions was formed and developed in Samarkand, the capital of
Movarounnahr, and Herat, the center of Khorasan.
This opinion was confirmed by Alisher Navoi in his “Majolis un-nafois” and by other
sources, as well as by the recognition of Uzbek by foreign scholars. In particular, the
Russian scholar, academician V.V. Bartold in his monograph "Ulughbek and His Time"
provides information about the great Timurid's attention to literature. His palace had a
unique literary environment under the leadership of Kamal Badakhshi, known as "Malik
ul-kalom"(“Shah of Words”) (Bartold, 1964: 139-141). It is noteworthy that different
opinions about the literature of this period were also expressed by other famous people, for
example, in Ahmad Zaki Validi’s "Lutfi and His Office" (Validi, 1914), in F. Kopruluzoda’s
"Poets of Chigatoy" (Kopruluzoda, 1914), and in the lectures of academician A.N
Samoilovich about Lutfi and Atoi (Samoilovich, 1927).
In his book "Uzbek Poetry of the First Half of the XV Century,"literary critic Ergash
Rustamov writes: "During the reign of Ulughbek in Samarkand, as in Herat, there was a
growing interest in the study of ancient monuments of Turkish literature. In particular, in
1444 in Samarkand, at the request of Arslan Khoja Tarkhan, Adib Ahmad Yugnaki's epic
"Hibat ul-haqayiq" ("Gift of Truths") was written in Uyghur. The text appendix contains
two poems in Turkish dedicated to Adib Ahmad and his epic poem. The author of one of
them is Amir Sayfiddin Barlos, who served in the palace of Amir Temur and wrote poems
1) Known as “mentor of creative people” and a student of Khoja Ismatullo Bukhari and Mavlono Khayoli
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in Turkish and Persian under the pseudonym Sayfi, and the author of the other is Arslan
Khoja Tarkhan ”(Rustamov, 1963: 35). Arslan Khoja Tarkhan, known as the "The Great
Amir" in the palace of Mirzo Ulughbek, gained popularity and fame as "the owner of sword
and pen."
According to V.V Bartold: “Ulughbek preferred Nizami, Boysunqur was devoted to
Khusrav Dehlavi and there was a dispute between the brothers. Although Boysunqur was
widely known as a lover and scholar of literature, Ulughbek's temperament in this matter was
in line with the tastes of modern European scholars in classical poetry” (Bartold, 1964: 139).
In the famous historian Abdurazzaq Samarkandi’s "Matla'i sa'dayn va majmai bahrain"
("The Rise of Two Blessed Stars and the Joining of Two Seas"), Mirzo Ulughbek said that
it was the result of the great diligence and beautiful efforts” (Samarkand, 2008: 344). This
source has been studied in depth by Professor Shuhrat Sirojiddinov (Sirojiddinov, 2011:
207).
Historian Ashraf Ahmedov in his pamphlet "Ulughbek Muhammad Taragay" states:
"Ulughbek used to gather scientists, poets and architects in Samarkand ... Along with
Samarkand, Herat became a major cultural center of the East during the reign of Shahrukh
and Ulughbek. Of course, first of all, Ulughbek's contribution is invaluable ”, (Ahmedov,
2011: 28-29).
During the reign of Mirzo Ulughbek, a unique literary environment was formed in
Samarkand and Herat, and unique works of art were created. Orientalist Turgun Fayziev's
book "Generations of Mirzo Ulughbek" says: “During his time, the city of Samarkand
became a center of science and culture, and many outstanding scientists, dozens of famous
poets and eloquent writers lived and worked in the palace in a worthy place. Among them
were Mavlono Lutfi, Mavlono Khayali, Ismatullah Bukhari, Kamal Badakhshi, the great
literary critic and linguist Khoja Fazlullah Abullaysi ” (Fayziev, 1994: 22-23).
In addition, Ulughbek Mirzo paid great attention to the field of translation. He himself
translated valuable works of art and science from Arabic and Persian into Turkish. Hazrat
Alisher Navoi in "Majolis un-nafois" provided valuable information about the following
poets and writers who created masterpieces during this period:
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3.1. Kamal Badakhshi
Navoi states that Kamol Badakhshi was a noble man, that "in the time of Ulughbek
Mirzo, the council in Samarkand made him a benefactor," and that "Mirzo (Ulughbek -
N.J.) had many compliments of him." As an example in the “Majolis un-nafois,” the
following is one of the famous poems of the poet:
Your black plait like a black night closed the sun,
Making a shadow, who saw when night closed the sun.
In addition to the thoughts of Hazrat Alisher Navoi, we read the following about Mavlono
Badakhshi in the “Tazkirat ush-shuaro” of the Samarkand State: “He was one of the nobles.
During the reign of Ulughbek Koragon in Samarkand, he achieved a high level of eloquence
and was a leader of the poets of that time. The famous sultan and the nobles of that time
acknowledged his eloquence. Mavlono Badakhshi had pure verses in the hymn of this king
(Mirzo Ulughbek - N.J.). His Devan is famous in that land (Movarounnahr - N.J.) ”
(Davlatshah, 1981: 166).
Academician V.V. Bartold, referring to "Mavlono Badakhshi as “Davlatshoh Samarkandi”
because he was the leader of the poets of the time", "Tsar of poets at the court of
Ulughbek"(Bartold, 1964: 140).
3.2. Mavlono Muhammad Olim
About this poet in “Majolis un-nafois,” Navoi states: “He was a classmate and interlocutor
of Ulughbek Mirzo, a Samarkandi ulamo. But he was a very brave and bold man ...
”(Navoi, 2011 (9): 299). Along with Mirzo Ulughbek, Mavlono Muhammad Olim studied
at the Samarkand Madrasah with such scholars as Qozizoda Rumi, Sharafiddin Ali Yazdi,
and Fazlullah Abullaysi.
Despite the fact that his poems are good, Hazrat Navoi says that he was forced to go
to Herat because of the habit of "saying a lot of arrogant words and answers in a debate."
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Hazrat Navoi quotes the following verse:
We were unhappy, left in bad days whose star was off the sight,
In my whole life a goal’s candle hadn’t lighted on even a night.
3.3. Mavlono Sakkoki
Mavlono Sakkoki was one of the famous poets of that time. Ulughbek Mirzo's
contribution to creative development is incomparable, sothe poet wrote four poems
dedicated to him. Ulughbek Mirzo's four poems dedicated to Arslan Khoja Tarkhan, the
Emir of Emirs, are also a great examples of classical poetry. The “Majolis un-nafois”
provides the following information about this poet:
“Mavlono Sakkoki is from Movarounnahr. The people of Samarkand have a lot of faith
in him and highly praise him” (Navoi, 2011 (9): 333).
In one of his poems dedicated to Mirzo Ulughbek, the poet writes:
If the sky takes years to travel and bring, first,
A poet like me is a wise king like you ever heard.
It does not require proof that such a verse can be said only by a poet who has a classic
place in Turkish poetry.
In his poems, Sakkoki describes Mirzo Ulughbek as "Sulaymoni zamon" “Solomon of his
time”, "Noshiravon"(“Shah’s name in the past”), "Musotek shubon"((“Sheppard like Prophet
Moses”), "atodin mehribon"(“More Merciful than Father”), "khurshidi chahon"(“The sun
lighting the world”).
According to him, no sultans have come and gone in history like Ulughbek, but a ruler
like Ulughbek is rare:
Sultans have come and gone a lot in the world, one like you,
If the sky has a tongue, let it tell me, when did it come too?
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It is clear that Mirzo Ulughbek, who had great respect for the people of science, literature
and art, read Sakkoki’s poems with respect and sincerity, and appreciated them. In this
sense, it is difficult to agree with the opinion of academician V.V. Bartold: "It is not known
at all that the devans of the Chigatay poets who tried to create poetry in Turkish during
the Timurids’ gained Ulughbek's attention" (Bartold, 1964: 140).
It is worth mentioning here Professor Abdukodir Hayitmetov's words: "there were
increasing more and more talented people during the time of Ulughbek who were
determined to write works in the Uzbek language, to enrich and develop Uzbek literature"
(Hayitmetov, 1996: 7). Further study of this issue on the basis of a careful study of literary
and historical sources is one of the tasks waiting its solution in the future.
3.4. Mevlono Lutfiy
According to Hazrat Navoi, Lutfi “... was the malik ul-kalam of his time, he had no
equals in Persian and Turkish, but he was more famous in Turkey.His devon in Turkish
is famous too. For example:
“On tenderness her plait’s hair can’t compete with her waist,
Being aware of her own rank, it always sits below her waist”.
Or another passage:
“With her untidy hair my beloved hunted me, check,
Her both two meters long hangers rounded my neck”.
(Navoi, 2011 (9): 331)
According to “Majolis un-nafois”, Lutfi's translation of the
Zafarnoma
was said to have
more than ten thousand couplets of
Masnavi
As far as I can tell, both the Zafarnoma and
the Masnavi are books, so this sentence is a bit confusing on multiple levels. It is also noted
that "many of the masters of poetry in Persian had complicated poems to which he
responded and recited them well.”
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Mavlono Lutfi lived a year less than a hundred years. In the last years of his life, the
"sun" written in Persian brought great fame to the ghazal of the poet. It was written in the
“Majolis un-nafais”:
Even for your plait’s shadow the sun strives,
At your plait’s night not moon, the sun rises, (Navoi, 2011 (9): 331).
Hazrat Navoi writes that Lutfi was a "master in the history of Sufism" in front of
Mavlono Shihabiddin Khiyabani, a saint and a holy man. Literary critic Ergash Rustamov
writes: "Ulughbek paid great attention to Turkish literature, sponsored the poets Lutfi and
Sakkoki" (Rustamov, 1963: 35). In several of Lutfi's poems, Mirzo Ulughbek, the ruler of
the time, was praised. Here is one such episode:
Ulughbekkhan is aware of Lutfi’s perfection,
That his colorful poems can compete with Solomon.
According to the verse, Lutfi states that Ulughbek was a ruler who knew and appreciated
literature. The Russian scholar E.E. Bertels confirms the idea above by quoting this verse
by Lutfi in his monograph "Navoi" (Bertels, 1948: 61).
3.5. Mirzo Alibek
Mirzo Alibek is a competent poet who wrote under the pseudonym Mirzobek during the
time of Ulughbek in Samarkand. According to Alisher Navoi, he said: “... in humanity and
good morals, Khorasan and Samarkand were unique. The time between the two young men
of this state is independent of these kinds of definitions. This segment makes it much clear:
What a pity your eyes are black, whole,
Who has been a black evil to the soul.
It is difficult for this humble person to answer. Although this kind of style was often
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used in his language, it never ended in one place due to carelessness, inconsistence of
rhymes and logic”(Navoi, 2011 (9): 336).
Alisher Navoi, who praised this verse of Mirzo Alibek, is known to have finished his
famous ghazal and included it in his divan. However, the talented poet Mirzo Alibek lived
a short life. It is said in “Majolis un-nafais”: “May a woe to me, a hundred pity to me,
woe and a hundred thousand sorrows upon me that life has been short of springs and life
has not eaten enough goodness fruits.” Information was provided that his mausoleum is in
the custody of Ahmad Hojibek (sallamahullah) in the Samarkand madrassah.
Sheikh Ahmad Khudoydod Tarazi's work "Fununu-l-baloga" ("Science of Puberty"),
dedicated to Mirzo Ulughbek, shows that during this period the theoretical foundations of
the science of poetry were perfectly developed, and the science of literature rose to a new
level. This work, as the first theoretical source created in the Turkic language, has a special
place in the rise of literary and aesthetic thinking of the nation. May the abode of Ravza
Jinan and the spirit of Paradise be a wonderful place.”
3.6. Khoja Ismatullo Bukhari
In “Majolis un-nafois,” this poem is described as follows: “He is one of the nobles of
Movarounnahr. Apparently he perfected science. Due to his great eloquence, he became
famous for his poetic devons. And he created good poems devoted to the name of Khalil
Sultan... And Khoja's grave is in his study room in Bukhara ... And he had written a
colorful poems of devon (Epic poem) to praise Khalil Sultan's poems”. Here is an example
from it:
This endless sea covers the whole world,
The mind’s swimmer can’t notice in it a pearl” (Navoi, 2011 (9): 296)
It is known that Mirzo Ulughbek, who paid special attention to the literary world, invited
the famous poet Khoja Ismatullo Bukhari to the service of the palace. Although this great
poet preferred to be alone, among the dervishes, Ulughbek showed great encouragement to
his creative activity. His devon, which contains about eight thousand poems, and his
masnavi "Ibrahim Adham" has a special role in the history of our literature.
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Davlatshah Samarkandi writes: “Khoja Ismat's romantic poems and wise words became
so popular during the reign of Ulughbek's father Shahrukh sultan that the people would not
take and read the poems of other poets ... But Khoja Ismat ignored praising the rulers
during the reign of Ulughbek Koragon. The above mentioned sultan (Mirzo Ulughbek -
N.J.) begged him to recite a poem. Therefore, he had to write a few verses in his praise”
(Davlatshah, 1981: 147-148).
As it is acknowledged in “Tazkirat ush-shuaro”: “Scholar, just, victorious and generous
shah” Ulughbek Koragon ... he rose up to the sky in the science of stars, in the science
of meaning he knew it at five finger ends. In his time, the ranks of scientists and nobles
finally reached their top” (Davlatshah, 1981: 148).
3.7. Muhammad Solih
According to Hazrat Navoi’s definition: “... he is nicknamed “Solih” due to his name and
relationship. He is the son of Nur Saidbek, he has erected buildings from the Chahorjoi
district to the Adoq district, and Sultan Abu Said is the owner of the will at the palace
of Mirzo Ulughbek and wealth at Jogi Mirzo’s house ... There is a sharp eyesight and
attention in his nature. He has a good talent as a scribe for copying manuscripts. The
following passage proves it:
“Her plait covers her face like a light moon, no surprise,
When night ends with dawn why to worry of darkness”
(Navoi, 2011 (9): 398)
3.8. Xoja Xurd
Hazrat Navoi highly appreciated the activity of Khoja Khurd, the chief judge of
Samarkand at that time, the headmaster of “Ulughbek Mirzo” madrassah by stating: “He
was beautified with such high degree of maturity and perfection, intelligence and
knowledge, as well as love for religion and worshipping, with much wealth of beauty. No
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matter how busy he was with a lot of deeds, collecting taxes, his nature was inclined to
creativity, he was engaged in poetry and writing letters, in history, and problems of diverse
sciences.”
“Majolisu-n-nafois” provides a number of examples for the history of Hoja Khurd. In
particular, when a fortuneteller named Bobo Khudoydod died in Samarkand, he began his
history with the phrase "Majzubi tax." Hazrat Alisher Navoi's work "Vaqfiya" (“Will”)
reflects the article “history” in the sentence "Min Vaqfi Alisher. " This information shows
that Hoja Khurd was one of the wise writers who senses words tenderly.
During the reign of Mirzo Ulughbek there developed such classical poetry genres as
ghazal, noma, qasida, munozara, masnavi, rubai, tuyuk, mustazod, muhammas, musaddas
and problem. Poetic works written in these genres, firstly, provided the perfection of
classical poetic genres, and secondly, served to raise Turkish poetry to a new poetic level.
4. The Development of Literary And Aesthetic Thinking In The Time of
Mirzo Ulughbek
It is known that Muhammad Taragay Ulughbek being a competent leader among the
Temurid rulers, he was a mature scientist who held science, literature and art in high regard.
During his time, a literary environment with its own creative traditions and high artistic
samples was formed and developed in Samarkand and Herat. Along with Buddhist literature,
literary criticism was also highly developed. It was proved by the famous literary theorist
Sheikh Ahmad Khudoydod Tarozi’s the work "Funun ul-baloga" ("Science of Puberty"),
dedicated directly to this great enlightened ruler. In the introduction to the work Mirzo
Ulughbek was praised as the following: “The pearl of empire’s river, and the law of justice,
a cloud of the rain of nobility, a tiger of courage’s forest, a supreme shah, the greatest ruler,
the owner of pen and sword, the treasure of mercy and goodness, the shah of all, the
decrees issuer for the Turks, the Arabs and Persians, supporter of religion and time is Amir
Ulughbek Kuragon” (Tarozi, 1996: 31).
Considering that Sheikh Ahmad Tarazi's “Funun ul-baloga” was written in 840 AH /
1436-1437 AD, Alisher Navoi must have been aware of this work. But for some reason,
in the works of the great thinker there is not a word about "Funun ul-baloga." Devin de
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Weiss, a professor at Indiana University in the United States, is the author of “the
Predecessors of Nava’i in the “Funun ul-baloga” by Shaykh Ahmad b. Khudaydad Tarazi
which happened to be a neglected source on Central Asian literary culture from the fifteenth
century”(De Navoi's, 2005: 73) -163). It is important that socio-cultural and
literary-aesthetic factors for the creation of the work "Funun ul-baloga" were founded, the
history of its creation, its language, textual features of the work and its scientific values
were highlighted and that this research made foreign scholars get interested in literature
studies of Mirzo Ulughbek’s time. According to the scholar, the interest in "Funun
ul-baloga" in Western literature had begun earlier. The second part of the "Catalog of
Persian, Turkish, Indian and Pashto Manuscripts in the “Bodlian Library" compiled by the
orientalist Hermann Eze in 1930 provides a brief account of this work (the name is
dedicated to Mirzo Ulughbek, kept in column 1225 under register number #127). The fourth
part of Turkish Manuscripts compiled by Eleazar Birnbaum in 1984 provides information
about the registered and unregistered manuscripts since 1960, it also gives concise
information about “Funun ul-baloga.” Later, relying on information from a catalog compiled
by Hermann Eze in 2003, Gunay Kut also provided the most significant information about
the work.
The scholar of poetic aruz studies Dilnavoz Yusupova writes that Devin de Weiss “tries
to comment on each surviving part of the work separately, to discover its essence. In order
to prove his views, he translates some parts of the treatise into English and introduces them
as citations and at the end of the research the scholar provides it as an appendix in the
old Uzbek alphabet. The main goal of the scholar was to determine the significance of the
work in the literary environment of that time and today, and to study the works of those
scholars whose names were introduced here, the theoretical issues of aruz as a poetic
rhyming art were not specifically analyzed at the level of rhythmic elements” (Yusupova,
2019: 41).
In the first part of the work, which deals with the composition and types of poetry, there
is an excerpt from the praising of Mirzo Ulughbek. In it, for example, we read the
following:
The leader of men and sultans, the world’s greatest Shah,
The pride of the world and religion is Ulughbek Kuragon Shah.
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In "Funun ul-baloga" theoretical issues such as parts and types (genres) of poetry, rules
of rhyme and radiff (the final rhyming syllable in each couplet of ghazal)-, classical artistic
art, aruz science, methods and elements of the problem are covered on a deep scientific
basis. Theoretical views on praise, supplication, and narration were stated too. In covering
each theoretical issue, Sheikh Ahmad Tarazi provides examples from poems in Turkish and
Persian, proving his views in depth on a scientific basis.
This work on the theory of poetry is of great scientific importance in terms of showing
how developed the science of literature and literary and aesthetic thinking was during the
time of Mirzo Ulughbek.
In the "Tazkiratu-sh-shuaro" by Davlatshah Samarkandi, there is a historical fact dedicated
to the death of Mirzo Ulughbek. In this history, this great thinker was described as "Chun
Ulughbek, the sea of knowledge and wisdom." The analysis of the sources confirms how
true this idea is.
5. Conclusion
Alisher Navoi's epic poem "Farhod and Shirin" is the fruit of the family tree of the
Sultan’s khanate and the tree of the garden of the Caliphate. And our exhortations are to
touch the point of hope, my great hope, to listen to these glorious pearls in the dust and
to listen to them, but also to listen to those precious gems.” It characterizes Mirzo
Ulughbek's high level of knowledge. In “Majolis un-nafois,” Navoi writes about the
perfection of the great ruler and scholar, his ability to memorize the Qur'an by seven
recitations, his maturity in astronomy and mathematics, and his perfect compilation of the
constellations. He also gives an objective assessment for his son Abdullatif Mirza. He
quotes from his poems, saying that he was a poet too.
During the reign of Muhammad Taragay Ulughbek, Alisher Navoi's “Majolis un-nafois”
has a special place among the sources on the literary environment founded in Samarkand
and Herat.
As a result of Mirzo Ulughbek's respect for literature, as well as for all other sciences,
as a guide-leader and sponsor of the activities of poets and writers, the national literature
developed during the reign of this great ruler. Poets such as Lutfi, known as Malikul Kalam,
Literature of Mirzo Ulughbek’s Time in Alisher Navoi’s Interpretations
/
91
and Badakhshi, described as the leader of contemporary poets, grew up and perfected their
skills in this environment.
During this period, all genres of poetry developed in classical Turkish literature,
especially the creation of ghazal and qasida. In these genres of poetry, perfect creations
were created. This, in turn, served as a kind of foundation for the perfection of poetry in
later periods.
Sheikh Ahmad Khudoydod Tarazi's work "Funun ul-baloga" ("Science of Puberty"),
dedicated to Mirzo Ulughbek, shows that during this period the theoretical foundations of
the science of poetry were highly developed, the science of literature rose to a new level.
This work, as the first theoretical source created in the Turkic language, has a special place
in the rise of literary and aesthetic thinking of the nation.
Thesis Submission Date 20.April, 2021
Date Confirmed to Publish 30.June, 2021
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