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DAILY LIFE OF INTELLECTUALS IN TEMURIDS
Abdunosirova Ozodaxon Botirjon kizi
Fergana State University
basic doctoral student
at the Department of History of Uzbekistan
abdunosirovaozodaxon@gmail.com +90-151-62-37
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14227373
Abstract.
This article the intellectuals of the Temurid period and their composition
and division into groups are studied on the basis of historical sources and
literature. It deals with the intellectuals resettled in Maverannahr during the
Temurid period and the attention paid to them by the state, as well as the
patronage of the representatives of the dynasty. Such issues as their daily life,
position in the palace, and material support are analysed.
Key words:
Intellectuals, ‘Waqfiya,’ Alisher Navoi, Divans, tax authorities,
palace library, ‘Divan Munshi,’ ‘Divan of Finance, storyteller, poet, scribe,
musician, justice authorities, healers.
Introduction.
The intellectuals can be divided into several groups
depending on the type of their activity: Intellectuals working in schools and
madrasas. They constituted the main part of the intelligentsia. They were
provided with permanent income, i.e. wages, at the expense of the waqf
property. Alisher Navoi's work ‘Waqfiya’ contains the following information
about the salary of mudarris: ‘Arbobi wazoif - two pious scholars will be
mudarris: annual salary of each is one thousand two hundred gold in cash,
twenty four bundles of grain, one third of which is barley, two thirds - wheat’.
From this we see that each scholar was paid 1200 gold coins a year. In addition,
they were given barley and wheat in an amount equal to the load for 24 pack
animals per year
[1]
. This is the salary paid in the madrassah ‘Ikhlosiya,’ which
belonged to Alisher Navoi. The salaries in other madrasas, of course, varied
depending on their status and the size of their waqf property.However, one
thing is clear: the material provision of madrasa mudarris was very good.
Literature analysis and method.
Teachers working in schools received a
permanent salary if the school they worked in belonged to the waqf. Teachers in
public schools lived off the cash and in-kind payments of the students. There
were also many teachers who gave lessons at home to members of the upper
class. Intellectuals in the civil service (in chancelleries, tax departments, palace
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libraries and other institutions), court storytellers, poets, musicians, singers and
astrologers.
Discussion and results.
The composition of the representatives of this
system was very wide and varied. An extensive network of intellectuals
operated at the courts of central and local government. Since all existing divans
were documented, intellectuals worked in them.As the sofas in which the
intellectuals worked hard, we can mention the ‘Munshi Divan’ and ‘Finance
Divan
’[2].
The texts of decrees and labels issued by the ruler were prepared by
skilful textual experts in the Munshi Diwan. It was in this diwan that official
diplomatic letters prepared on behalf of the ruler were elaborated. The leading
experts in orthography and text construction, who were proficient in Turkic,
Persian and Arabic languages, worked in this divan.
2.
Since the ‘Apparatus of Finance’ was in charge of formalising all the
revenues and expenditures of the state and keeping its records, it employed
specialists who were well versed in accounting and also had a mature
knowledge of orthography and textology
[3]
. Those who worked in this diwan
are also often referred to in sources as ‘daftardars.’ Also, from among the
intelligentsia with the above qualities, specialists were selected to calculate the
income of the people, to determine the amount of taxes they should pay based
on their income and to provide citizens with written information about the taxes
to be paid, to collect and formalise the taxes.
The palace also employed storytellers, narrators, poets, scribes, musicians
and singers. All of them were provided with salaries paid from the state
treasury.
All the above-mentioned positions of divans and palaces carried out their
activities in the palaces of regional rulers, partly in small forms in the residences
of district beks. In addition, many major emirs had divans who administered the
possessions belonging to them and managed their affairs.
These major emirs also had poets, storytellers, singers and musicians whom
they provided on the basis of patronage.
3.
intellectuals who carried out activities in the organs of justice (qaziyah),
in keeping financial records of the property of the Awqaf. A part of intellectuals
worked in qazi institutions. Depending on the size of qaziyehs, the number of
specialists working in them also varied. The activity of the kaziy itself, as well as
the execution of its documents, required the labour of educated, literate,
educated intellectuals
[4]
. There was also a very wide network of vakuf
possessions, and the maintenance of official and legal documents of these
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possessions also required the labour of intellectuals. Consequently, this sphere
was also one of the industries that provided for the daily life of intellectuals.
4. Physicians. It was common in the Middle Ages for almost all educated,
intelligent people to have some degree of knowledge of the physician's
expertise. Therefore, schoolchildren, imams of mosques in many remote villages
also met the medical needs of the population of this region. In large kishlaks,
towns, regional centres and the capital, there was a layer of intellectuals who
were engaged in medicine as their main profession. Very few of them worked in
the palaces of the rulers and governors, while the majority were engaged in
private activities
[5]
. Since the hospitals built by the state or by the major emirs
were supplied with waqf, the healers who were active here received a regular
salary from the waqf.
5. Calligraphers (and other professions related to book making), people
engaged in writing private statements and other documents. The growing
demand for books in society and the emergence of separate book markets led to
a sharp increase in the demand for calligraphers' labour. Some calligraphers
worked in the palace libraries, some were also engaged in the production of
books for the market
[6].
Therefore, the income of those who worked in the
palace was provided by the state. There were also libraries with vacufas. The
owners of these libraries who were engaged in making books were provided by
this vacuf. And those who were engaged in private labour earned income by
selling their products in the market. In addition, some of the intellectuals earned
by writing letters, statements and other written material for the public. It can be
assumed that this business was usually engaged in by the part of intellectuals
who were not provided with a permanent job. Mirza Iskander also established a
library with a large collection of rare manuscripts. This library also carried out
work on copying, binding and decorating books. It was headed by Ma'ruf-hallit.
However, Shahrukh-mirza undertook a campaign against Alexander-mirza in
1414 and was defeated. Most of the intellectuals and artists who served at the
court of the prince were relocated to the city of Herat. Among them was the
calligrapher Maruf
[7]
. Shahrukh Mirza appointed him as the secretary of the
main library of the palace. The calligrapher also taught the art of books to many
young men of Herat city. Among his students was the famous mawlana
calligrapher Tajulayimma Khwarizmi. They also learnt proper writing
techniques and also held talks on various fields of science. Regarding the task
assigned to him, Khondamir was ‘a reserved and proud man, he kept the paper
given by Baisunkur Mirza to write Sheikh Nizami's “Khamsa” for a whole year
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and finally returned it without writing it. Therefore, Maruf's reproaches were
imprinted in the soul of Mirza Baisunkur,’ he writes. It follows from the text that
Mirza Baysunkur instructed the calligrapher to copy Nizami Ganjavi's ‘Khamsa’.
However, Ma'ruf Calligrapher failed in this task. This led to the cooling of
relations between Mirza Baysungur and the calligrapher. As he was not a
productive creator after moving from Isfahan Palace to Herat city, his faith in
Mirza Iskander was high
[8].
6. We considered it appropriate to include architects as part of the
intelligentsia. Because architects, who were engaged in designing architectural
monuments and managing construction on this basis, were engaged in great
mental labour, which required knowledge of geometry, mathematics, chemistry
and many other sciences
[9]
. Most of the architects were commissioned by the
state or major officials and emirs and received income for it.
7. Intellectuals whose main occupation was others (military, artisans,
traders) but who were engaged in science, literature and art, in 1499-1500
Muhammad Muhsin-mirza decided to collect grain from Sabzavar fortress for
some expenses of the country. The Shahzadeh emirs suggested that Navoi had a
lot of land and good crops here, and they should take it from him and return it
the following year with the harvest. However, Muhammad-Muhsin-mirza
rejected this and declared that it was not only impossible to take but also to cast
a glance at his property
[10].
Having learnt about this, Navoi himself handed
over all the grain in Sabzavor to the tsarevitch. Another example: Badiuzzaman
comes to the kishlak of Khairabad belonging to Alisher Navoi and, envying him,
suggests to us that someone should buy it. On hearing this, Khoja Giyasuddin
Muhammad Dehdar gave him the village. For this work, Navoi rewarded him.
Conclusions.
Intellectuals also took part in various competitions. For
example, Amir Muhammad was a famous wrestler from Khorasan who covered
the distance of 60-65 farsangs from Khorasan to Herat in two days. He was also
a skilful swimmer. In Zagan's Garden, Feridun Hussain-mirza ordered him to be
thrown into a pool and swam in the pool until noon. In addition, he had a singer
with a good voice who could recite the Qur'an skilfully. He also knew how to
solve problems and could solve the pamphlets of ‘Kofia,’ ‘Shamsiyyah,’
‘Shofiyyah,’ in one day.’
References:
1. Davlatshoh Samarqandiy. Tazkirat ush-shuaro (“Shoirlar bo‘stoni”). Fors-tojik
tilidan B.Ahmedov tarj., She’rlarni S.Raxmon tarj.qilgan. – T.: Adabiyot va san’at
nashriyoti, 1981. – 224 b.
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2. Muiniddin Natanziy. Muntaxab ut-tavorixi Muiniy. / Fors tilidan tarjima, so‘z
boshi va izohlar muallifi G‘ulom Karimiy. T:. “O‘zbekiston”. 2011. – 264b
3.Xafiz-u Abru. Izvlecheniye iz “Zubdat ut-tavarix”. // perevod s persidskogo
A.Buriyeva. /Materiali po istorii Srednoy i Sentralnoy Azii X – XIX vv. –T.:Fan,
1988.S.143-148.
4.Abdurazzoq Samarqandiy. Matlai sa’dayn va majmai bahrayn / Fors tilidan
tarjima va izohlar muallifi A.O‘rinboyev. J.II.Q.II-III.1429-1470 yil voqealari. –
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