Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
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CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY
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2767-472X)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
23-26
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ABSTRACT
The manuscript "Majma‘ al
-Arqam" by Mirza Badi-Divan holds significant importance in the development of science in
Central Asia, particularly in Bukhara. This work, written in Arabic, Persian, and Turkic, serves as a key source for
studying the scientific and cultural history of the Bukhara Emirate in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as
the administrative relations of that period. The article highlights the importance of this source in examining the
administrative relations of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
KEYWORDS
Mirza Badi-
Divan, "Majma‘ al
-Arqam," manuscript, administrative relations, positions, taxation relations, Orientalist
A.B. Vildanova, collection.
INTRODUCTION
One of the rare and fascinating sources for studying
the administrative relations of the Bukhara Emirate in
the late 18th and early 19th centuries is the manuscript
"Majma‘ al
-Arqam." This work belongs to the
renowned Uzbek scholar of the late 18th and early 19th
centuries, Mirza Badi-Divan, who is known for his
scientific works in the fields of the alphabet and
arithmetic.
The
manuscript
discusses
the
administrative relations of the Bukhara Emirate, as well
as scientific achievements and traditions in
mathematics, especially arithmetic. [1, p. 183] The work
is among the key sources for understanding the
administrative structure of the Bukhara Emirate.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Research Article
THE MANUSCRIPT "MAJMA‘ AL
-ARQAM" IS AN IMPORTANT
HISTORICAL SOURCE FOR STUDYING THE ADMINISTRATIVE
RELATIONS OF THE BUKHARA EMIRATE IN THE LATE 18TH AND
EARLY 19TH CENTURIES
Submission Date:
November 19, 2024,
Accepted Date:
November 24, 2024,
Published Date:
November 30, 2024
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-05-11-05
Tangirov Sherzod Abduraxmonovich
Doctoral Student At Samarkand State University, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://masterjournals.
com/index.php/crjh
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
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CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY
(ISSN
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2767-472X)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
23-26
SJIF
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MPACT
FACTOR
(2022:
5.
728
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(2023:
6.
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(2024:
7.848
)
OCLC
–
1243560778
Publisher:
Master Journals
"Majma‘ al
-Arqam" was written in Bukhara in 1210 AH
(1796). The title of the work is recorded on its first and
last pages. In the "Catalog of Oriental Manuscripts,"
the author of the work is listed as unknown. Copies of
the manuscript are preserved in the library of UzMU
under number 171914, in the library of the Institute of
Oriental Studies in Leningrad under number B 2147, and
in the Firdavsi Public Library in Dushanbe under
number 649. The work consists of a brief introduction
and five chapters. [2] The manuscript was specifically
studied by the Russian Orientalist A.B. Vildanova, who
published it in Russian in 1981, with necessary
comments, a preface, and additional research. [3]
"Majma‘ al
-Arqam" serves as an official manual for the
clerks of the khanate's divan, detailing the
management of financial and land taxation in the
Bukhara Khanate. Works of this nature in Oriental
languages are relatively rare, often intended for a
narrow group of individuals, particularly divan clerks,
and not widely disseminated. The manuscript
describes the main principles of state governance,
financial and tax administration, the preparation of tax
revenue lists, expenditure reports, and the
formalization of land and other endowment deeds.
Additionally, it provides detailed information on the
duties of officials within the Bukhara state apparatus.
[4, p. 8]
In the introduction to the guide accompanying the
translation of the manuscript, A.B. Vildanova interprets
the title "Majma‘ al
-Arqam" in Russian as
"Предписания фиска" or "Financial Instructions" and
"Tax Instructions." Studies have shown that the phrase
"Majma‘ al
-Arqam" originates from two Arabic words:
Majma‘ (
عمجم
), meaning "collection," "assembly," or
"compilation," derived from the verb jama‘a (
عمج
),
which means "to gather" or "to compile"; and Arqam
(
ماقرأ
), meaning "numbers" or "digits," being the plural
form of the word raqm
[ .)مقر(
5
][6] Thus, the
manuscript can also be translated as "Collection of
Numbers" or "Compilation of Digits."
According to A.B. Vildanova, the manuscript was likely
written between 1798 and 1801. She also notes that its
author held important positions in the central
administration of the Bukhara Emirate. [4, p. 11]
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
Research on the subject indicates that the manuscript
served as an official manual for state financial and land
tax reporting. It outlines the fundamental principles of
administrative, financial, and tax management, the
preparation of tax revenue lists, expenditure tables,
documents on the allocation of land and other
property, and other matters. Since state officials
involved in finance needed to possess knowledge of
mathematics and other exact sciences, the author of
the manuscript included information on arithmetic,
algebra,
geometry,
astronomy,
chronology,
metrology, coin minting, and other sciences. [1]
The manuscript comprises a brief introduction and five
chapters. The introduction provides an overview of the
reasons for writing the work, its structure, and
content. The first chapter explains the rules of service
in the state administrative system. The second and
third chapters describe the procedures for managing
state treasury revenues and expenditures. The fourth
chapter focuses on mathematics, detailing operations
with units, tens, hundreds, and larger numbers, their
use in calculations, various arithmetic operations,
tables, and special letters and terms. The work also
provides explanations of geometric operations,
offering practical applications for the effective
governance and economic activities of the state. The
fifth chapter is dedicated to astronomy, numbers,
latitude and longitude degrees, and methods for
determining the dimensions of areas. [2]
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In the final part of "Majma‘ al
-Arqam," the
administrative system and titles in the Bukhara Emirate
are described. The significance of this source in
analyzing the administrative style of the period lies in
the precise information it provides about the highest
to the lowest positions within the state apparatus.
Regarding the positions and their authorities, Mirza
Badi-Divan notes that rulers of Mawarannahr governed
according to Sharia law through high-ranking officials
such as the Shaykh al-Islam (the highest religious
authority) and subordinates like qadis, muftis
(including military muftis), and muhtasibs. The lowest
positions in this hierarchy were those who spent most
of their time teaching students.
Among the highest-ranking appointments made by the
Amir, positions responsible for maintaining order and
ethics among officials and servants held special
importance. Some positions were also filled based on
candidates' knowledge, sayyid lineage, ethnic
affiliation, and other criteria (e.g., Sadr).
A particularly significant position was "Otaliq,"
meaning "father" in Turkic, which entailed care and
responsibility. The author describes "Otaliq" as a
position granted for its incumbent's caregiving
qualities, emphasizing the expectation of similar
kindness and respect toward other citizens. This
position also oversaw water distribution matters. [4, p.
93]
From the late 18th to the early 20th century, studies on
the administrative relations of the Bukhara Emirate, as
well as its positions and their responsibilities, include
references by foreign travelers and Orientalists such as
Khanikov in "Описание Бухарского ханства"
("Description of the Bukhara Khanate") [7, p. 148], and
Arminius Vambery in "Путешествие по Средней Азии"
("Travels in Central Asia") [8, p. 266]. Works by
individuals who held significant positions in the
emirate, such as Mirza Salimbek's "Tarikh-i Salimi" [9,
p. 36] and Muhammad Ali Boljuvoni’s "Tarikh
-i Nafei"
(completed in 1927) [10, p. 23], indicate that the
positions and their functions described in "Majma‘ al
-
Arqam" remained largely unchanged into the early
20th century.
CONCLUSION
In the Bukhara Emirate, from the late 18th to the mid-
19th century, a complex administrative network
characteristic of Muslim states was in place. The
features of the emirate's central executive authority
and local governance, as well as the positions and their
functions, are reliably documented in Mirza Badi-
Divan's "Majma‘ al
-Arqam." Due to the author's active
participation in the emirate's central administration,
the work stands out for its credibility and detail. The
manuscript is a significant contribution by Mirza Badi-
Divan to science and one of the most important
scholarly sources of its time, serving as a vital reference
not only for history but also for the history of
mathematics and linguistics.
REFERENCES
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Холов М.Ш., Гулматов М. Д. Арифметика
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Абдусаттор
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Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
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(2024:
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–
1243560778
Publisher:
Master Journals
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