European International Journal of Pedagogics
56
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
56-60
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
13 January 2025
ACCEPTED
15 February 2025
PUBLISHED
14 March 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue03 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
The Creation Of Ergash
Jumanbulbul O‘Gul In The
Formation Of The
Samarkand School Of
Epistlectorship
Annakulova Dildora Baymuratovna
Teacher, Department of Traditional Singing and Folk Instruments, Faculty
of Art Studies, Guliston State University, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article analyzes the process of the
formation of the Samarkand school of epic poetry and
the work of one of its major representatives, Ergash
Jumanbulbul o‘Gul. The study highlights Ergash
Jumanbulbul o‘Gul’s contribution to the art of epic
poetry, his creative style and connection with folklore
traditions. His repertoire, performing skills and
influence on the development of the school of epic
poetry are also analyzed. The article presents
information on the traditions of Samarkand epic poetry,
the role of folk oral literature and the process of the
formation of epic poetry schools based on scientific
approaches.
Keywords:
Samarkand school of epic poetry, Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu, folk oral art, epic, performing art,
folklore traditions, history of epic poetry, cultural
heritage.
Introduction:
One of the rich spiritual heritage and
traditions of the Uzbek people is the art of epic poetry.
Epic poems, which are an important component of folk
oral art, have been of not only artistic but also
educational importance for centuries. Epic poetry
schools are distinguished by their unique performing
style, repertoire and traditions. Among the Uzbek epic
poetry schools, the Samarkand school of epic poetry
occupies a special place, and many talented epic poets
have made a great contribution to its formation and
development.
This article studies the process of formation of the
Samarkand school of epic poetry and the creative
activity of one of its major representatives, Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu. Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu is
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European International Journal of Pedagogics
distinguished by his unique performing style, his
services in preserving and developing the traditions of
epic poetry. The epic poems he created and performed
are still valued today as one of the invaluable examples
of our national culture. The research analyzes the
factors that influenced the formation of the
Samarkand school of epic poetry, the role of Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu in the art of epic poetry, and the
works in his repertoire. The article also highlights the
traditions associated with folk oral art, the culture of
performance, and the specific features of epic poetry
schools based on scientific approaches.
The largest part of Uzbek folk epics is made up of
romantic epics. Their plots are extremely similar,
usually the hero falls in love with a beautiful girl and
sets off on a journey, experiences incredible events,
overcomes difficulties, and achieves his goal. Love
conflicts
and
adventurous
stories
such
as
"Kuntug'mish" were among such epics. The epics
"Sahibkiron", "Orzugul", "Erali bilin Sherali" reflected
events related to the everyday life of the people.
Among the epics, there were also book epics that arose
as a result of the processing of classical poetry samples
in folk oral creativity, that is, they had a written literary
source, that is, they were created under the influence
of written literature. The epics "Farhod and Shirin",
"Leyli and Majnun", "Bahrom and Gulandom", created
based on the works of Alisher Navoi, "Yusuf and
Zulaykho", "Rustami Doston", "Malikai Dilorom" were
among these. Epic writing was widely developed in the
Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya oases, in Khorezm and
in the Samarkand region. During this period, the
repertoire of Bakhshis singing epics included more
than 150 folk epics.
Among the people, such poets as Yuldashbulbul,
Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu, Fazil Yuldash oglu, Pulkan,
Islam the poet, Berdi bakhshi, Bola bakhshi, and
Ahmad bakhshi were famous. The poet Pulkan, who
had an extraordinary memory, knew more than
seventy poems by heart. The fact that each poem
contained from two to three thousand lines to ten to
fifteen, even twenty thousand verses, testified to the
great potential, strong memory, ability to memorize
and remember, and the power of creativity of the folk
poets. Fazil Yuldash oglu could recite 60 poems by
heart, and Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu 50 poems by
heart, while some of the poets only recited poems,
while others composed poems themselves. Special
evenings were organized to listen to the epic, and
weddings and festivities were not without bakhshis,
and the audience would sit on the net and listen
attentively to the bakhshi. Talented dostonists could
sing a doston for two or three nights, because the
volume of the dostons required two or three nights of
continuous performance. Among the bakhshis,
Shernazar Berdinazar oglu could recite a doston for
seven nights. The bakhshis who attended the dostoning
evenings competed with each other in their talent,
eloquence, and skill in playing the instrument. Schools
of dostoning with their own traditions were formed in
the region. Large dostoning schools such as Bulungur,
Narpay, Kurgan, Khorezm, Shahrisabz, and Sherabad
were especially famous. They differed from each other
in their repertoire, style, specific creative principles, and
performance methods.
The Bulungur school of epic poetry was distinguished by
its skill in singing the epic poem "Alpomish", where
other Bakhshis came to improve their skills. Its
representative, Amin Bakhshi, was able to sing the epic
poem "Alpomish" for up to 3 months. The Qamay center
of epic poetry, formed in the village of Qamay in the
Kashkadarya oasis, united about 60 Bakhshis living in
the vicinity of the Dehqanabad and Guzar districts. The
Kurgan school of epic poetry united Bakhshis living in
the foothills of the mountains stretching from
Mangishtov to Nurota.
One of the most talented representatives of the Kurgan
school of epic poetry was Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu
(1868
–
1937) and Polkan the poet (1874
–
1941), whose
epic poems such as "Alpomish", "Yakka Ahmad",
"Oysuluv", "Kuntug'mish", "Goruglin's birth", "Yunus
pari", "Misqol pari", "Avazkhon", "Hasankhon" were
recorded. Dozens of epic poets, such as Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu's ancestors, Sultan kampir, Tilla
kampir, Jodmon bakhshi, worked in this epic poetry
school. Ergash Jumanbul oglu was born in 1886 in the
village of Kurgan, now the Qoshrabot district of the
Samarkand region. He died on May 12, 1937 in the
village of Qoshtamgali. Uzbek folk poet, poet. He was
brought up in a peasant poet family. His seven
ancestors, as well as his uncles and aunts, were poets-
poets. Among his descendants were Yodgor, Lafas,
Mulla Tosh, Mulla Kholmurad, Jumanbulbul, Tilla
kampir, Sultan kampir, Jossok, Yorlakab and others, who
were famous poets of the 17th-18th centuries. In the
development of Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu as a great
poet-poet, his family and the rich literary environment
at the school of poetry in the village of Kurgan played a
great role.
He received his education in poetry from his father
Jumanbulbul. Jumanbulbul paid great attention to the
study and education of his son Ergash. In 1884-1886, he
studied at one of the Bukhara madrasas, where he
thoroughly studied Persian, Arabic, and the works of
Fuzuli, Navoi, Mashrab, and Sufi Allahyor. However, due
to financial difficulties and the death of his father in
1886, he could not continue his studies. Returning to his
village, he engaged in independent study and improving
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his skills in epic writing. For a certain period, with the
help of his teacher and father-in-law, Utamurod, he
collected kafsan from farmers. In 1887-1889, Ergash
Jumanbulbul worked as a mirza to Kozibek, one of the
landowners of the Nurota beylik under the Bukhara
emirate. As a result of the famine, locusts, and plague
that began in the country, the poet's brothers
Abdukhalil and Abdujalil, sisters, and children, who
were becoming good epic writers, died one after
another. The poet, who was so sad and worried, gave
up singing and lived a life of wandering around 1904-
1905. In 1912-1922, he worked as a healer, storyteller,
and poet in the villages of Bulungur, Gallaorol, Urgut
districts, Jizzakh, and Panjikent, and sometimes sang
epics.
In 1923, he returned to his village and in 1924 opened
a one-room school in the village of Qaraqisa. Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu came to Samarkand in 1925 and
from 1926-1928, together with the poet Polkan and
Fazil Yuldash oglu, he was engaged in writing down and
writing down the epics he had memorized. From 1929
to 1936, Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu was mainly engaged
in farming in his village and trained students in epic
poetry.
Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu's work is diverse, and he has
memorized more than forty epics. Ergash Jumanbulbul
oglu sang epics such as "Kuntug'mish", "Yakka Ahmad",
"Qizhibak", "Alibek and Bolibek", "Dalli", "Ravshan",
"Kunduz and Yulduz", "Khushkeldi", "Kholdorkhon",
"Avazkhon", "Khirmon", "Nurali", "Yusuf bilan Ahmad",
"Vomiq
and
Uzro",
"Varqa
and
Gulshoh",
"Makhtumkuli", "Tulumbiy". Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu
sang traditional epics and termas, but he also created
many epics himself. His epic "Tarjimay hol" His termas
such as "Keldim", "Tashkent ta'rifida", "Qizil",
"Tursunoy",
"Ghozi
Olim",
"Otajon
Hashim",
"Shoirlarga rahbar Hodi", "Asov qizlar" have earned the
respect of the people. The heritage of Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu has been widely studied, books have
been published about the poet, and a documentary
film has been created. The Bulungur epic school was
famous for performing heroic epics. In May 1972, the
100th anniversary of the poet's birth was widely
celebrated. A bust was erected to him in the center of
the Nurota district. There is a mausoleum, a
monument and a house-museum in the village of
Kurgan. In addition, in the city of Samarkand, a
complex monument to Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu, Islom
the poet, Polkan the poet and Fazil Yuldash oglu has
been erected. A park in Nurata district, a school in
Qoshrabot district, and streets in Tashkent and
Samarkand cities were named after the poet.
The last talented representative of this school, Fozil
Yuldash oglu (1872
–
1955), brought to life such epics as
“Alpomish”, “Yodgor”, “Yusuf bilan Akhmad”, “Zulfizar”,
“Malikai ayyor”, “Nurali”, “Murodxon”, “Shirin bilan
Shakar”. The art of the Khorezm epic school differs from
other epic schools in style. Khorezm epics have a written
source, sometimes the narrator also has a handwritten
text, music plays a leading role in them, more romantic
epics are sung, and collective performance is dominant.
The Khorezm bakhshis performed each song of the epic
in a specific tune, and the poets called them bakhshi
yollari or bakhshi na'mari. The bakhshi performed the
words and the song in an open voice, accompanied by a
dutar or tor and a circle. Representatives of the
Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, and Samarkand bakhshi
schools performed songs in a muffled, i.e. closed voice,
accompanied by a dombir, and described the process of
the epic in an open voice. When we talk about Ergash
Jumanbulbul
oglu,
the
epics
"Ravshan"
and
"Kuntug'mish" come to mind. The bakhshis called
"Ravshan" the epic that Ergash's father Jumanbulbul
drove three times. Ergash was born in such a famous
family in 1868. The Sultan Kampir, who lived in this area,
from her grandmother Tilla Kampir, to her grandfather
Mulla Kholmurad, to her father Jumanbulbul, told epics
and created their own termas. This family lived in the
village of Kurgan in Nurata district. In folklore, the name
of the Kurgan school of epic writing was due more to the
Jumanbulbul family than to the name of the village.
In his famous article “Great Folk Artist” about Ustoz
Hodi Zarifov Ergash Jumanbulbul, he recalls an
instructive incident from the life of Kulsamat Bakhshi’s
mother, Sultan Kampir: When a Kazakh aqin defeated
the poets at the gathering, an Uzbek bakhshi said, “You
are equal to our Sultan Kampir.” Aqin finds Sultan
Kampir while she is carrying a bucket and asks her a
question:
Sendan savol so‘rayman, turgan zayip,
O‘si turgan tovl
aring necha jasar?
Shunda Sulton kampir:
Xudoyimning ishin ko‘r,
Falakning gardishin ko‘r,
Men bilmayman yoshini,
Og‘zin ochib tishin ko‘r,
- he said.
The teacher emphasizes that regardless of whether this
incident happened in real life or not, it demonstrates
how strong the creative potential of the representative
of the Kurgan epic is. Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu was
brought up in a creative environment from a young age,
learned the secrets of telling epics from the Bakhshis.
For reasons unknown to us, the children of the poet's
father were born after Jumanbulbul was over fifty. His
younger
brothers,
Abdukhalil,
Abdujalil,
and
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Mahkamoy, did not live long. Jumanbulbul, sensing the
intellectual maturity of his eldest son Ergash, sent him
to a village school at the age of seven. At the age of 17,
he taught in one of the madrasas in Bukhara. As a
result, Ergash Jumanbul oglu is considered the only
creator among dozens of folk bakhshis who could read
and write perfectly and was familiar with the works of
Navoi and Fuzuli. Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu became
known to folklore scholars in the 1920s. Scholars and
intellectuals such as Hodi Zarif, Ghozi Olim Yunusov,
and Muhammad Iso Ernazar oglu wrote down 33 works
from him. The number of articles about the bakhshi is
about 200. None of the Uzbek bakhshis has been
honored to publish a 5-volume collection of works like
the poet Ergash.
The epic poem "Oysuluv", which reflects the bright
pages in the history of the Uzbek people, was also
written down in the form of a fairy tale from the mouth
of Ergash Jumanbulbul. The hard life of the poet Ergash
was no different from that of his fellow villagers living
in the village of Kurgan. Remember the story of his
marriage in the poem "My Days" and the parting of all
his belongings in exchange for a loan after his father's
death. The deaths of his brothers and sister also had a
psychological impact on Bakhshi. Ergash Jumanbulbul,
son of Abdul Khalil, said this in his lament over the
death of his brother.:
Emrandi tanimda jonim,
Hazon bo‘ld
i gulistonim,
Yig‘lashib yor
-yoronim,
Bemahal qurib bo‘stonim,
Qo‘ldan uchdi bo‘z tarlonim,
Eshitinglar qadrdonim,
Yolg‘iz inim, suyanganim,
Shunqorimdan judo bo‘ldim.
True, when Abdukhalil, who was 20, died, Bakhshi was
30 years old. Despite his life experience, separation
from his young sister could not help but take its toll on
the poet. Family worries required Bakhshi to work
tirelessly. In the winter and summer around
Samarkand and Zarafshan, he was busy reciting epics
and termas in the struggle for a living. But he did not
lose his faith, he did not live in the service of the
statesmen. He became a worthy son for his father
Jumanbulbul. According to the memoirs of Ustad Hodi
Zarif (Hodi Zarif had a very close relationship with
Bakhshi Ergash Jumanbulbul. They lived together for
weeks. Perhaps that is why Bakhshi told the details of
the delicate events in his father's life to the scholar
Hodi Zarifov), a tyrannical official named Miltiqboy
encountered Jumanbulbul and asked him to describe
himself. He also said that in exchange for praise, he
would give him his black bay horse as a reward. Then
Jumanbulbul:
Agar tuya bo‘lganda jo‘n bo‘laring,
Otdan keyin eshakman teng bo‘laring.
Qantar og‘may xarish bo‘p ag‘nab yotib,
Qarg‘a bilan quzg‘unga yem bo‘laring.
Agar yilqi bo‘lganda o‘tmas eding,
Bahong qirq besh-ellikka yetmas eding,
Har kim olsa, o‘zingni, aynib berib,
Chir aylanib ovuldan ketmas eding.
- thay said.
The poet Ergash was proud of his father's honesty.
Therefore, the happiness of maintaining his high respect
among the people was considered a cherished concept
in his life. The poet Ergash became closely acquainted
with the works of Alisher Navoi, Fuzuli, and Mashrab in
the Bukhara madrasahs. This quality undoubtedly
benefited the composition and artistic perfection of the
plots of the epics to be performed by Bakhshi. The epics
"Ravshan" and "Kuntug'mish" are distinguished by the
fact that they were "plowed three times", while the
epics "Alpomish", "Kunduz bilan Yulduz", "Dalli", "Khush
keldi", "Avazkhon", and "Hasankhon" were tried to plow
the soil with their own skill. Folklorists especially
emphasize the thoroughness of the works performed by
the poet Ergash.
It is impossible to take or add any fragments from the
poet's epics. It turns out that the poet, who learned to
approach each task creatively, applied the knowledge
he gained in the madrasa to the performance of folk
epics and made a worthy contribution to raising the
artistic level of this genre. The master scholar Hodi Zarif
demonstrates this idea by citing the poet's skill in using
homonyms as a means of expression: "In this regard,
among the Uzbek folk poets we know, the tajnis of the
eloquent Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu attract attention. We
would like to note several of his tajnis quatrains:
Tog‘ning adiri o‘radi,
O‘raga qo‘ylar o‘radi.
Uch tol qilib sanamlar,
Chochini mayda o‘radi.
The teacher emphasizes that the meaning of the first
line “o‘radi” is that the mountain slope is s
lowly rising,
the second line “o‘radi” means walking around, and the
fourth line means braiding girls’ hair. This type of artistic
art is called “tajnis” in literary studies, that is, art is
created on the basis of homonymous words of the same
form. It is important that the poet Ergash used the tajnis
rhyme not only in creating terms, but also in epics as
soon as a convenient opportunity arose.
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For example, in the epic “Ravshan”, Hasankhan says
this when advising his son who set off on a journey to
bring Zulhumor:
Qo‘lingdan kelgancha chiqar yaxshi ot,
Yaxshilik qil bolam, yomonlikni ot.
Nasihatim yodingda tut, yolg‘izim,
Yolg‘iz yursa, chang chiqarmas, yaxshi ot.
The poet Ergash loved and respected his homeland, his
native land, throughout his life. He expressed the love
in his heart by showing the actions of the heroes in his
epics. In the epics of the Goroglu series that he sang,
Goroglu, Yunus Pari, Misqol Pari, Hasankhan,
Avazkhan, etc. captivate the listeners with their
courage, honesty, and truthfulness. People choose the
names in the epics with their intentions for their
newborn children.
In the epic "Ravshan", when Hasankhan wants to
immediately save his son who is being led to the
gallows, the jester Jaynaq advises him to try Ravshan
first. Hasankhan agrees. The servants of the Karakhan
Tsar told Ravshan that if he gave up his land, Gorogly,
they would give him Zulhumor and make Ravshan the
king of this land, Shirvan. Then, despite the fact that
the young man was on the gallows:
Sen aytgan odaming, zolim, men emas,
Bir nechalar o‘z holini tinglamas,
Men o‘lmasam, o‘z elimdan kechmayman!
Aziz boshing oyog‘imga teng emas!
–
he rejects the offer. Verses of this content influenced
the upbringing of hundreds of brave boys in the regions
where the epic is performed. The poet does not give
them excessive advice about love for the homeland,
but instills in their hearts how great the value of the
homeland is.
Professor Hodi Zarifov, telling about the last period of
the poet's life, writes that Bakhshi wanted to go to his
homeland and find a number of manuscripts, and
promised to tell new terms and epics. However, Ergash
Jumanbulbul oglu died of a serious illness on May 12,
1937 at the age of 69. The artistic heritage left by the
ingenious Bakhshi today serves the future of our
country.
CONCLUSION
The Samarkand school of epic writing occupies a
special place in folk oral art with its unique performing
traditions and rich repertoire. The contribution of such
great epic poets as Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu to the
formation of this school is incomparable. He not only
performed folk epics, but also enriched them and
interpreted them with his own style and tone. The
imagery inherent in the epic genre, the wide use of
artistic means of depiction, and the national spirit are
clearly manifested in his work.
The results of the study show that the epic writing
activity of Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu made a great
contribution to the development of the Samarkand epic
school. The epics in his repertoire are not only
important as part of the Uzbek cultural heritage, but
also serve as a source of inspiration for future
generations of epic poets.
In the future, in-depth study of the Samarkand epic
school, its performing traditions, and the scientific study
of the artistic heritage of Ergash Jumanbul oglu will be
of great importance in preserving and developing our
national culture. Therefore, preserving the traditions of
folk epics, passing them on to the younger generation,
and popularizing them in a modern cultural
environment remain urgent tasks.
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