International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
6
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijhps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 03 2025
PAGE NO.
6-8
10.37547/ijhps/Volume05Issue03-02
The 1916 Honor and Dignity Uprising in Khojayli
Khujaniyazov D.M.
Doctoral Student Berdaq Karakalpak State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
17 January 2025;
Accepted:
19 February 2025;
Published:
12 March 2025
Abstract:
This article highlights the people's uprising that took place in 1916 in the city of Khojayli under the severe
oppression of the Khiva Khan and the difficult conditions of the people. The study is based on previously
researched sources.
Keywords:
Khiva, Khojayli, Asfandiyor Khan, Mogadak cart, Avazjon Bek, Tilovmurod Kal, girl tax, peasants,
artisans, Mangit, A. Galkin, Mahmud, Isomiddin Eshon.
Introduction:
The year 1916 was one of the most
difficult periods during World War I, as the full burden
of the Russian Empire's participation in the war fell on
its colonies. Across the empire, public dissatisfaction
grew due to the worsening living conditions caused by
the war. Even before the events of 1916 in Khojayli,
several protest movements had taken place in the
Karakalpakstan region. On one such day, a people's
uprising began, which would later be known in history
as the Khojayli Uprising.
Among the more than 20,000 large and small uprisings
in human history, this movement is unique in terms of
its causes. Perhaps one of the reasons was the moral
degradation of Asfandiyor Khan, which worsened year
by year. For this reason, the uprising can be called the
"Honor and Dignity Uprising." [1.22]
MAIN PART
The Khojayli Uprising involved people from all social
classes of the Karakalpak, Uzbek, Kazakh, and Turkmen
communities living in the city and its surrounding areas.
Among the participants were peasants, industrial
workers, artisans, and even some wealthy individuals
and religious figures. [2.111]
The primary goal of the uprising was to overthrow the
Khiva Khan, Asfandiyor Khan, and replace him with a
ruler who could free the people from heavy taxation
and landlessness while also protecting their honor and
dignity. The rebels demanded that government
officials, the Khiva Khan's servants, and the Yomut
mercenaries stop their dishonorable actions against
the local population. [3.220]
Another significant reason for the uprising was
Asfandiyor Khan's deteriorating health
—
he was
reportedly suffering from syphilis. Following the advice
of palace physicians, his servants were ordered to
gather 40 young girls as a supposed cure for his illness.
[4.100]
The custom of taking the most beautiful and renowned
girls of the people into the khan’s harem had long been
preserved. Asfandiyor, like the rulers before him,
embodied both the good and bad traditions of his
predecessors. However, his excessive greed at times
led to shocking actions
—
such as ordering the execution
of his father-in-law, the grand vizier and leader of the
young Khivans, Islamkhoja, by hanging.
One particularly horrifying incident was the fate of
Aqljon, a young girl from Gurlan who was forcibly taken
to the harem. When she refused to submit to the khan,
he had her thrown into a large cauldron of boiling
water. Such unimaginable cruelty further fueled public
outrage.
At that time, special decorated carts were used to bring
girls from the people to the harem, and these were
known as "Mogadak Arava." [5.22]
The efforts of court officials influenced by Hikmatullo
Eshon to "cure" the Khiva Khan’s illness through
entertainment with young girls became one of the main
reasons for the uprising of the people on the left bank
of the Amu Darya. Among the public, rumors spread
that “the people are the subjects of the khan, and a girl
is like his own daughter; it is against Islamic law for a
ruler to desire his own daugh
ters.” [6.23]
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
7
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2222)
In the first days of January 1916, two girls were brought
to the khan’s harem. A few days later, their lifeless
bodies were secretly returned to their parents. Both
had been killed in the harem for resisting the khan.
When the khan’s servants
planned to take another 20
girls from Khojayli, parents with daughters sought ways
to protect them from such disgrace. Before the khan’s
men arrived, they dressed their daughters in men's
clothing and sent them across the Amu Darya toward
Nukus at night.
Tragically, the first boat carrying 16 girls capsized due
to strong waves, and all the girls drowned. The second
boat, with four girls aboard, was rescued by people on
the opposite shore. The next morning, mourning
spread throughout Khojayli. When the khan
’s men
arrived to collect the girls, they were met with
outrage
—
locals threw stones and sticks at them in
protest. [7.45]
This incident became the spark that ignited the
uprising. Additionally, there were frequent cases where
young girls were taken away by neighboring Yomut
mercenaries, acting under the orders of the khan’s
officials.
On January 8, 1916, news spread that Turkmen feudal
lords might once again forcibly take girls from the
Khojayli beylik. In response, peasants from Khojayli and
its surrounding areas began an uprising.
Hikmatullo Otaliq, along with the peasants from the
southeastern outskirts of Khojayli, gathered near
Bogibek’s estate and marched toward the old city. As
they approached the Qizil Bridge at the entrance of old
Khojayli, city dwellers and villagers joined the
movement from all directions.
The insurgents first went to the office of the Khojayli
beg (district governor) but found no one there. They
then headed toward the house of Avazjon Khoja, the
Khojayli beg, located near the Suenli Canal and close to
the city's bazaar. However, they discovered that the
beg, Yusuf Eshon, had left to attend a yearly memorial
ceremony. Undeterred, the rebels continued their
march toward the house where the eshons and officials
had gathered.
During the march, powerful leaders such as Tilovmurod
Kal emerged among the rebels. As they reached their
destination, angry voices filled the air:
“What is the use of officials and religious leaders who
only care about their own stomachs while ignoring the
suffering of the people?”
Terrified by the rebels' calls for justice, the officials and
religious leaders had no choice but to come outside.
Realizing that empty words would not pacify the
furious crowd, they promised to deliver their
grievances to the Khiva Khan and ensure that their
demands were met. Only then did the insurgents agree
to return to their homes. [8.48]
The Khojayli beg, Avazjon Bek, in accordance with his
promise to deliver the rebels’ grievances to Asfandiyor
Khan and ensure their demands were met, was forced
to march toward Khiva on January 14, 1916,
accompanied by 300 to 500 insurgents. As they
advanced, more rebels from Qipchoq, Mang‘it, Porsi,
Toshqinchoq, and other regions joined them,
increasing their numbers to 2,000
–
3,000 people. [9.26]
Fearing this development, both the Khiva Khan and the
Tsarist administration sent their representatives to
Khojayli in an attempt to pacify the people and halt
their march toward Khiva. However, the movement
had already gained unstoppable momentum.
The Tsarist authorities made another effort to suppress
the uprising. The head of the Amu Darya division
ordered the Turtkul volost leader, Qozokboy, to warn
the insurgents against marching on Khiva in large
numbers. However, the rebels ignored this warning.
Instead, they sought help from Junaid Khan, the de
facto ruler of the Turkmen forces in Khiva Khanate, to
complain about the violence and oppression
committed by the Khan, the Yomut tribes, and large
landowners.
Although Junaid Khan was preparing for an open
confrontation against the Khiva Khan, he chose not to
actively engage in the rebellion. Instead, he merely
provided guides to lead the insurgents to Khiva.
Not only Junaid Khan but also the Tatar eshon,
Isomiddin, sought to take advantage of the movement.
It is important to note that I
somiddin’s involvement in
the rebellion was not sudden but was tied to the
economic interests of the Tatar bourgeoisie.
In January 1916, the Tsarist government put forward
the idea of abolishing the Khiva Khanate and
incorporating it into the Russian Empire. This plan was
unacceptable to both the Tatar bourgeoisie, which
aimed to establish an independent Muslim state under
Turkish patronage, and to Junaid Khan, who had his
own ambitions.
As a result, Isomiddin eshon and his close associates
began spreading propaganda among the people,
opposing the Tsarist plan to annex Khiva to Russia.
On January 18, the rebels reached the outskirts of
Khiva, gathering around the house of Otajon To‘ra.
They sent their demands to the Khan through
delegates, awaiting a response. The insurgents
demanded that the Khan abdicate, threatening to
storm Khiva if their demands were ignored.
That night, the Khan’s representatives arrived at the
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
8
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijhps
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2222)
rebel camp, stating that the Khan invited eight of their
leaders to a formal dinner for negotiations. The Khojayli
elders, community leaders, and the Mang‘it leader,
Darg‘abek, accepted the invitation and traveled to
Khiva.
However, it was a trap. As soon as they arrived, the
rebels’ leaders were tied up and thrown into prison
instead of being received for negotiations.
Upon learning about the capture of their leaders, the
rebels regrouped under Avazjon’s chief officer,
Abduqodir Yuzboshi, and launched an attack on Khiva.
Fierce battles took place at the fortress gates for
several days. However, the rebels were ultimately
defeated, forcing them to scatter in different
directions, marking the end of the uprising.
The development of events resembles an exciting
novel. Commander Abduqodir, along with several of his
men, secretly enters Khiva. Near the prison where
Avazkhoja and his comrades are held, they settle in an
old woman’s house in exchange for a considerable sum
of money. From there, they start digging an
underground tunnel toward the prison. Within a few
days, they manage to break through to the prison, free
the captives, and take them away with them.[10.24]
In April 1916, the head of the Russian Tsar's punitive
unit, General A. Galkin, concluded that 11 people
should be executed as leaders of the uprising. They
were hanged in a field southwest
of Qizilko‘pir, near the
Suenli canal. Among them were the governor of the
Khojayli fortress, Avazjon Bek, his brother Mahmud,
Isomiddin Eshon, and others. At that time, Avazjon Bek
was 50 years old.
CONCLUSION
Thus, the 1916 uprising in Khojayli came to an end. The
rebels failed to achieve their goals because they lacked
a clear strategy, a centralized political organization, and
a strong leader. Additionally, the lack of unity among
the uprising’s participants negatively affected their
ability to take decisive action. Most of the insurgents
were ordinary peasants armed with sticks and hoes.
However, despite its defeat and the severe punishment
of its participants, the 1916 people's uprising holds
great significance. It was a movement for national
freedom, a fight for honor, and a struggle for a
prosperous life. The grief over those who sacrificed
their lives for the people's happiness still lives on in the
oral traditions and laments of the people.
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