International Journal of Pedagogics
59
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijp
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue03 2025
PAGE NO.
59-63
10.37547/ijp/Volume05Issue03-17
Historical Formation of The Samarkand School of
Epistle-Writing and The Place of Bakhshi Performance
Traditions
Annakulova Dildora Baymuratovna
Faculty of Art Studies, Department of Traditional Singing and Folk Instruments, Guliston State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
23 January 2025;
Accepted:
25 February 2025;
Published:
13 March 2025
Abstract:
This article analyzes the historical formation of the Samarkand school of epic poetry, its main features
and traditions of Bakhshi performance. The place of epic poetry in folk oral culture, the repertoire and
performance styles of Samarkand Bakhshi are studied from a scientific and theoretical point of view. The article
also highlights the importance of the Samarkand school of epic poetry as a cultural heritage, its current state and
the issues of passing it on to future generations. This study serves to enrich scientific views on the preservation
and development of traditional Bakhshi art.
Keywords:
Samarkand school of epic poetry, bakhshi performance, folk oral art, epic art, repertoire, performing
traditions, cultural heritage, traditional art, bakhshi style, history of epic poetry.
Introduction:
Uzbek folk oral art has a long history, and
the art of epic poetry occupies a special place in its
structure. Epic poetry plays an important role in
preserving the cultural and spiritual heritage of our
people and passing it on to future generations. Uzbek
epic poetry traditions have regional characteristics, and
the Khorezm, Bukhara, Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya and
Samarkand epic poetry schools are distinguished by
their unique performing style and forms of expression.
The Samarkand epic poetry school is distinguished by
its rich history, unique performing style and
accomplished bakhshis. The art of epic poetry has been
formed in this region for centuries, and it is of great
importance not only as an example of folk oral art, but
also as a means of understanding national identity,
preserving historical memory, and as an educational
tool. Epic poems performed by Samarkand bakhshis
reflect the historical and cultural life, traditions, and
hopes of the people.
This article studies the history of the formation of the
Samarkand school of epic poetry, its outstanding
representatives, performing traditions, and genre
features from a scientific and theoretical point of view.
It also analyzes the specific features of bakhshi
performance, the traditional epic repertoire, and its
significance today. At the same time, it also highlights
the urgent issues of preserving and passing on this
cultural heritage to future generations.
Folk oral art plays a great role in the improvement of
the lifestyle of our people, and over the centuries it has
accumulated a rich spiritual heritage, making a worthy
contribution to the education of the younger
generation. Epics, an important area of folk oral art,
have very deep historical roots, have been created for
centuries and sung in various socio-economic
conditions. The first epics appeared in Greece, where
they sang about the courage of legendary heroes and
the miracles of the gods. Homer's "Iliad", "Odyssey",
Abulkasim Firdawsi's "Shahnama", Dante Alighieri's
"Divine Comedy" (written between 1307 and 1321,
published in 1472 and consisting of three parts: the first
is "Hell", the second is "Purgatory", also called "A'rof",
which is the interval between hell and heaven,
knowledge and goodness, and the third is "Heaven")
are ancient examples of the epic genre. Epics, according
to their essence, are divided into heroic ("Alpomish",
"Farhod and Shirin"), adventure detective ("Sab'ai
sayyor"), romantic-romantic ("Tohir and Zuhra", "Leyli
and Majnun"), war epic ("Yusuf and Ahmad", "Saddi
Iskandari"),
historical-memoir
("Shaybaniynoma",
"Jizzakh uprising"), philosophical ("Khayrat ul-abror"),
fantastic-allegorical ("Lison uttayr"), didactic ("Kutadgu
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International Journal of Pedagogics (ISSN: 2771-2281)
bilig") types. While heroic epics describe the fate of the
people and society, romantic-romantic epics focus on
the adventures of lovers. In historical-memoir or
historical-biographical epics, historical figures are
symbolized and exaggerated. In general, idealization
and exaggerated imagery prevail in epics, and they
often feature various legends, myths, stories, giants,
fairies, Khizr, dragons, magical horses (Boychibor in
"Alpomish"), and magic.
Folk epics are performed by bakhshi, dostonchi, and
folk poets to the accompaniment of dutar, dombira,
and other folk instruments. Although folklore epics and
written literature epics are similar in form and style,
written literature epics differ in the writer's unique
perception and assessment of the world and the way,
method, and style of expressing his thoughts, ideas,
and dreams. Although most of Navoi's epics, including
"Layli and Majnun" and "Saddi Iskandariy", were based
on folklore themes, the poet radically recreated them
based on his own aesthetic views and artistic
intentions. The content of the epics was heroic, warlike,
historical, romantic, and everyday life. Bakhshi poets
played an important role in the performance of epics.
The meaning of the word bakshi is explained as follows:
in Mongolian and Buryat, baksha, bag'sha means
teacher, enlightener; in Sanskrit, bhikshu means monk,
dervish. In Uzbekistan, an artist who sings, recites, and
passes down songs and epics from memory. The word
bakshi is sometimes used in the sense of a shaman, and
in general, epic singers and epic tellers are called
yuzbashi, saqi, sannovchi, jirov. Bakshis are mainly
divided into two categories - performing and creative
bakshis. While performing bakshis mainly sing the epics
they learned from their teacher with slight changes,
creative bakshis also create new epics based on the oral
epic tradition. Such bakhshis are also called poet
bakhshis, for example, Ergash poet, Fazil poet, Polkan
poet, Abdullah poet, Khidir poet, etc. Bakhshis sing
epics and songs accompanied by instruments such as
kobiz, dombira, dutar. Khorezm bakhshis perform epics
mainly with dutar, partly with strings, and are
accompanied by singers on gijjak and bolamo. Strict
rules and regulations are observed in singing epics and
training students. During the Mongol invasion,
Buddhist Qalandars, office workers who compiled
various documents based on the Uyghur alphabet,
surgeons among the Mongols, secretaries in the
Chigatai ulus, the Golden Horde, Kazan and Crimean
khanates, senior officials who conducted accounting
work for military units in the Babirya state and paid
them salaries, people who kept accounts of funds
(expenses) for the construction of administrative
buildings in the Bukhara emirate, and tribal elders
among the Turkmen were also called bakhshis.
The center of bakhshi art In Uzbek folklore, in addition
to major epic schools such as Boysun, Bulungur,
Nurota, Narpay, Kurgan, Khorezm, Shahrisabz,
Sherabad, Chiroqchi, Qamay, Piskent, Kulbuqon,
Uzbek-lakai and other such centers are also known.
They differ from each other in their repertoire, style,
certain
creative
principles
and
methods
of
performance. Heroic epics reflect the courageous
struggle of the people against their own free invaders,
one of such heroic epics was the epic "Alpomish".
The epic series about the courage of one of the people's
favorite heroes, Goroglu, is widespread among the
Uzbek, Tajik, Kazakh, Turkmen, Karakalpak, Tatar,
Azerbaijani, Georgian, and Turkish peoples. Battle epics
describe the courage of the heroes of the work in
historical and legendary wars. "Jangnomai Abo
Muslim", "Jangnomai Amir Hamza", Firdavsi's
"Shahnama", "Jangnomai Jamshid", "Khushang",
"Tumaris" and others were among them. The
repertoire of the Bakhshis also includes epics based on
past events and incidents, the activities of historical
figures, in which historical truth and myth, real sources
and artistic fabric are intertwined. Epics such as
"Jizzakh Uprising" and "Mardikor", created at the
beginning of the 20th century on historical themes,
reflected the events of the popular uprisings that swept
across Turkestan in 1916. 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
amazing events, overcomes difficulties and achieves his
goal. Love conflicts and adventurous stories such as
"Kuntug'mish" are included in such epics. The epics
"Sakhibqiron", "Orzugul", and "Erali and Sherali" reflect
events related to the daily 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. These included 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”. Epic writing was widely developed
in the Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya oases, in
Khorezm and in the Samarkand region. During this
period, the repertoire of the bakhshis who sang epics
included more than 150 folk epics. Among the people,
such epic singers as Yuldashbulbul, Ergash Jumanbulbul
oglu, Fozil Yuldash oglu, IIolkan, Islam the poet, Berdi
bakhshi, Bola bakhshi, Ahmad bakhshi were famous.
The poet Polkan, who had an extraordinary memory,
knew more than seventy epics by heart. The fact that
each epic contained from two to three thousand lines
International Journal of Pedagogics
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International Journal of Pedagogics (ISSN: 2771-2281)
to ten to fifteen, even twenty thousand verses, testified
to the great potential, strong memory, ability to
memorize and remember, and creative power of the
folk bakhshis. Fazil Yuldash oglu could recite 60 epics,
Ergash Jumanbulbul oglu 50 epics, while some of the
bakhshis only recited epics, while others composed
epics themselves.
Special evenings were organized to listen to epics, and
weddings and festivities did not pass without bakhshis,
and the listeners sat down on the net and listened
attentively to the bakhshi. Talented dostonists could
sing a doston in 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 sing a doston for seven
nights. The bakhshis who attended the dostoning
nights 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.
A study of the work of folk bakhshis confirms that
among the dostons they performed, there were also
works on religious themes. Such bakhshis were forced
to sing dostons secretly until the years of our
independence. Various pressures in the Mustabid
regime led to a relative decrease in the number of
bakhshis. In addition to telling epics, they were also
engaged in duokhan. Thus, centers where folk epics
were sung with special skill were called schools by the
name of this area. Currently, Uzbek folklore studies
have identified such poetic epic schools as Bulungur,
Kurgan, Shahrisabz, Qamay, Sherabad, southern
Tajikistan, Khorezm, as excellent centers of bakhshi art.
Of these, the Bulungur epic school, to which Fazil
Yoldash oglu belonged, was the one where the most
heroic epics were sung in an artistically perfect manner.
It is not for nothing that the Fazil Yoldash oglu version
of the heroic epic "Alpomish", of which several versions
and dozens of variants were created, is accepted as the
highest and most artistically perfect example in the
Kungir version. Amin Bakhshi, noted by Professor Hodi
Zarifov, was also a representative of this school. In
ancient times, such bakhshis as Muhammad the poet,
Sultanmurod Suyar, Rahimbulbul made a worthy
contribution to the fame of this school with their works
and performances. They performed epics such as
"Alpomish", "Oysuluv", "Hasankhan", "Chambil qamal"
with special skill. Another school that made a name for
itself in Samarkand epic poetry is called Kurgan epic
poetry. The ancestors and descendants of the Ergash
poets are representatives of this school. As noted in the
previous pages, the owners of this school told epics in
a loving way. Unlike others, in the Kurgan school,
women named Sultan kampir, Tilla kampir also
mastered the art of bakhshi. In addition to them, the
work of the poets Yodgor, Buran bakhshi, Jassaq
bakhshi, and Polkan developed in the manner formed
in this school. The performance of the epics "The Birth
of Goroglu", "Ravshan", "Kuntugmish", and "Dalli" was
typical of representatives of this school.
Another school is called Shahrisabz. This school
produced such creative bakhshis as Khidir, Ernazar, and
Abdulla. The epics of the Goroglu series, especially the
epic "Malikai Ayyor", were widespread in this school.
The Narpay epic school also contributed to the
development of the Uzbek epic with a number of
bakhshis and epics. In Narpay epic, the names of Islam,
Nurmon Abduvoy oglu, who were educated by Rajab,
are mentioned with special respect. Islam was able to
combine the traditions of the Kurgan and Shahrisabz
schools in his work.
Representatives of this school performed more epics
such as "Orzugul", "Sahibqiron", and "Gulmirakhon".
Creators such as Shernazar Beknazar oglu, Umir Safar
oglu, and Ahmad bakhshi were artists belonging to the
Sherabad school of epic poetry. The epics of the
Goroglu series also occupy a special place in their work.
Representatives of this school especially performed the
epics of the Malla savdogar and Ollonazar Olchinbek
artistically. The names of such figures as Haybat Shamol
oglu and Kunduz soki, who lived in southern Tajikistan,
are mentioned with respect among Uzbek bakhshis.
These bakhshis also performed the epics of the Goroglu
series in their own unique way. Khorezm epic poetry is
distinguished by its musicality, the performance of the
epic in a chorus, and the accompaniment of several
musical instruments in the performance of the epic. At
ancient festivals and weddings, 3-4 bakhshis were
called, and each bakhshi was given a separate circle. At
the end of the festival, the circle of people around the
skilled bakhshi increased, and there was no one left
around the low-level bakhshi. This custom forced the
artist to constantly work on himself and master the art
of performance. In addition, Muhammad Rahimkhan
(Feruz), who ruled Khorezm for more than 40 years,
annually held an examination of bakhshi and singers
and personally gave them the right to recite dostans.
Amad bakhshi, Bola bakhshi (Kurbannazar Abdullaev),
Boltavoi bakhshi, Kadir sozchi, Murod bakhshi,
Ruzimbek bakhshi, Otakhon bakhshi worked in this
school and performed such dostans as “Bozirgon”,
“Oshiq gharib va Shohsanam”, “Qirq ming”, “Oshiq
Mahmud” in a performance reminiscent of a large
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concert program.
Folk epics are classified into several types, depending
on their different performances in different regions of
our country, methods of performance, interpretation
of events, and even the fact that one region has
separate schools, as well as their content. According to
the observations of prominent scholars V. M.
Zhirmunsky, H. T. Zarifov, M. Saidov, T. Mirzaev, B.
Sarimsakov, when dividing folk epics into types, it is
more appropriate to pay attention to their content and
the character of the heroes. However, despite the fact
that the classifications made by each of the mentioned
scholars differ to some extent, they can be called as
follows:
1. Heroic epics ("Alpomish").
2. Love-romantic epics ("Ravshan", "Kuntug'mish").
3. Battle epics ("Yakka Ahmad").
4. Book epics ("Sayyod and Hamro", "Oshik Gharib and
Shahsanam").
5. Historical (“Oysuluv”).
The basis for the classification is explained by the main
essence of the events described in the epics. For
example, in the epic “Alpomish” there are also love
stories, battle scenes, and historical information.
However, the central idea of the work is the courage
and heroism in uniting the people who were separated
for a certain reason. Or in the epic “Ravshan”, signs of
courage and heroism are also found. However, the
main idea of the epic is devoted to d
escribing Ravshan’s
journey to express her love for Zulhumor.
The heroic epic is considered a separate stage in the
history of folk oral art. Its famous examples are the
works of the Greeks "Odyssey" and "Iliad". The Kyrgyz
people's "Manas" is also an example of such a stage.
Such works reflect the journeys of the people's children
for the liberation of their homeland, the unification of
the people, and their battles with an enemy superior in
number and strength. An example of the heroic epic is
the Uzbek epic "Alpomish". It expresses the ideas of the
formation of national traditions in our country, the
fight against external enemies, the preservation of
national unity, and the protection of independent life.
A significant part of the epics in the repertoire of our
people's Bakhshis are romance epics. "Roman" is
borrowed from the French language and meant a kind
of epic. However, later, after the novel in fiction
developed separately as a genre, it began to give the
concept of works that reflect love and adventure in a
textured manner. When we talk about romance epics,
we think of folk epics that depict love and adventure.
The plot begins with the lover learning about his
beloved. Later, the hero embarks on a journey full of
love adventures. On this path, various interesting and
amazing life scenes occur. There are one-on-one
battles with enemies. The development of events in the
epic develops in this way, and in the end, the lover
achieves his dream. Such epics as "Ravshan" and
"Kuntug'mish" can be included among such epics.
Battle epics, on the other hand, are works rich in plot
development and battle scenes. Bakhshis performed
such epics relatively rarely. In such epics, more
attention is paid to depicting the hero's bravery. Works
such as "Yusuf and Ahmad", "Alibek and Bolibek", "Kyrq
ming" are among them.
Book epics appeared mainly in later works of our
historical life. Having become acquainted with the
interesting and instructive stories in the epics created
by the representatives of our written literature, the
Bakhshis created their own versions (variants) based on
them. As a result, book epics emerged as a result of the
interaction of written and oral creativity. Epics such as
“Sayyod and Hamro”, “Oshiq Gharib and Shohsanam”,
“Vomiq and Uzro” in oral creat
ivity are examples of
works of this method.
CONCLUSION
The Samarkand school of epic poetry, with its unique
performance styles and rich repertoire, constitutes an
important part of Uzbek folk oral creativity. This article
analyzes the history of the formation of this school, the
stages of its development and the specific features of
Bakhshi performance. The results of the study show
that the performance style of the Samarkand Bakhshis
is closely related to the cultural life and traditional art
of the region, and has been developing for centuries.
The art of epic poetry is not only a cultural heritage, but
also plays an important role in the upbringing of the
younger generation, in the formation of national
values. However, as a result of modern technologies
and globalization processes, the traditional art of
Bakhshi poetry is under threat of extinction. Therefore,
the preservation of this cultural wealth, its
popularization and transmission to future generations
remains one of the urgent issues of today.
In the future, an extensive scientific and theoretical
study of the performing traditions of the Samarkand
school of epic poetry, the collection, analysis and
publication of the texts of Bakhshi epic poems are
important tasks. Also, in order to convey the art of epic
poetry to the younger generation, it is necessary to
implement measures such as establishing special
courses in educational institutions and establishing
Bakhshi schools. At the same time, widespread
promotion of the art of epic poetry using media and
digital technologies will serve its development.
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International Journal of Pedagogics (ISSN: 2771-2281)
In general, the Samarkand school of epic poetry is an
invaluable part of folk oral art, and its traditions,
preserved for centuries, should be constantly
respected as an integral part of our national culture.
REFERENCES
Qodirov, H. (2008). History and traditions of Uzbek
bakhshi art. Tashkent: Fan.
Sodiqov, A. (2010). Schools of folk epic poetry and
bakhshi art. Tashkent: Ma'naviyat.
Jo'raqulov, U. (2015). Uzbek oral traditions and bakhshi
art. Samarkand: SamSU Publishing House.
Karimov, H. (2017). Uzbek folk epic poems and their
artistic features. Tashkent: Gafur Ghulom Publishing
House of Literature and Art.
Usmanov, B. (2019). The formation and development
stages of the Samarkand school of epic poetry.
Samarkand: Zarafshon Publishing House.
Salomov, M. (2021). The specific features and modern
interpretation of the art of Bakhshi poetry. Tashkent:
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