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ORDER OF RECRUITMENT IN THE ARMY OF THE BUKHARA EMIRATE
(BASED ON ARCHIVAL MATERIALS OF THE OFFICE OF THE KOSHBEGI OF THE
BUKHARA EMIRATE)
Yunus Asrorovich Shukurillaev
Candidate of historical sciences, Associate professor of Bukhara state technical university
Annotation:
In the article, the author analyzes the procedure for accepting soldiers into the army of
the Bukhara Emirate during the reign of the Mangit dynasty based on documents from the I-126
collection of the National Archives of the Republic of Uzbekistan - the chancellery of the Koshbegs
of the Bukhara Emirate.
Keywords:
sarbazy, prisoner, surety, slave, Shefsky, Tersky, Koshbegi, foreman.
Introduction.
The National Archives of Uzbekistan - a collection of archival documents of the
Koshbeg Divankhan of the Bukhara Emirate - is one of the largest archives storing the documentary
heritage of the rulers of Central Asia, collected in Asian languages (Arabic, Persian, Chigatai and
Turkic). List 1 of this fund, volumes 1505-1652, with a total volume of more than 7,000 pages,
contains documents related to the army and military issues of the Bukhara Emirate from the second
half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, during the reign of emirs Muzaffar
Khan, Abdulakhad Khan and Alim Khan.
The documents on the recruitment procedure for the Emirate's army, preserved in the archival fund,
provide answers to these questions in the dynastic period and allow for comparative and analytical
research with information provided by foreign, local and imperial spies.
In the archives of the Koshbeg Divankhana of the Bukhara Emirate we find the following
information about the replenishment of the army:
1. At the expense of convicted persons serving sentences in the form of imprisonment for crimes
they have committed:
" Your ignorant and humble servant, Abduljalil, from the Kirghizia quarter, that is, a prisoner
confined in the highest prison, "I sent him accompanied by Mohanchi to the service of
Shah
Abdushukur Mirakhur in Baljuvan. "
2. Replacing the aging sarbaz with his son: (It should be emphasized that until the age of
conscription was set at 60 during the reign of Emir Abdullah Khan, military service was lifelong,
and there were also sarbazs aged 80 and 90.)
- "I would like to congratulate his Majesty on his blessed head. Imomnazarbek is one of your
servants in the service of the pardalik. One of your servants, a guard - a beggar, can no longer
perform his duties due to his advanced age. I hope that you will not delay in appointing his son,
Mullo Baba, in his place. With your permission, I will include his son in the ranks of the Mirzabashi
service
After the decree of Amir Abdulahad Khan, examinations were held in the army, and those unfit for
military service were excluded from the ranks one by one:
- “My Lord! The number of dismissed officials and sarbaz is 179. Those dismissed prayed for His
Excellency. 87 of those dismissed were from Hirkan, 54 were Turkmen and 17 were from
1
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index. 1, d. 1527 , p. 1, p. 2. Also: National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I -
126 , op. 1, d. 1528, 1529, 1530, 1531.
2
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index. 1, d. 1625 , p. 7.
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Yalgikurgan. Let the sarbaz be confirmed, I have compiled a list of 300 officials and sarbaz and
presented it to My Excellency. May God bless you
. ”
3. At the time of conscription, he had from one to three guarantors. If a serviceman deserts from
service, one of his guarantors is called up for military service until he is found:
- Your servant, the commander of the guard, your artillerymen and two sarbaz, that is, those who are
on duty in Bukhar a- i-Sharif, make up 30 people. Eight of them managed to escape. We reported
this to the centurion. If they could not find the fugitives, we ordered them to take guarantors from
among their relatives. We will include them in the army 1326 AH ( 1908-1909 )
.
When the guarantors of the sarbaz had the opportunity to avoid military service, for which they had
to pay a certain amount or buy another slave:
- Your Excellency! Mirkulli Koshbegi: Sarbaz Ruzi, who was in the army of Commander Qadir
Kulli Koshbegi, has fled. His guarantor was a man named Fayzi from the Urgenchyan region. They
found him and brought him to the high gates of the Ark. Chehraga Eshkhuja, the servant of the
supreme qadi, also found his two guarantors, Kuzi and Mullah Abdulkadir, in the courtyard. The
three guarantors wanted to give 1,600 coins for the deserting sarbaz. We sent their coins along with
a letter to a man named Hikmatilla. We hope for your kindness. 1327 AH. 1909
;
4. Complaints from parents about their children We encounter situations when people are called up
for military service on the following grounds:
- " Your Excellency, the humblest of the humble, your servant centurion Kenjabek, has submitted a
petition in the hope that you will accept it. By chance, your servant Mahtoboy passed on your
blessed letter to this ignorant servant of yours. Your Excellency, in the letter your servant
complained that he could not raise his son named Murtaza. With your blessing, we will dress him in
a military uniform, provide him with weapons and armor, and introduce him into the ranks of the
supreme army"
.
5. Those who sought asylum (migrants):
- "A petition written by your slaves, Abdulhamidbek and Mirkulibek, asking for your approval:
These two slaves of yours have been separated from their homeland. They have come to your
doorstep with a thousand sufferings to seek refuge. I ask you, with the hope of including these
slaves of yours in the ranks of your army"
;
6. At the expense of volunteers, although in small numbers:
- " Sir, Allanazar Mirza served me, but he died. His son Eshan Kulibek is a nimble servant, and
dreams of serving in your army. With your permission, I will enlist his brother in the service. 1314
AH / 1896-1897 ;
7. At the expense of purchased slaves:
3
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index. 1, d. 1625 , p. 9. Also : National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 ,
comp. 1, d. 1624, p. 2.
4
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index. 1, d. 1629 , p. 9 .
5
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index. 1, d. 1629 , l. 204. Also: 205.
6
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , decree. 1, d. 1526 , l. 22.
7
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , decree. 1, d. 1527 , l. 29.
8
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , decree. 1, d. 1525 , l. 1.3
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A study of the composition of the Emirates army confirms that even before 1920, there were slaves
among the military personnel. It is known that initially the Bukharan army consisted of hired slaves
who were obliged to serve in the army for the rest of their lives. In 1886, according to the decree of
Emir Abdul-Ahad, military slaves, like other slaves, had the right to receive documents of
emancipation. However, archival documents indicate that many sarbazes, unable to obtain an
identity card, continued to repeatedly appeal to the emir on this issue
8. Much of the information gathered from personal interviews with elderly people currently living in
the Bukhara region is consistent with archival sources and complements our view on this issue. The
former sarbaz of the emirate, Ochil Zarif ugli, who lived in the Bukhara district, was killed during
the 1910 uprising. Emir officials came to the widow with her two sons to express their condolences
on the death of her husband and to offer her nine acres of land and a servant. There is only one
condition: according to an ancient rule, when sons reach adulthood, they are called up for lifelong
military service. Unhappy with this state of affairs, Masuma aya's widow renounced her land and
servants, and her sons were not sent to military service when they reached adulthood
.
9. German, Austrian, Hungarian, Czech and other prisoners of war captured by the Russian Empire
and sent to Turkestan during World War I served in the army of the Bukhara Emirate in 1915-1920
.
It is worth noting that a factory with a capacity of 12,000 cartridges per day was created in the city
of Bukhara, where German and Austrian sarbazes, captured during World War I, worked
. Since
1868, when the Bukhara Emirate was transformed into a protectorate of the Russian Empire,
sarbazes recruited from territories that came out of the control of the emirate (Samarkand, Fergana,
Jizzakh, Uratepa, Khujand and others) were exempted from military service
.
By 1920, several new military formations had been formed. According to historian Muhammad
Sayyid Baljuvani, the structure of the emirate's army in 1917-1920 was as follows: The Bukhara
army consisted of seven divisions (groups). 1. Artillerymen. 2. Mounted Cossacks. 3. Shefsky. 4.
Terek. 5. Arabbachi. 6. Turkmen army. 7. Sarbazy
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the reign of the last Bukharan emirs
Abdulakhadkhan and Alimkhan, European-style military units were formed (the patronage, Terek,
and Kuban Cossacks), which were given more than ordinary soldiers, namely 35 tangas per month,
and on holidays - 20 tangas of "God's money" per year, and their food, clothing, weapons, and
barracks expenses were paid from the treasury
. These groups were selected from young people
aged 18-20. In addition, in the order indicated above, salaries were distributed for the Arab, Afghan,
and Sherbach groups created in 1917.
9
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , decree. 1, building 2107 , l. 1.
10
From a conversation with Sherali Ochilov from Bukhara. 1 field notebook of the author. - p. 11
11
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , index 1, d. 1447, 1448, 1449, 1450.
12
Ryuganov. Armed forces of the Bukhara Khanate . (confidential) Tashkent . Field printing house Puturka 1920. P – 16
13
National Archives of Uzbekistan, f. I - 126 , decree. 1, d. 1484 , l. 1-2.
14
Muhammad Ali Baljuvani. Tarihi nofeiy ( Useful story ) / Authors of the translation, preface and annotation from
the Tajik language - Sh. Vohidov and Z. Choriev . - Tashkent: Academy, 2001. - P. 56.
15
Archive of the Samarkand Museum of Local History . No. 814, p. 8.
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In general, although some attempts were made since the 1860s to introduce European laws and
regulations in military affairs and to maintain order and discipline in the army, the existing despotic
regime prevented this path. The last emirs of Bukhara, Abdulahad Khan and Alim Khan, tried to
make some positive changes in the structure of the army at the beginning of the 20th century.
However, the changes, which were mainly formal in nature, did not sufficiently ensure the combat
effectiveness of the army. In particular, the army of the emirate, although it adopted the military
regulations and provisions of the Russian Empire in terms of formation, military exercises, drill,
uniform and some aspects, since the end of the 19th century it was inferior to some advanced laws
and provisions. For example, the age of conscription for military service, recruitment into the army,
the use of corporal punishment for sarbazes and other medieval rules were retained. In 1917-1920,
attention was again paid to the formation of the army. If we recognize the political independence of
the Bukhara Emirate in these years, then preserving the freedom of the country was their most
important task. However, this issue was not resolved in a short time, which ultimately led to the
collapse of the emirate.
List of references
1. National Archives of Uzbekistan, Fund I -126, Chancellery of the Koshbegi of the Bukhara
Emirate.
2. Archive of the Samarkand Museum of Local History. No. 814.
3. Muhammad Ali Baljuvani. Tarihi nofeiy ( Useful history ) / Authors of the translation, preface
and annotation from the Tajik language - Sh. Vohidov and Z. Choriev. - Tashkent: Academy, 2001.
- P. 122.
4. Ryuganov. Armed forces of the Bukhara Khanate. (confidential) Tashkent. Puturka Field Printing
House 1920. P. 16.
