Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
141
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
141-143
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
29 March 2025
ACCEPTED
25 April 2025
PUBLISHED
30 May 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
“Boburnoma” –
A Classical
Realistic Example of Turkic
Prose
Majidov A.S.
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of History, Jizzakh State Pedagogical University,
Uzbekistan
Majidov A.F.
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of History, Jizzakh State Pedagogical University,
Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article explores Boburnoma (The
Memoirs of Babur), a pivotal work in Turkic literary
history, examining its place as a classical example of
realist prose within Turkic literature. Authored by Zahir-
ud-Din Muhammad Babur, the founder of the Mughal
Empire, Boburnoma blends autobiographical narrative
with historical account, providing insights into both
personal experiences and broader political and cultural
contexts. The study delves into the stylistic features of
the text, highlighting its contributions to the evolution
of prose writing in Turkic languages. By analyzing the
structure, language, and thematic elements of the work,
this article underscores the significance of Boburnoma
in shaping the trajectory of realist prose in Turkic
literature and its enduring influence on later literary
traditions.
Keywords:
Boburnoma, Turkic prose, classical realism,
autobiographical literature, Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad
Babur, Mughal Empire, literary analysis, historical
narrative, Turkic literature, realist prose.
Introduction:
Our ancestors’ spiritual heritage, created
over the course of centuries, is so vast and
comprehensive that any scholar who attempts to fully
grasp it will undoubtedly find their mind overwhelmed.
No other region of the world has produced such true
intellectual geniuses, religious thinkers, renowned
historians, great poets, and hundreds of masters of the
fine arts as the peoples of Central Asia. The internal
harmony between the components of our spiritual
heritage, its role and status in world culture, cannot be
fully realized unless the separate studies of specialists in
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various fields are brought together; only then can a
cohesive picture emerge.
Each of us
—
the children of the Uzbek land
—
must have
a clear and precise understanding of who we were in
history and who we have become in recent times
[1:180]. To love our homeland, it is essential to study
in detail its glorious past, both good and bad times, the
history of our ancestors, and its ancient history.
Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur, with his profound and
fruitful work, is one of those great figures who made a
significant contribution to the treasure of world
culture. The natural talent of our ancestor, his
multifaceted development, the vast knowledge he
embodied, his intellect, human qualities, as well as his
generosity, sensitivity, and refined nature, continue to
amaze us.
Among the rich and invaluable scientific and literary
heritage that Babur left to his descendants, the work
that brought him world fame is undoubtedly
“Boburnoma”. It occupies a worthy place not only in
Uzbek literature, but also in the history of world
literature.
“Boburnoma” holds significant importance as one of
the earliest examples of prose in Turkic literature,
being both a historical and literary work. While the
book serves as a rare historical source, it is also an
encyclopedic work that covers a wide range of
academic fields. In it, the political, social, economic,
and cultural life of the period in which Babur lived is
vividly expressed in artistic form; the events are
narrated in an engaging, fluent, and simple language.
The work is composed of Babur’s personal experiences
and memories. For this reason, the original title,
Vaqoyi’noma, or “The Chronicle of Events,” given by
Babur Mirza himself, is not without reason [2:46]. This
is because Babur himself is the participant and the
central character of the events. The author himself
wrote the following lines about this:
Bu olam aro ajab alamlar ko‘rdum,
Olam elidin turfa sitamlar ko‘rdum.
Har kim bu “Vaqoyi’”ni o‘qur, bilgaykim,
Ne ranju mehnatu na g‘amlar ko‘rdum.
I have seen strange worlds in this life,
I have witnessed various forms of oppression in this
world.
Let anyone who reads this “Chronicle” know,
The pain, toil, and sorrow I have endured.
This work is also referred to by other names in various
sources, such as “Vaqoyi’i Boburiy”, “Tuzuki Boburiy”,
“Tavorixi Boburiy”, and “Boburiya”. Later, it became
com
monly known as “Boburnoma”.
Indeed, the Indian art historians Krishna and
Ramananda Bandhopadhyay expressed their heartfelt
words about the “Baburnama” in this way: “I have read
the “Baburnama” in my native language with great
enthusiasm. It is a very perfect and invaluable work. It
contains a lot of excellent information about the history,
life, and culture of our peoples... The name of the author
of this work, Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, is fondly
mentioned in India. He is a great sultan who built a
bridge of friendship between the lands of Central Asia
and India in his time. This structure of friendship will
serve for many centuries to come. During the time of
Babur, Muslim scholars from Central Asia went to India
and made a worthy contribution to the development of
science and culture there” [3:13,14].
The English historian and translator W. Erskine, who
is considered a classic example of realist Turkic prose,
says about the work: “Among the literary works created
by Babur, his memoir (“Baburnama”) is considered one
of the best. Its first part tells in detail the worries and
joys of Babur’s childhood and youth [4:180]. The next
part is a collection of stories, sometimes written,
sometimes containing details of everyday events, and in
some places the details of events are fully covered,
while in others they consist of written memories.” In
particular, in this work, Babur Mirza initially provides
information about the rulers of the Mawarannahr
region, starting with his father, Umar Shaykh Mirza. It is
worth noting that Babur developed a unique method for
describing the lives and activities of the rulers. First, he
introduces the rulers by mentioning their names and
systematically presents information about them under
the following headings: “Valodat
va nasabi” (“Birth and
lineage”),“Shakl va shamoyili” (“Appearance and
demeanor”), “Axloq va atvori” (“Character and
behavior”), “Masof va urushlari” (“Campaigns and
wars”),
“Viloyati”
(“Territories”),
“Avlodi”
(“Descendants”), “Xavotun va sarori” (“Wives
and
children”).“Umarosi” (“Royal duties”) [5:226].
In assessing the true nature of the character of a ruler,
Babur pays attention to his dealings with his
subordinates, the peace of the country he ruled, his high
humane relations with his subjects, soldiers, and beks,
his making moral purity a motto of life, and many other
aspects. These criteria amaze one with their honesty,
objective description of both positive and negative
aspects of the person being evaluated, even if he is his
fierce opponent [6:226].
There are a lot of manuscript copies of
“Boburnoma” in Uzbek, and even more in Persian. The
first rare manuscripts of this work are kept in the
Salarjang Museum in India, the National Library of
Scotland, and the British Museum [2:34]. Despite the
fact that they have been studied many times, it is
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considered a natural phenomenon in Babur studies
that the work of creating the most reliable text of
“Boburnoma” attributed to the author’s pen has been
carried out previously and will continue to be carried
out based on newly discovered rare manuscripts.
Because despite the fact that the text of this unique
work has been reprinted repeatedly, new discoveries
about the life and work of Babur, which are stored in
the world’s manuscript funds and library f
unds, create
the need for its re-publication, and the problems of
creating a new and more authentic text of
“Boburnoma” remain a constant..
It should be noted that the “Baburnoma” is not
chronologically complete, there are a number of
breaks in the description of events by year in the work.
According to the French translator of the “Baburnoma”
Pavé de Courteille, such breaks in the years exist both
in the original and in the Persian translation, and these
are also reflected in the English translation.
It would not be wrong to say that the reason why
“Baburnama” has been translated into so many
languages, republished, and gained worldwide fame is
the extremely broad scope of its description, the fact
that it is an encyclopedic work rich in reliable
information
about
the
history,
geography,
ethnography, flora and fauna of Central Asia,
Afghanistan, and India in the late 15th and early 16th
centuries, the peoples of these countries, their way of
life, language, customs, and other aspects, as well as
the unparalleled scope of knowledge and interests of
the author of the work, the honest and truthful
description of events, and the simplicity, fluency, and
conciseness of its language and style.
The abundance, accuracy and completeness of
information, the truthful presentation of historical
events, chronological consistency, simplicity and
fluency of expression further enhance the advantages
and appeal of “Boburnoma” as a historical source. In
this respect, it surpasses the books of many Eastern
historians.
As we know, in most books by Eastern historians,
historical evidence is intertwined with legends and
traditions, the events being written are described
based on the author's attitude towards kings and
rulers, and the principle of deliberately praising and
exalting some and belittling and knocking others down
is also dominant [2:51]. In “Boburnoma”, however, we
do not see such one-sided views; on the contrary, due
to the objective and consistent description of socio-
political events in it, the virtues and shortcomings of
the ruling classes of that time are clearly reflected. All
this gives reason to say that “Boburnoma” is an
incomparable historical work rich in concrete historical
evidence.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, independence has given us ample
opportunities to deeply study our ancient and unique
history and to understand our identity. Today, we are
fortunate to acquaint the general public, our entire
people, with the hitherto hidden aspects of the activities
and invaluable heritage of our great ancestors, such as
Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, who made an
incomparable contribution to the development of world
science and culture. In the author's work "Boburnoma",
the image of a scholar and a wise man who admires the
beauty of man and nature, appreciates the best moral
qualities, accurately reflects the historical events that
have taken place, condemns oppression and hypocrisy,
objectively observes the activities of historical figures,
and evaluates the work of scientists and poets from the
point of view of the advanced traditions of the time is
reflected in the reader’s mind.
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Historical thought and national education //
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