The History of The Ashtarkhanid Dynasty (Based on The Work Tarixi Salimiy)

Аннотация

This article is dedicated to a scholarly analysis of the political, military, and cultural activities of the rulers of the Ashtarkhanid dynasty in the history of Mawarannahr and the Bukhara Khanate, based on Mirza Salimbek’s historical work Tarikh-i Salimiy. The study examines the internal power struggles among members of the dynasty, succession conflicts, responses to external threats—particularly relations with the Iranian ruler Nadir Shah—as well as diplomatic efforts and statecraft. The article explores the role of Ashtarkhanid rulers in governance, their attempts at establishing centralized authority, their interactions with military elites and amirs, and the eventual decline of the dynasty, which paved the way for the rise of the Manghit state. Events described in Tarikh-i Salimiy are critically analyzed through the lens of modern historiography to assess their significance in the political history of Uzbekistan. Keywords: Ashtarkhanid dynasty, Mawarannahr, political history, internal conflicts, state governance, Nadir Shah, Tarikh-i Salimiy, Bukhara Khanate, amirs, dynastic transition. regions, during which the central authority weakened Introduction: Mirza Salimbek ibn Muhammad Rahim as a result of the decline of the Shaybanid dynasty. It (1848–1930) was a historian, poet, statesman, and was during this time that the Ashtarkhanid dynasty diplomat who lived during the Bukhara Emirate and the emerged on the historical scene and sought to establish Bukhara People’s Republic. He served as governor of a new political order in the region. The death of the several districts and provinces within the Emirate of Shaybanid Abdulmomin Khan led to a political vacuum Bukhara, carried out diplomatic missions on behalf of and disorder in Transoxiana, prompting invasions by the emirs, and participated in negotiations with the external forces, particularly Kazakh tribes. The British. After the Red Army’s Bukhara operation in conquest of Samarkand by Tawakkal Sultan is a vivid 1920, he was arrested, but released a year later. He example of this chaos. The inability of local rulers such then worked as an administrator under the Bukhara as Eshimbiy and Eshimkhan to resist these People's Soviet Republic, participated in historical developments reflected the military and political research, and managed the library of ancient weakness of the state. manuscripts. In his memoirs, Mirza Salimbek describes the history of the Bukhara Emirate, the conditions in its As no heir remained from the Shaybanid lineage during provinces, the historical geography of various regions, this period, the arrival of Yormuhammad and his son and the activities of the Jadids in the Emirate of Janibek Khan in Bukhara—aligned with the needs of the Bukhara. historical moment—paved the way for the Ashtarkhanid dynasty’s entry into the political arena. METHODS The warm reception extended to them by Mirza Salimbek’s work Tarixi Salimiy covers the history Iskandarkhan, especially the political alliance of Central Asia from the era of Chinggis Khan to the established through marriage with the local elite, can reign of Amir Olimkhan . The work also sheds light on be interpreted as part of a strategy to legitimize the the period of political instability in the late 16th and new dynasty. early 17th centuries in Transoxiana and its neighboring International Journal Of History And Political Sciences 14 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijhps International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN – 2771-2222) Mirza Salimbek emphasizes that Iskandarkhan’s ranking officials secretly approached Imomqulikhon, grandsons — Dinmuhammadhon, the governor of Balkh — a move interpreted as a Boqimuhammadhon, and Valimuhammadhon — were passive form of dissent against central authority. initially appointed as governors in Khorasan, where Imomqulikhon’s march to Bukhara and seizure of the they gained military and political experience. After the throne signified that Valimuhammadhon had lost his Qizilbash invasion, the killing of Dinmuhammadhon by political power. Valimuhammadhon’s flight to the the Aymoq tribe during his return to Bukhara highlights Iranian border and his hope for assistance from Shah the intensity of internal conflicts at the time. The Abbas II reflect two key aspects: on one hand, it remaining two princes — Boqimuhammadhon and highlights the intensifying struggle for the throne; on Valimuhammadhon — arrived in Bukhara, where they the other, it reveals Iran’s attempt to directly intervene were supported by local amirs and began efforts to in Bukhara’s internal affairs during this dynasty. restore the kingdom. The ascension of The defeat of the 80,000-strong Qizilbash army sent by Boqimuhammadhon to the throne and the Shah Abbas at the hands of Imomqulikhon appointment of Valimuhammadhon as governor of demonstrates the strength of Bukhara’s military and Balkh are regarded as initial steps toward restoring a the power of the new ruler who had restored