Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur
Encyclopedia
Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur was a khan of Khiva
and a historian who wrote in the Khiva dialect of the Chagatai language
.
He was born in Urgench
, Khanate of Khiva
, the son of ruler 'Arab Muhammad Khan. He fled to the Safavid court in Isfahan
after a power struggle arose among him and his brothers. He lived there in exile from 1629 until 1639 studying Persian and Arabic history. In 1644 of 1645 he acceded to the throne, a position he would hold for twenty years. He died in Khiva in 1663.
Abu al-Ghazi is known as the author of two historical works: "Genealogy of the Turkmen" Shajare-i Tarakime finished in 1661 and "Genealogy of the Türks" Shajare-i Türk finished in 1665.
The Shajare-i Türk history of the Türkic people was Abu al-Ghazi opus magnum, its title was variously translated as "Genealogy of the Türks" and "Genealogy of the Tatars", the "Shajare" being Türkic for "genealogy". According to Abu al-Ghazi, in Shajare-i Türk he used the work of Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi
, and other writers, totaling 18 historical sources, and corrected them in accordance with Turkic oral traditions which he was taught as a Prince. A manuscript of the Shajare-i Türk was purchsed in Tobolsk from a Bukhara merchant by Swedish officers detained in Russian captivity in Siberia; using the local literate Tatars, the Swedish officers first translated the book into Russian, and then they retranslated it into various other languages. The French translation of the Shajare-i Türk was first published in Leiden in 1726, the French translation served as an original for a Russian translation published in 1768-1774, in 1780 it was published separately in German and English, and during the 18th century was widely read in Europe.
In the 19th and 20th centuries were published numerous critical translations of the Shajare-i Türk, which serve as historical sources for modern scholars. The first critical translation, performed by professional scholars, was published in Kazan
in 1825. The Turkish translation of the text published in Kazan was done by philologist Vefik Ahmed Pasha and initially published in 1864. The most influential Western publication was Historie des Mogols et des Tatares par Aboul-Ghazi Behadour Khan, publiee, traduite et annotee par le baron Desmaisons, St.-Petersbourg 1871-1874.
N.Ya. Bichurin was the first to notice that the biography of the epic ancestor of the Türkic people Oguz-Kagan of Abu al-Ghazi and the Türko-Persian manuscripts (Rashid al-Din, Hondemir
, Abulgazi) has a striking similarity with the Maodun biography in the Chinese sources (feud between father and son and murder of the latter, the direction and sequence of conquests, etc.). That observation, confirmed by other scholars, associated in the scientific literature the name of Maodun with the epic personality of the Oguz-Kagan. The similarity is even more remarkable because at the time of the writing, no Chinese annals were translated into either oriental or western languages, and Abu al-Ghazi could not have known about Eastern Huns or Maodun.
The literary significance of Shajare-i Türk is that Abu al-Ghazi openly spoke against Chaghatay literary language because it carried a strong Persian influence. Abu al-Ghazi language is easy, simple folk language of the Khiva Uzbeks and is quite different from the Chaghatay literary language. The style of Abu al-Ghazi, despite a scientific nature of his compositions, is distinguished by clarity and richness of vocabulary, and is interspersed with the falk Uzbek expressions and proverbs.
Abu al-Ghazi son Abu al-Muzaffar Anusha Muhammad Bahadur reassigned to complete the work of his father Shajare-i Türk to a certain Mahmud bin Mulla Muhammad Zaman Urgench, it was finalized in 1665. The work lists Türkic genealogy starting from the biblical Adam
and primogenitor of the Türks Oguz-Khan, and provides legendary details on their descendents including Chengiz Khan and Shaybanid dynasty, providing a good picture of Mongol and Turkic historical understanding of the time.
Khiva
Khiva is a city of approximately 50,000 people located in Xorazm Province, Uzbekistan. It is the former capital of Khwarezmia and the Khanate of Khiva...
and a historian who wrote in the Khiva dialect of the Chagatai language
Chagatai language
The Chagatai language is an extinct Turkic language which was once widely spoken in Central Asia, and remained the shared literary language there until the early twentieth century...
.
He was born in Urgench
Urgench
Urgench is a city in western Uzbekistan. It is the capital of the Khorezm Province, on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated 450 km west of Bukhara across the Kyzyl Kum Desert. It is located at latitude 41° 32' 60N longitude 60° 37' 60E, at an altitude of 91 meters.The...
, Khanate of Khiva
Khanate of Khiva
The Khanate of Khiva was the name of a Uzbek state that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Persian occupation by Nadir Shah between 1740–1746. It was the patrilineal descendants of Shayban , the fifth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
, the son of ruler 'Arab Muhammad Khan. He fled to the Safavid court in Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
after a power struggle arose among him and his brothers. He lived there in exile from 1629 until 1639 studying Persian and Arabic history. In 1644 of 1645 he acceded to the throne, a position he would hold for twenty years. He died in Khiva in 1663.
Abu al-Ghazi is known as the author of two historical works: "Genealogy of the Turkmen" Shajare-i Tarakime finished in 1661 and "Genealogy of the Türks" Shajare-i Türk finished in 1665.
The Shajare-i Türk history of the Türkic people was Abu al-Ghazi opus magnum, its title was variously translated as "Genealogy of the Türks" and "Genealogy of the Tatars", the "Shajare" being Türkic for "genealogy". According to Abu al-Ghazi, in Shajare-i Türk he used the work of Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi
Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi
Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi was a 15th-century Persian historian.Little about his early life is known. As a young man he was a teacher in his native Yazd and a close companion of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh and his son Mirza Ibrahim Sultan...
, and other writers, totaling 18 historical sources, and corrected them in accordance with Turkic oral traditions which he was taught as a Prince. A manuscript of the Shajare-i Türk was purchsed in Tobolsk from a Bukhara merchant by Swedish officers detained in Russian captivity in Siberia; using the local literate Tatars, the Swedish officers first translated the book into Russian, and then they retranslated it into various other languages. The French translation of the Shajare-i Türk was first published in Leiden in 1726, the French translation served as an original for a Russian translation published in 1768-1774, in 1780 it was published separately in German and English, and during the 18th century was widely read in Europe.
In the 19th and 20th centuries were published numerous critical translations of the Shajare-i Türk, which serve as historical sources for modern scholars. The first critical translation, performed by professional scholars, was published in Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
in 1825. The Turkish translation of the text published in Kazan was done by philologist Vefik Ahmed Pasha and initially published in 1864. The most influential Western publication was Historie des Mogols et des Tatares par Aboul-Ghazi Behadour Khan, publiee, traduite et annotee par le baron Desmaisons, St.-Petersbourg 1871-1874.
N.Ya. Bichurin was the first to notice that the biography of the epic ancestor of the Türkic people Oguz-Kagan of Abu al-Ghazi and the Türko-Persian manuscripts (Rashid al-Din, Hondemir
Muhammad Khwandamir
Ghiyāś ad-Dīn Moḥammad Khwāndamīr, Khvandamir, or Khondamir or Hondemir was a Persian Islamic scholar born in Herat, in 880 AH or 1475 CE, a grandson and successor to noted historian Mirkhond.-Biography:...
, Abulgazi) has a striking similarity with the Maodun biography in the Chinese sources (feud between father and son and murder of the latter, the direction and sequence of conquests, etc.). That observation, confirmed by other scholars, associated in the scientific literature the name of Maodun with the epic personality of the Oguz-Kagan. The similarity is even more remarkable because at the time of the writing, no Chinese annals were translated into either oriental or western languages, and Abu al-Ghazi could not have known about Eastern Huns or Maodun.
The literary significance of Shajare-i Türk is that Abu al-Ghazi openly spoke against Chaghatay literary language because it carried a strong Persian influence. Abu al-Ghazi language is easy, simple folk language of the Khiva Uzbeks and is quite different from the Chaghatay literary language. The style of Abu al-Ghazi, despite a scientific nature of his compositions, is distinguished by clarity and richness of vocabulary, and is interspersed with the falk Uzbek expressions and proverbs.
Abu al-Ghazi son Abu al-Muzaffar Anusha Muhammad Bahadur reassigned to complete the work of his father Shajare-i Türk to a certain Mahmud bin Mulla Muhammad Zaman Urgench, it was finalized in 1665. The work lists Türkic genealogy starting from the biblical Adam
Adam
Adam is a figure in the Book of Genesis. According to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, he is the first human. In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim , and the first woman, Eve was formed from his rib...
and primogenitor of the Türks Oguz-Khan, and provides legendary details on their descendents including Chengiz Khan and Shaybanid dynasty, providing a good picture of Mongol and Turkic historical understanding of the time.
Works
- Ebülgâzî Bahadir Han (Khan of Khorezm), Shejere-i Terākime, Simurg, 1996, ISBN 975717209X, ISBN 9789757172093
- Shajare-i Tarakime ("Genealogy of the Turkmen", 1659)
- Shajare-i Türk ("Genealogy of the Türks" 1665)