– a colorful country with a special oriental flavor and a rich history. The Uzbek ethnic group belongs to the oldest on the planet and is the most numerous in Central Asia.
Many features of Uzbek behavior in society and family are determined by Muslim rules. The dominant religion in the country is decisive in everyday life, ideological and many other issues, as well as in politics and art. Thus, daily five-time “namaz” is obligatory, strict fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and there is also a ban on alcohol, cigarettes and food before sunset.
Rituals performed at the birth and raising of children, marriage and even cooking are essentially an interweaving of the customs of Islam and magical ancient rituals. Taking all this into account, Uzbeks are not religious fanatics; in their lives there is a place for the secular side and all kinds of religious tolerance.
The family has a fairly rigid hierarchy of relationships. The younger ones are unconditionally subordinate to the head of the family and the elders. A woman is assigned a strong position as the mother and wife of the owner of the house and a weak position as a subordinate of her husband and his father (or mother).
In ancient times, the appropriate age for marriage for women was 13-14 years old, but in modern society preference is given to European voluntariness in this matter. However, even today, early marriages occur quite often. Children in any family should be loved and cherished in every possible way.
A kind of traditional social form In Uzbekistan there is a so-called “mahalla”, which is a neighboring community, including close neighbors and relatives, united by the rules of mutual assistance. Sometimes such a community includes the entire village or other locality.
Clear rules of hospitality remain an unshakable tradition of Uzbeks. Being able to host a guest well is extremely important in local society. Usually the family greets the distinguished guest right at the door, making sure to greet everyone, and also asking about the news in life. The table for meals (“dastarkhan”) is usually placed either in the central hall or in the shade in the courtyard (fortunately, the warm climate allows this).
Eating opens and ends tea drinking. The amount of tea also determines the degree of welcome of the guest. A dear, long-awaited guest is supposed to pour as little as possible, so that he often turns to the owners for more, this is a sign of respect for the house. The unwanted guest will receive a fully filled cup.
Communication between Uzbeks is simple and democratic. A favorite place to talk about important and transitory things is the teahouse. Here you can conduct business negotiations and discuss someone’s personal problems.
Population
Population Uzbekistan today has exceeded 28.5 million inhabitants. About 80% of them are of Uzbek nationality, belonging to the Pamir-Fergana race with the addition of Turkic and Mongolian blood. Among national minorities, the Russian population ranks first in size (about 5.5%).
In addition, in Uzbekistan you can find Tajiks (5%), Kazakhs (3%), as well as Karakalpaks (2.5%), Tatars (1.5%) and representatives of other nationalities. On average, the life of a resident of Uzbekistan lasts 64 years. About 42% of the country's population is urbanized.
Language
Official language The country is Uzbek, which is spoken by almost everyone (about 90% of the population). Within the Uzbek language there is a strong spread of dialects and dialects (Karluk, Kipchak, Oghuz and others). The Russian language is regularly used by 5% of the population; it is used much more widely in cities. In addition, it is a language of international communication.
In cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, immigrants from Tajikistan live in large numbers, so Tajik speech can be heard here quite often. The tourism and trade sectors are increasingly using English.
Religion
Despite the fact that Uzbekistan is officially a secular state, about 90% of the population is Sunni Muslims. In addition to them, the country is inhabited by those professing Orthodox Christianity (9%), Buddhism and other faiths.
Behavior rules
If you receive an invitation to dinner from your hosts, it would be impolite to refuse. It is better to come with souvenirs and sweets for children; it is indecent to be late. When entering the house, do not forget to take off your shoes.
It is worth remembering that receiving guests for Uzbeks is like some important theatrical ceremony, where everyone wants to please everyone as much as possible. Politeness in this process is required from the guest.
The most honorable places at the table are those located away from front door. Women are traditionally not supposed to sit at the table with men, but in cities few people remember this condition. At the table they do not admire beautiful women and generally do not pay close attention to them. It would be appropriate to ask about the affairs and health of the family.
When starting a meal, it is worth remembering that fat in Uzbek dishes They add plenty of it, so you should try to drink more green tea to avoid digestive problems. You need to pay close attention to the hot flatbreads that are placed on the table. They should not be turned over or dropped on the ground, this is very Bad sign.
Uzbek tea drinking is often accompanied by complex rituals. The best way Don’t make a mistake – repeat the actions of those present.
They shake hands with everyone, even strangers (however, not women). At the same time, you should inquire about health and the like. Women and those who sit too far away are greeted by applying right hand to the heart and bowing politely.
There are no restrictions on clothing styles, but you shouldn’t wear short or too revealing clothes to places of worship. And in your everyday wardrobe you should refrain from wearing shorts, especially if you live in a rural area with its more conservative views.
National Uzbek holidays
January - Kurban Bayram (floating date);
March-April - Prophet's birthday (floating date);
October-November - Ramadan Bayram (end of Ramadan);
The ancestors of the Uzbeks began to unite from the 10th to the 15th centuries. This led to the mixing of the ancient Iranian population with the ancient Turkic tribes between the 11th and 13th centuries. The first settled populations (Sogdians, Khorezmians, Bactrians, Ferghanas, who spoke northeastern Iranian languages), and the second (that is, nomads) included the Kipchaks, Oguzes, Karluks and Samarkand Turks. A third element was added by the invasion of Turkic nomadic tribes led by Muhammad Shaybani Khan at the beginning of the 16th century, when the Uzbeks had already formed. It was in the 14th century that such outstanding Uzbek poets as Hafiz Khorezmi and Lutfi appeared. The poet Alisher Navoi, in his works written in the 15th century, mentioned the ethnonym “Uzbek” as the name of one of the ethnic groups of Transoxiana. From the turn of the century e. individual groups of Turkic-speaking tribes begin to penetrate into the Central Asian interfluve. From the 2nd half of the 6th century. n. e., since the entry of Central Asia into the Turkic Kaganate, this process has intensified. In subsequent centuries, the main ethnocultural process that took place on the territory of the Central Asian interfluve was the rapprochement and partial merging of the settled, Iranian-speaking and Turkic-speaking population with the nomadic, mainly Turkic-speaking population.
Among the Sogdian documents of the early 8th century, a document in the Turkic language written in the runic alphabet was discovered on the territory of Sogd. More than 20 runic inscriptions in the ancient Turkic language were discovered on the territory of the Fergana Valley, which indicates that the local Turkic population had its own written tradition in the 7th-8th centuries.
The Arab conquest of Central Asian lands, which took place in the second half of the 7th - first half of the 8th century, had a certain influence on the course of ethnogenesis and ethnic processes in Central Asia. The Sogdian, Bactrian, and Khorezmian languages disappeared and their writing, along with the Turkic runic language, fell out of use by the 10th century. The main languages of the settled population became Farsi and Turkic.
In subsequent centuries, the main ethnocultural process was the rapprochement and partial fusion of the Iranian-speaking, Turkic-speaking and Arabic-speaking populations. The process of the beginning of the formation of an ethnos, which later became the basis of the Uzbek nation, especially intensified in the 12th century, when Central Asia was conquered by a union of Turkic tribes led by the Karakhanid dynasty.
A new wave of Turkic-speaking tribes joined the population of Central Asia after Mongol conquest XIII century. During this period, the following tribes and clans settled in the oases of the Central Asian interfluve: Kipchak, Naiman, Kangly, Khytai, Kungrat, Mangyt, etc. The ethnonym “Uzbek” was introduced into the region after the conquest and partial assimilation of the Deshtikipchak nomads (the name of the nomads Golden Hordes from the time of Uzbek Khan, XIV century), migrated to Transoxiana on the border of the 16th century, led by Sheibani Khan and under the leadership of the Shibanid princes - Ilbars and Bilbars from the north beyond the Syr Darya and from the southern Russian steppes.
The Turkic-speaking population of the Central Asian interfluve, which formed by the 11th-12th centuries. formed the basis of the Uzbek people. The last wave of Turkic-speaking nomads who joined the population of this area were the Deshtikipchak Uzbeks, who came at the end of the 15th century along with Sheybani Khan.
Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes who came to Central Asia in the 16th century. under the leadership of Sheybani Khan, they found here already a large Turkic and Turkified population, which had formed over a long period. The Deshtikipchak Uzbeks joined this Turkic-speaking population, passing on to it their ethnonym “Uzbek” only as the last, most recent ethnic stratification.
The process of formation of the modern Uzbek people took place in the agricultural regions of Fergana, Zeravshan, Kashka-Darya and Surkhan-Darya valleys, as well as the Khorezm and Tashkent oases. As a result of a long process of ethnic rapprochement and cultural and economic relationships between the population of the steppes and agricultural oases, the modern Uzbek nation was formed here, having absorbed elements of these two dialect worlds.
Back in the 1870s it was noted that “Uzbeks, no matter what kind of life they lead, all consider themselves one people, but are divided into many clans”. According to E.K. Meyendorff, who visited Bukhara in 1820, “while differing from each other in many respects, Tajiks and Uzbeks have much in common...”. The commonality of cultures of modern Uzbeks and Tajiks is explained by the history of the formation of these peoples. They are based on the same ancient culture population of agricultural oases. Ethnic groups of speakers of Iranian languages are the ancestors of the Tajiks, and groups of speakers of Turkic languages, the Turks, became the ancestors of the Uzbeks.
Uzbeks are a sedentary tribe engaged primarily in agriculture and inhabiting the area from the southern shore of the Aral Lake to Kamul (a forty-day journey from the Khiva Khanate). This tribe is considered dominant in three khanates and even in Chinese Tartary. According to the Uzbeks themselves, they are divided into thirty-two tayors, or branches.
REX news agency publishes an article by Rustamjon Abdullaev, an expert on international information, foreign policy and economic relations between Russia and neighboring countries, “Uzbeks are nobles of the Turkic peoples, and Sarts are entrepreneurs Central Asia"in three parts.
Thus, the following Turkic clans and tribes were and are included among the Uzbeks:
agar, alchin, argun, arlat, bagan, BARLAS, bakhrin, boston, budai, buyazut, buytai, buyurak, burkut, buse, garib, girey, jalair, jaljut, juyut, julaji, jurat, jusulaji, dzhyyit, dudzhir, durmen, yaj.k.r., kalmak, kalay, kangly, kara, karluk, kary, kattagan, keneges, kerat, kilechi, kipchak, kiyat, kohat, KUNGRAT, kur, kurlaut, kuchi, kyrgyz, kyrk, kyshlyk, kyyat, mangyt, masid, mahdi, MERKIT (according to Ulugbek makrit— A.R.), ming, mitan, naiman, nikuz, oglan, oglen, oirat, ong, ongachit, ongut, OLKHONUT, Puladchi, Ramadan, Saray, Sakhtiyan, Sulduz, Symyrchik, Tabyn, Tam, Tama, Tangut, Targyl, Tatar, Tuvadak, Turkmen, Tushlub, Uz, Uighur, Uymaut, Uyshun, Urmak, Utarchi, Hafiz, Khytay, Chakmak, Chilkas , chimbay, shirin, shuburgan, shuran, yuz, yabu.
If we now turn our attention to the origin of Genghis Khan, then from literary sources we can find out that his mother Hoelun was from the tribe OLKHONUT - branches of the tribe KUNGRAT , which Yesugei is the father of Genghis Khan , recaptured Eke-Chiledu, a hero from the tribe MERKIT . And the boy, born as a result of the marriage of Yesugei and Hoelun, was named in honor of the leader of one of the Turkic tribes, Temujin-Uge, whom Yesugei defeated on the eve of the birth of his son. This means that the real name of the founder of the Mongol Empire was Temuchin .
The reason for this, quite interesting historical fact, which is of no small importance for the ethnogenesis of the Uzbeks, is the position that is enshrined in the “Secret Legend of the Mongols”. Namely: Turkic family KUNGRAT should have been and was a marriage race ( where-anda) of the Mongolian family of BORJIGINS - Temujin (Genghis Khan) and his ancestors. That is why this tradition was continued not only by Genghis Khan himself, who married a representative of the tribe KUNGRAT - Borte (Burte Kuchin), but also his sons, grandchildren, etc. Therefore, if we now turn to the biography of Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, we can discover very important and interesting circumstances and, most importantly, the unsolved mystery of his origin and ethnicity, associated with such an amazing state of tribal relations in the life of these peoples of that historical period.
So, Jochi was born around 1182 from the first, most beloved, respected and influential wife of Genghis Khan Borte, but there is a historical version that Genghis Khan’s eldest son, Jochi, was not his own son. That is why Juchii is translated as “ Guest from the road". The main reason for challenging the paternity of Genghis Khan is the captivity of his wife Borte, a Turkic tribe MERKIT , shortly after the liberation, from which Jochi was born. The possible father of Jochi, according to the “Secret Legend of the Mongols,” could only be Chilgir-Boko from a Turkic tribe MERKIT - Bogodur (knight), who took Borte as a concubine. It should be noted that Chilgir-Boko was the younger brother of Chiledu, who, although he had already died by the time of Borte’s captivity, but whose Yesugei, the father of Genghis Khan, at one time recaptured his bride - Hoelun from the clan OLKHONUT , which was one of the branches of the same tribe KUNGRAT , i.e. expectant mother Genghis Khan. However, Temujin recognized Jochi as his son, stating that at the time of his capture MERKIT Ami, his wife Borte, was already pregnant by him. However, the “curse of Merkit captivity” hung on Jochi Khan and haunted him all his life.
Note 1. It should also be noted here that KUNGRAT s are one of the main and famous tribes that are part of the titular nation of modern Uzbekistan - the Uzbeks, currently living in the territories of Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya and Khorezm regions of the Republic of Uzbekistan. True homeland KUNGRAT ov is reflected in their epic “Alpamysh” Guzar-Baysun steppes.It should be noted thatin Uzbek word KUNGRAT, written as ҚЎНҒИROТ(uzb.qo’ ng’ ir ot- brown horse), which in historical literary sources published in Russian is sometimes mistakenly written as UNGIRAT or KHONGHIRAT , instead of KUNGIRAT . However, in the text of my article I used the entry KUNGRAT, in order to avoid confusion in the name of the same tribe on the part of readers.
As Mirzo Ulugbek writes in his book “Turt Ulus Tarihi”, Genghis Khan’s own sons repeatedly expressed doubts about their relationship with Jochi and insulted him, pointing out this fact. But Genghis Khan himself called Jochi his own son. However, due to doubts about the origin of Jochi, Genghis Khan was forced to appoint his third son, Ogedei, as heir to the throne of the Mongol Empire, not him as the eldest. It is for this reason that not a single representative of the Jochi clan became the kaan of this entire empire created by Genghis Khan.
Thus, given that the biological father Jochi was Chilgir-Boko- Bogodur from a Turkic tribe MERKIT, A by his mother - Hoelun from the family OLKHONUT , which is one of the branches of the Turkic tribe KUNGRAT , it is difficult to come to the conclusion that: Jochi, from whose descendants all the sovereigns, princes of the Golden Horde (Dasht-i-Kipchak) and Uzbeks descend, was nothing other than a pure Turk, in his own way ethnic origin not having anything to do with the Mongolian clans and tribes of the Chingizids.
In my opinion, it is precisely this circumstance that determines the fact that, with reference to Rashid Ad-Din, is noted in many works about the strained relations between Genghis Khan and Jochi. Even that the order to kill Jochi was given by Genghis Khan himself due to the fact that he refused to carry out his will to conquer the Russian lands, Europe, etc. And also about the small number of Mongol troops transferred by Genghis Khan to the Ulus of Jochi: only 4 thousand people.
However, the latter circumstance, in my opinion, has a certain basis, if we assume and take into account that Jochi knew exactly about his ethnic origin and, not trusting his brothers, formed his guard and soldiers of the center (staff) of the Golden Horde not from the Mongols, but from members of related tribes and clans. Since the bulk of the 70 thousand army of the Ulus Jochi, almost 80% or 55 thousand, were warriors from the Turkic tribe KUNGRAT , who are close relatives of Jochi, both through his mother and Sartak’s eldest wife, and through his father, as representatives of the Turkic tribe.
That is why in 1269, at a kurultai (congress) in the valley of the Talas River, Mungu-Timur, as well as Borak and Khaidu, the khans of the Chagatai and Ogedeev uluses, respectively, recognized each other as independent sovereigns. And they formed an alliance against the Great Khan Kublai Khan in case he tried to challenge their independence from the central government of the Mongol Empire.
However, the independent Golden Horde state continued to be called the Ulus of Jochi until its throne was taken by Uzbek Khan (1313-1341). Since it was under him that the Great State, the monarch of which he was, began to be called in his honor the State of Uzbek, the Country of the Uzbeks and the Uzbek Ulus, and his subjects, who were at the same time his brave warriors, were called Uzbeks.
Note 2 . Despite the presence of such a historical fact about the independence of this Great State, taking into account the Russian tradition of calling the uluses of its khans the Golden Horde, I will continue to call them the Golden Horde so that readers do not have unnecessary questions.
The validity of such a statement without any references to authoritative foreign literary sources can confirm even the following words representative of our main opponents from among Tajik historians, such as Hazrat Sabahi set out in his polemical article, written in response to an article by the Uzbek historian Goga Hidayatov:
« They say: things must be called by their proper names. We all know well that the Chingizids had the following principle: if a khan or commander had a name of Chigatai, then all his subordinate tribesmen and relatives called themselves Chigatai, Nogai Khan called them Nogais, Uzbek Khan called them Uzbeks, etc. In the areas near the Volga, in the northern Caucasus, the Nogais, descendants of the Khazars (thousanders) of the mentioned Nogai Khan, still live today. In some mountainous regions of Khorasan, including in the Chigatai gorge of Iranian Khorasan, there live the descendants of the Chigatais who hid from the Shaikbanids (=Shaybanids). They also speak the Chigatai language, every tenth person has the surname “Chigatai”, every fifth person has the surname “Temuri”, since they associate their past with Chigatai Khan, Temur-Kuragan, Hussein Boykaro.... A daughter is not married off to a stranger, girls people from other nations do not marry. Many have a genealogy list (shajara)» .
But, despite such a competent opinion of the young Tajik historian H. Sabakhi, who proves the validity of my statement about the origin of the term “Uzbek” and the Uzbek ethnic group, if you still turn to the famous Persian literary sources, you can find out the following.
The Uzbeks were first mentioned in the work of the Iranian historian Hamdullah Qazvini, who in “Tarikh-i-Guzide” (“Selected History”), talking about the invasion of the Uzbek king into Iran in 1335, called the Golden Horde army “Uzbeks” and “Uzbeks”, and Golden Horde- "Memleket-i-Uzbeks". Therefore, according to the famous Soviet historians, academicians of the USSR Academy of Sciences B.D. Grekov and A.Yu. Yakubovsky: “ there is no dispute that the Turkic-Mongol warriors from Desht-i-Kipchak are called “Uzbekians” = “Uzbeks”. In full accordance with this, the Ulus of Jochi by Hamdallah Kazvini is called “Mamlakat-i-Uzbekiy,” i.e., the state of Uzbekistan. It is very interesting that Zein ad-din, son of Hamdallah Qazvini, the successor of Tarikh-i-Guzide, mentions the Ulus of Uzbek not in the sense of the Ak-Horde, but the entire Ulus of Jochi. In any case, speaking about the time of Janibek Khan (1342 - 1357), Zein ad-din calls the Ulus of Jochi the Ulus of Uzbek. Author of the 14th century Muin ad-din Natanzi (“Anonymous Iskender”), more knowledgeable than others in the history of the Ak-Orda, talking about the same time, uses the term Ulus of Uzbek also in the sense of Ulus of Jochi. In the same sense, “Anonymous Iskender” uses this term even when applied to the 60s of the 14th century. Here is a phrase from which it is clear what the author understood by the expression “Ulus of Uzbek”: “The main emir (emir al-umar) of the Uzbek ulus in his time (Khan Murid - A. Ya.) was Ilyas, the son of Mogul-Buki." Mogul-Buka, as well as his son Ilyas, were emirs in the Golden Horde» .
And Temur’s historian, Nizam Ad-din Shami, in his story about the flight of his two emirs, reports: “ When they(Emirs Adidshah and Sary-Buu, who rebelled against Timur in 1377) realized that they were not people who could resist him, they fled, went to the Uzbek region and took refuge with Urus Khan" At the same time, he calls Urus himself an Uzbek khan. Apparently this is historically true, since later this term began to be applied not only to him, but also to his subjects. In addition, another historian of Temur, Sherif Ad-Din Yezdi, talking about the 1397 embassy from the Golden Horde Timur Kutlug, calls the arriving ambassadors ambassadors of the Uzbeks...
Thus, even what is stated above fully confirms the fact that the term “Uzbek” entered into linguistic circulation and became an authoritative Persian historical literary source under Uzbek Khan and, therefore, is associated specifically with his name. For such a phenomenon at that time was a generally recognized tradition of monarchical states created both by the Mongol Empire itself (even if they had legal status vassals), and after its collapse. Especially those of them whose sovereigns had high international authority and were respected by the people, like the Khan of the Great State (Golden Horde) Uzbek. That Uzbek Khan, who was not only the khan of the independent state of the Golden Horde, but also its great reformer, at the beginning, himself becoming a Muslim, turning this faith into the state religion. And in modern terms, he carried out not only such a reform, which was ideological in nature, as a result of which he managed to eliminate feudal strife in the Golden Horde, but also administrative-territorial and economic reforms.
If, as a result of the administrative-territorial reform within single state, which in Rus' is called the Golden Horde, 4 large administrative-territorial entities were created - uluses, such as Saray, Khorezm, Crimea and Desht-i-Kipchak, which were headed by ulus emirs (ulusbeks) personally appointed by Uzbek Khan. Then, as a result of the economic reform, the Baskas were abolished, with the simultaneous transfer of the right to collect tribute and taxes to the Russian vassal princes, which significantly expanded their independence.
As a result of all this, he managed to achieve both an increase in the military, political, and economic power of his state. And this allowed him to engage not only in large-scale charitable activities among the population, which corresponded to the spirit of Islam of that time and strengthened his authority among the population (as in our era, say, the emirs of Dubai and Qatar); build a new capital - the city of Saray al-Jedid ( New Palace). But also to turn the Golden Horde into a real empire - a Great State.
That is why he was recognized throughout the world and many countries sought to establish diplomatic relations with him. Such countries that established diplomatic relations with the Golden Horde include Byzantium, India, and Western European countries. And the Sultan of Egypt an-Nasir Muhammad and the King of Byzantium Andronikos II not only established diplomatic relations with this great Uzbek state. But also, considering it an honor to become related to such a powerful monarch as Uzbek Khan, if the first of them took his sister Tulunbay as his wife, then the second gave him his daughter Taidula in marriage. The princess, who became not only his second eldest wife, but also the real princess of the Golden Horde after his death, during the reign of their sons Tanibek and Janibek.
In addition, Uzbek Khan was quite supportive of the Russian princes and other nobility. That is why he sought to prevent the Poles from seizing the Galicia-Volyn principality. For honesty and courage, he awarded the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita with a label for the great reign; Monomakh's cap, as a princely crown, which later became the main regalia of the Russian great princes and tsars, and allocated him an army of 50 thousand. And in 1337, with his permission, a campaign of the united Uzbek-Russian troops to the Lublin Voivodeship. Then, at the request of the Galician governor and noble boyar Dmitry Dedko, he sent a 40,000-strong army against King Casimir III of Poland...
It’s not for nothing that absolutely all historians admit that highest point The military power of the Golden Horde was the time of Uzbek Khan (1312-1342). And, a traveler who has seen a lot in his life, having personally met with Uzbek Khan in 1333, gave him the highest assessment, saying that: “He is one of those seven kings who are the greatest and most powerful kings of the world.”And other historians they write that his power was equally authoritative in all the lands of his vast possessions. For example, according to the 15th-century Arab historian Ibn Arabshah, caravans from Khorezm passed on carts completely calmly, “without fear or danger,” all the way to the Crimea for 3 months. There was no need to carry with them either fodder for the horses or food for the people accompanying the caravan. Moreover, the caravans did not take guides with them, since in the steppes and agricultural regions there was a dense nomadic and agricultural population, from whom everything they needed could be obtained for payment.
But I also want to draw the attention of readers to such important circumstances that are associated with the need to answer the following very important questions related to state language and the status of the Uzbeks in the Golden Horde - in the monarchical state of Uzbek Khan, who even then was called only UZBEKISTAN, i.e. Country of Uzbeks .
continued see part 2 and 3
The formation of the language of any people is directly related to the history of the origin and formation of speakers of this language. Therefore, the study of the Uzbek language is unthinkable without the joint efforts of historians, ethnographers, linguists, archaeologists and representatives of other related sciences.
Iranian, Greek, Roman, Chinese, Turkic, Arabic and Persian written sources can serve as historical materials (Avesta 1st millennium BC, Achaemenid inscriptions on stone, clay, leather, papyrus, works of Herodotus V century BC, Ctesias and XephonI century BC, PtolemyII century BC), as well as materials from some archaeological excavations, dialectological materials, proper names, geographical, ethnic . The most ancient written monuments date back only to the beginning of the 5th century. n. e.
It is known that in the VIII-II centuries. BC e. Central Asia was inhabited by Scythians (according to Greek sources), or Sakas (according to Persian sources), Massagetae and Sogdians, Khorezmians and other ethnic groups. Thus, in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya (Trans-Caspian Plain) lived the Massagetae, and the territory of Kazakhstan, the southern and eastern parts of Central Asia (up to Altai) was inhabited by the Sakas, the oases of Tashkent and Khorezm, as well as the Fergana Valley and most of the territory of SogdianaTurkic-speaking ethnic groups (Kanguys, or Kangliytsy), part of which formed the state of Kangkha, or Kangyuy (from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD). The conquest of Central Asia by Alexander the Great (329327 BC) and 150 years of Greco-Macedonian rule did not affect the ethnic composition and language of the local population.
The next layer in the process of formation of the Uzbek people were the Turkic ethnic groups that came from the east: the Yue-Chhi (or Kushans, or Tochars III, II centuries BC) and the Huns (II-IV centuries), as well as tribes Hephthalites (V-VI centuries). The Kushans formed their own state, and the Hephthalites formed theirs. At the head of the Kushan kingdom was the Guishuan (Kushan) clan. The kingdom occupied Central Asia, part of India, and Afghanistan. The entry into the Kushan kingdom of Khorezm, Sogd and Chach is unknown. Written sources note that these tribes (or tribal associations) were Turkic-speaking. The ethnic composition of the Hephthalites is unknown, but their family relations with the Huns are indicated. O. I. Smirnova’s study of Sogdian coins from Pyadzhikent convincingly proves that many representatives of the dynasty that reigned in Sogd were from Turkic tribes 1.
In the VI-VIII centuries. Various Turkic clans and tribes penetrated into the territory of present-day Uzbekistan from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Semirechye and other neighboring regions, which were subsequently assimilated by the local population. VI-VII centuries can be defined as the period of the Turkic Khaganate, whose territory included Central and Central Asia. As is known, the Turkic Khaganate was subsequently, in 588, divided into the eastern (center: Mongolia) and western (center: Semirechye) kaganates. The Western Kaganate was inhabited by clan and tribal associations of Karluks, Khaladks, Kanglys, Turgeshs, Chigils and Oghuzs. Subsequently, the Oghuz separated from this association and formed their own state. The Uyghurs dominated the Eastern Kaganate at that time. In 745, the Turkic Khaganate was conquered by the Uyghurs, after which the Uyghur state was formed, which lasted until 840. Then it was overthrown by the Khakassians (Kyrgyz). This led to the fact that some of the Uyghurs united with the Karluks, some moved to Tibet, while the rest remained in Altai and mixed with other clans of the Turkic ethnic group.
At the beginning of the 8th century. Central Asia is conquered by the Arabs. During the time of Arab rule, the Sogds lived in Bukhara, Samarkand, Karshi, Shakhrisabz, and the Karluks lived in the Fergana oasis. Other Turkic tribes, such as the Turgesh, were nomads and occupied a vast territory of Central Asia and present-day Kazakhstan. The historian Tabari points out that the leaders of the Sogdians were Turks.
In Central Asia in the 9th and 10th centuries. Samanids dominate2. In this period Arabic functioned as the language of the office, scientific works. The spoken, everyday language was the language of various Turkic tribes. B X
XI centuries power passes to the Karakhanids. In the middle of the 11th century. The Karakhanid state was divided into eastern (with its center in Balasagun, then Kashgar) and western (with its center in Uzgend, then Samarkand). The territory of the eastern state consisted of Eastern Turkestan, Semirechye, Shash, Fergana, ancient Sogdiana, the territory of the western stateAfghanistan, Northern Iran. At the same time, the Ghaznavid state was formed in Khorasan (Ghazn) in 977, which existed until 1040, after which it was conquered by the Turkmen Seljuk clans (the first half of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century).
The founder of the Ghaznavid state was Mahmud Ghaznavy. The territory of the Ghaznavids occupied the space from Northern India to the southern coast of the Caspian Sea (Afghanistan and Northern Iran). Khorezm, due to its geographical location, was not part of either the Karakhanid or Ghaznavid states. However, in 1017 Ghaznavy captured Khorezm.
The Karakhanid state was founded by clan associations of Karluks, Yagmas and Chigils. With its division, the connection between Transoxiana and East Turkestan and Semirechye was weakened.
Historians believe that “it would be wrong” to contrast Maverannahr, as a Sogdian-sedentary world, with Semirechye, as a Turkic-nomadic world 3. According to sources, until the 11th century. in Maverannahr and Semirechye the main and leading Turkic tribes were. The settlement of more and more Turkic tribes strengthened the position and language of the Turkic tribes inhabiting this territory.
From the 8th century in Fergana the main, defining tribe were the Karluks, in Shashe the Oghuz. The Sogdians, occupying small territories within the Turkic tribes, gradually lost their ethnic isolation, as the Sogdians married the daughters of the Turks or, conversely, married their daughters to the Turks. The Sogdians gradually lost their language, replacing it with Turkic 4.
In the XXI centuries. the bulk of the Oguzes lived in the lower Syr Darya, then they moved to the territory of present-day Turkmenistan. In Semirechyefrom the Talas valley to. Eastern Turkestan was dominated by the Karluks, then the Chigils and Yagmas came there. They settled in the northeast of Lake Issyk-Kul and in Eastern Turkestan. As for the Turgesh (or Tukhsi and Argu), they settled in the southwestern part of Semirechye. M. Kashgarsky believes that the language of the Turgesh (Tukhsi and Argu) is mixed with Sogdian. Apparently, the mutual influence of these tribes was strong.
At the beginning of the 12th century. Central Asia was captured by the Karakitai, who came from the East. There is no consensus on the ethnic composition of the Karakitais: some consider them tribes of Tungus origin, others of Mongolian origin. They left no traces either in ethnic composition or in linguistic terms. Having defeated Sultan Sanjar (Seljukids) and Mahmud (Karakhanids), they limited themselves to receiving tribute.
From the end of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th century. The Khorezm state was gaining strength. The peoples of Central Asia from the first half of the 13th century. (i.e. from 1219) until the second half of the 14th century. (1370) were dominated by the Mongols; from the second half of the 14th century. power passed into the hands of the Timurids, who ruled until the second half of the 15th century. It should be emphasized that the Arabs, Persians, Mongols, who were the rulers of states in Central Asia in those historical periods, were unable to have any impact on the ethnic composition of the local population and their language, although, as already mentioned, the Arabic and Persian languages in those years were recognized as the languages of office and science.
After the collapse of the Golden Horde (beginning of the 14th century), as well as with the decomposition of the Timurid state (second half of the 15th century) as a result of internecine wars in the eastern part of Desht-i-Kipchak, which stretched from the Volga in the East to the northern side of the Syr Darya River (where included the territory of modern Kazakhstan and South-Western Siberia), the state of nomadic Uzbeks was formed (20s of the 15th century). The founder of this state was the grandfather of Muhammad Sheybani KhanAbulkhair Khan 5, who overthrew the power of the Timurids. Sheybani Khan, continuing his conquests, began to own the territory from the Syr Darya to Afghanistan.
The disintegration of the state of the Shaybanids (then the successors of his family, the Ashtarkhanids) began under Khan Ubaydullah II (1702-1711). Fergana gradually became isolated, then Khorezm, Balkh, and Bukhara. After the short reign of Nadir Shah (1740-1747), three states were formed in Central Asia: in Bukhara (mainly from the Mangit tribes), in Khiva (from the Kungrat tribes), in Kokand (from the Ming tribes).
During this period, the main everyday language was Uzbek. Literary and scientific works were written in Uzbek, and the Tajik language was adopted in the office. In Samarkand and Bukhara they spoke Tajik and Uzbek.
In general, the Turkic-Mongol tribes that wandered in the second half of the 14th century. in the eastern part of Desht-i-Kipchak, were called Uzbeks, and their territory was the land of the Uzbeks. After their conquest in the first half of the 15th century. Maverannahr, the local population also began to be called Uzbeks.
As a proper name, the anthroponym “Uzbek” is found in the works of Nisaviy Juvaini and Rashidad-din (XIII century). Rashidad-din writes that the prince Uzbek was the son of Mingkudar, the grandson of Bukal, the seventh son of Jochi. It should be noted that Uzbek Khan was the khan of the Golden Horde and nomadic Uzbeks were not his subjects. There were also other individuals named Uzbek who lived before Uzbek Khan. In particular, this name was borne by one of the Azerbaijani atabeks from the Ildeznd dynasty (1210-1225) and one of the emirs of the Khorezm Shah Muhammad (1200-1220).
It should be noted that the ancient clans of the Sakas, Massagets, Sogdians, Khorezmians and Turks, as well as other ethnic groups that joined them somewhat later, formed the basis for the formation of the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Karakalpaks, Uighurs and other Turkic peoples, and also participated in the formation of the neighboring Tajik people.
It should be taken into account that the same clans and tribes could have participated in the formation of different Turkic peoples. For example, among the Uzbek and Kazakh peoples there are clans of Kipchaks, Jalairs, Naimans, and Katagans. Therefore, the fact of the presence in the Uzbek and Kazakh languages of common phenomena inherent in the languages of the above-mentioned genera should not be considered as a product of the relationship between the Uzbek and Kazakh languages of a later time.
Summarizing what has been said, we can conclude that the dominance of the ancient Turks in Central Asia covers the 5th-10th centuries, during this period power was concentrated in the hands of the Tukyu Kaganate (V-VIII centuries), the Kaganate of the Turks of Central Asia (552-745), the Uyghur Kaganate (740840), Uyghur state (until the 10th century). Frequent changes of power did not lead to any changes in the ethnic composition of the Turkic population, which then lived over a very large territory (in Central Asia, southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, East Turkestan, etc.): language, customs, the clothing, culture and other components of the Turkic ethnic groups continued to remain very similar.
As a rule, each khaganate consisted of certain ethnic groups, and each ethnic group was called by the name of the most privileged clan or tribe, although it included many other clans and tribes. For example, the Karluk ethnic group included, in addition to the Karluks themselves, Chigils (mainly in Maverannahr) and Yagma (in the territories from the Ili River basin to Kashgar). Before merging with the Karluks, the Yagma clan was part of the Tugiaguz (Tukkiz-Oguz) ethnic group. The same picture is observed within the Uyghur ethnic group. For example, from the Uyghur ethnic group not only modern Uyghurs were formed, but also Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, etc. The same can be said about written monuments. For example, written monuments, conventionally called Uyghur, relate to the history of the formation of not only Uyghur, but also other modern Turkic languages, whose speakers were part of the ancient Uyghur ethnic association.
By the 11th century. In Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Western Siberia, large Turkic unions were formed: Oguzes in the south of Asia, Karluks and Uighurs in the east, Kipchaks in the west and northeast. Of course, this division is conditional, since each of them united dozens of small ethnic groups.
Depending on which clan found itself in the position of dominant in a given period, the state language was determined6. As a rule, the language of the more privileged dominant clan or tribe begins to perform the functions of a written and national language, and the languages of other clans, finding themselves in the position of dialects and patois, find use in spoken language.
During the period of dominance of any of the above states (Kangyu, Kushans, Hephthalites, Karakhanids, Turkic Khaganate, etc.), the process of uniting various ethnic groups and bringing their languages closer together was simultaneously underway. This led to the formation and spread of a national language, as well as its adoption by various ethnic groups.
Language of written monuments of the 6th and 10th centuries. characterized by relative homogeneity, although at this time, as already mentioned, there were frequent changes in power and dominance of one kind or another.
It was noted above that the dominant position in a particular kaganate (state) was, as a rule, occupied by one of the clans or an association of a group of clans. Thus, in the Kushan state, the dominant position was occupied by the Kushans and Kangyu (or Kangli), in the western Turkic Kaganate the Karluks, Kangli, Turgesh, Chigils and Uighurs predominated (the main ones among them were the Karluks), and in the Karakhanid state the leading position was occupied by the Karluks, Chigils and Uyghurs 7.
M. Kashgarsky at one time distinguished between the Kipchak, Oghuz and Uyghur languages. M. Kashgarsky considered Oghuz, as well as the languages of the Yagma and Tukhsi clans, to be the most “elegant” language of that time. However, in his opinion, the most “correct” (i.e. literary) language is still the Khakani language (according to Barthold, this is the language of the Yagma tribe).
During the period of Mongol rule in Central Asia, the Mongolian language and its culture did not have a serious impact on the local Turkic languages and their culture. On the contrary, some Mongol clans (Barlas, Jalairs, Kungrats, etc.) were assimilated by Turkic clans.
Thus, it is impossible to identify the modern Uzbek people only with the Uzbek tribes, which in the 14th century. were part of various states that existed for a long time in Central Asia.
The formation of the Uzbek people was based on many ancient ethnic groups of Central Asia: the Sakas, Massagets, Kanguians, Sogdians, Khorezmians and the Turkic clans and tribes that subsequently joined them. The process of formation of the Uzbek people began in the 11th century. and by the 14th century. was largely completed. Around this time, the ethnonym “Uzbek” was assigned to him. A small number of Uzbek tribes that came from Desht-i-Kipchak were only the last component of the Uzbek people 8.
The formation of the Uzbek language dates back to this time, the 14th century. Dialect composition modern language indicates the complex historical path that the Uzbek language has taken, formed on the basis of the Samarkand-Bukhara, Tashkent, Fergana and Khorezm groups of dialects, reflecting the Karluk-Uighur, Oghuz and Kipchak language features 9.
The main sources for determining the periodization of the history of the Uzbek language should include, first of all, written monuments written on the basis of the Turkic-runic, Uighur and Sogdian scripts, very similar to each other, although found over a vast territory in Mongolia, the oases of Turfan, Eastern Turkestan, Eastern Siberia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Altai, Khakassia, Tuva, Buryatia, and in 1979 in Hungary in the village of St. Nicholas. However, the languages of the monuments written from the 12th to the 14th centuries have significant differences among themselves: in some, new Karluk-Uighur features predominate, in others, Oguz, in others, Kipchak. Since the end of the 14th century. the linguistic features of written monuments again acquire a general character and differ little from each other. This, of course, reflects the role of socio-political factors of the time: the formation of a centralized state, as a rule, led to the unification of peoples and the convergence of their languages (i.e., integration), and the fragmentation of the state led to the separation of peoples and the strengthening of the role of local dialects.
Classification and periodization proposed by individual researchers of the history of Turkic (and Uzbek) languages (S. E. Malov, A. N. Samoilovich, A. N. Kononov, A. M. Shcherbak, N. A. Baskakov, A. K. Borovkov , A. von Haben, etc.), reflect one side of the issue.
Based on data from the history of the formation of the Uzbek people and analysis of the language of existing written monuments, the following five layers can be distinguished in the process of formation of the Uzbek language, each of which is characterized by its own phonetic, lexical and grammatical features:
1. The oldest Turkic language is a language that developed from ancient times before the formation of Turkic. Kaganate (i.e. until the 4th century). Written monuments characterizing the language of that time have not yet been discovered, which determines the conventionality of the time boundaries of its formation. The languages of the ancient Sakas, Massagets, Sogdians, Kanguys and other ethnic groups of that period are the fundamental basis for the formation of the modern Turkic languages of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, including the modern Uzbek language.
2. Ancient Turkic language (VI-X centuries). Monuments of this period are written in runic, Uyghur, Sogdian, Manichaean and Brahman (Brahmi) scripts. They were found on stones (for example, Orkhon-Yenisei inscriptions), leather or special paper (found in Turfan), etc. All monuments were created during the period of the Turkic and Uyghur Khaganates and the Kyrgyz state.
The language of the Orkhon-Yenisei inscriptions (VI-X centuries) is a fully formed literary written language with its own specific phonetic and grammatical features, with its own grammatical and stylistic norms. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that this language and its written form were formed not during the period of writing the monuments, but much earlier. This linguistic tradition, grammatical and stylistic norms can also be traced in the Turfan, Uyghur written monuments of the 8th-13th centuries, in the monuments of the Karakhanid period of the 10th-11th centuries. etc.10 Thus, the language of the Orkhon-Yenisei and Turfan texts, apparently, was a common language for all Turkic ethnic groups.
3. Old Turkic language (XI-XIV centuries). During the period of its formation, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Karakalpak and other Turkic languages were formed. A. M. Shcherbak calls the Turkic language of this period, in contrast to the Oguz and Kipchak languages, the language of East Turkestan11.
Such famous works as “Kutadgu bilig”, “Divanu lugat-it-turk”, “Khibat-ul-hakayik”, “Tefsir”, “Oguz-name”, “Kisa-ul-anbiye” were written in the Old Turkic language. Written in a written literary language, they nevertheless carry within themselves the linguistic characteristics of various ethnic groups. For example, in Kutadgu bilig Karluk language features predominate, in Oguz-name Kipchak (to a lesser extent Kangly and Karluk) linguistic features. And the language “Khibat-ul-khakayik” is something between the Old Turkic and Old Uzbek languages.
4. Old Uzbek language (XIV–first half of the 19th century). At the beginning of the 14th century. The Uzbek language began to function independently. This can already be seen in the works of the poets Sakkaki, Lutfi, Durbek, written in the 14th century, in which the linguistic features of the Karluk-Uyghur groups that took part in the formation of the Uzbek people are increasingly evident. At the same time, in the language of “Mukhabbat-name” and “Taashshuk-name” we find some features of the Oghuz, and in “Khosrav va Shirin” of the Kipchak languages. In the language of the works of A. Navoi and M. Babur, such dialect elements are almost absent.
It is interesting to note that the works of Lutfi, Sak-kaki, Durbek and others, written in the early periods of the functioning of the Old Uzbek language, more reflect the features of the living spoken language Uzbeks. This language is well understood by our contemporaries. Alisher Navoi in his works improved this literary language, enriching it with Arabic and Perso-Tajik language means. As a result, a unique written literary language was formed, which for several centuries served as a model and standard for writers and poets. Only in the XVII-XVIII centuries. in the works of Turda, Abdulgazy and Gulkhani, this literary written language was somewhat simplified and closer to the living spoken language.
5. New Uzbek language (from the second half of the 19th century V.). From the second half of the 19th century. A literary written language began to take shape, reflecting all the features of the living spoken Uzbek language. This process was expressed in a departure from the traditions of the old Uzbek literary language, in the rejection of archaic forms and constructions, in its rapprochement with the living common language. This process became especially intensified in the 1920s. of our century.
The phonetic structure of the modern Uzbek language is based on the Tashkent dialect, and the morphological structure is based on Fergana.
1 See: History of the Uzbek SSR. Tashkent, 1967. T. 4. P. 200.
2 Saman, the ancestor of the Samanids, a feudal lord from Balkhau, according to some sources, from the outskirts of Samarkand, was the governor of Caliph Tahir Ibn Husain, who in 821 was appointed governor of Khorasan, which included Transoxiana. In 888, Ismail from the Samanid dynasty became the sovereign ruler of Transoxiana and Eastern Iran.
3 History of the Uzbek SSR. T. 1. P. 346.
4 See: History of the Uzbek SSR. T. 1. P. 348. The same process took place in Khorezm, where the settlement of the nomadic Oguzes and Kipchaks, according to V.V. Bartold, “ended in the 13th century. almost complete Turkification of the Khorezm language that was here (p. 498).
5 The tribes of Sheybani, the grandson of Genghis Khan, were assimilated by local Turkic tribes; adopted their language and customs, and underwent changes in their ethnic composition. The Uzbek tribes were also not united; they were formed from various ancient tribes of the Sakas, Massagetae, Huns and other Turkic tribes and from the Mongols.
6 According to Ibn Muhanna, a special linguistic treatise was compiled in the Kangla language.
7 M. Kashgarsky confirms the localization of the Turkic tribes mentioned by ancient authors. See: Divan lugat-it-turk. Tashkent, 1960. T. 4. P. 64.
8 See: History of the Uzbek SSR. T. 1. P. 501507.
9 Reshetov V.V. Uzbek language. Tashkent, 1959. P. 2851; Shcherbak A. M. A grammatical sketch of Turkestan. M.; L., 1961.
10 See: Shcherbak A. M. Grammar of the Old Uzbek language, M.;
L., 1962. P. 222243.
11 Ibid. P. 10.
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National composition and population of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is multinational country. Here you live among dozens of nationalities and nationalities, among which they live in the Central Asian region: Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Tajiks, Turkmens, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ujguri, Dungani; Western and Eastern Slavs: Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles; many Koreans, Iranians, Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Tatars, Bashkirs, Germans, Jews, Lithuanians, Greeks, Turks and many other peoples represented their diaspora in Uzbekistan.
This ethnic diversity is due to various historical events.
Many representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Union republics in the USSR were evacuated to Uzbekistan during World War II (Russians, Tatars, Armenians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Germans, Jews, etc.).
Representatives of individual nations were deported from their places of permanent residence during the years Stalin's repressions(Koreans, Crimean Tatars, Czechs and others). And the world began to experience significant migration, especially for young people who participated in large-scale construction projects and projects to acquire and develop new lands that remained there in residential areas.
Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia, and its population ranks third among the CIS countries and is second only to Russia and Ukraine.
The population of Uzbekistan exceeds 31.5 million people.
Source of Uzbekistan
people (from January 1, 2016). Approximately 80% of the current Uzbek-Uzbek population and more than 10% are representatives of other Central Asian countries (4.5% - Tajikistan, 2.5% - Kazakhstan, 2% - Karakalpak, 1% - Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, and others).
One of the largest ethnic minorities are Russians and other Slavic peoples (10%).
Uzbek people are of Turkish origin. In an anthropological sense, this is a question of people of mixed ethnogenesis with Caucasian and Mongoloid components. The formation of the Uzbek nation is closely connected with the ancient peoples of Central Asia - the Sogdians, Bactrians, Saka-Massagetae and other tribes of the century settled Central Asian Mesopotamia and its neighboring areas.
However, the name - Uzbeks - was founded only at the end of the 15th-16th centuries. Today Uzbekistan is the main population of Uzbekistan. Many from Uzbekistan also live in the neighboring republics of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and CIS countries. According to recognition, modern Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims.
The official language of Uzbekistan and the language of interethnic communication is Uzbek. However, the majority of the population can speak Russian.
In some areas, for example, in Samarkand and Bukhara, the Tajik population speaks.
Due to the hot and dry climate of the predominantly mountainous and desert provinces of Uzbekistan, residents settle randomly in the territory.
The population is mainly concentrated in oases. In the desert areas of the country, population density is very low. For example, in Karakalpakstan and Navoi there are only 7-9 inhabitants per square kilometer of territory, and in the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan - Fergana - about 500 people per square kilometer.
This is the highest population density not only among the CIS countries, but also among the highest in the world.
The process of urbanization has led to an increase in the number of cities and an increase in the urban population in Uzbekistan. Today, more than 42% of the population lives in the cities of Uzbekistan.
The largest city in Uzbekistan is Tashkent, the capital of the country with a population of over 2 million people. There are many industrial enterprises in the republic in Tashkent; here is the administrative and business center of the country, offices of large companies, theaters, museums, parks and much more.
Other big cities Uzbekistan - Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Andijan, Fergana, Navoi, Almalyk, Angren, Zarafshan and Chirchik.
Uzbek families usually have many children, especially in rural areas: The average size of Uzbekistan is 5-6 people. In accordance with the centuries-old traditions and spirit of the Uzbek people, the family in Uzbekistan has been and remains one of the most important life priorities of modern society.
Features of the national Uzbek mentality
You came to Uzbekistan due to fate or circumstances. On site you can appreciate how colorful this country is with a rich history. To avoid getting into trouble abroad, you need to know and take into account certain characteristics national traditions and the character of the Uzbeks. The foundations of society and family are determined by the rules of Islam. Every divine Uzbek must respect his basic commandments: gravity holy month Ramadan, obligatory daily prayer, ban on alcohol and cigarettes. At the same time, Uzbeks are not religious fanatics. They are characterized by religious tolerance. However, everyone follows a dress code. In modern cities there is no strict prohibitions on clothing requirements, but it is better to cut short wings or shorts, deep open necklace. This especially needs to be remembered in rural areas, where they are more conservative. You can prove in Uzbekistan that everyone knows each other. This is partly true. Until now, the tradition of “Mahalla” has developed in the state. Firstly, it brings together close relatives and relatives. It often even includes a village and even surrounding areas. Mahala serves for mutual assistance. All members of this community are required to respect and observe the same equality. In modern Uzbekistan, the ancient hierarchy of society and family is still respected. For example, it is better to visually show it to the family. Members of the youth unconditionally obey the family leader and the elders in their old age. Uzbeks are noble people of the Turkish peoples, and Sartas are businessmen of Central AsiaA special role is reserved for women. She is respected as the mother of her children and the wife of the head of the house, and at the same time she must obey and listen to her husband. It is better to name a meeting place for business partners in Chaykhona, where you can talk about personal belongings or things that appear on a cup of tea (not just one) in a simple democratic environment. Uzbekistan is famous for its tea tradition. It begins and ends with every celebration or conversation. Be careful! By the way, the owner of the house poured the tea, you can determine his attitude towards the one who came. You may hear from Uzbeks as a joke: do you respect or not? After you answer yes, you are surprised that your master poured very small tea. This is a feature of the national Uzbek tea party. It turned out that the dear guests of the tea house would contact the additional owner several times as little as possible. Conversely, unwanted guests, first fill the cup to the brim. You will be happy in any country if you respect and respect your traditions! Download dle 12.1 |
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Uzbekistan (21.1 million people, 2004) lives in Uzbekistan (2.556 million), Tajikistan (937,000), Kyrgyzstan (660,000), Kazakhstan (370,000), Turkmenistan (243,000).
There are 289,000 Uzbeks in the Russian Federation (2010). Total number There are about 25 million Uzbeks in the world. They speak Uzbek. They believe that Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims.
The ancient Uzbek ancestors were Sogty, Khorezmians, Bactrians, Ferghanas and the Sako-Massaget tribe. From the beginning of our era, the penetration of certain groups of Turkish-speaking tribes into Central Asia began. This process intensified from the second half of the 6th century, starting with the entry of Central Asia into the Turkish Kaganate.
During the Karachan state (11th-12th centuries), communication completed the main stage of ethnogenesis of the local residents who speak siding. The ethnonym "Uzbeks" appeared later, after the assimilation of the nomadic Deshitikpak Uzbeks, who arrived in Central Asia in the late 15th and 16th centuries under the leadership of Sheybani Khan.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the process of consolidation of the Uzbek people was not completed: it consisted of three great ethnographic groups.
One of them is the settled population of oases, devoid of tribal divisions; The main activities were irrigation agriculture, crafts and trade. The second group is the descendants of Turkish tribes who have preserved half of their nomadic life (mainly engaged in sheep breeding) and tribal traditions (Karluka tribe, Barakla). Most of them were saved by the smug "Turk".
Who is older: Uzbeks or Tajiks
The appearance of some ethnographic groups of Uzbeks (especially in the inhabited part of Khorezm) is associated with medieval rags. The third group consisted of the descendants of the Uzbek tribes Deshtikipchak 15-16. Century. Most of the nomadic tribes of Uzbekistan named the names of peoples and tribes known in the Middle Ages (Kipchak, Naiman, Kangli, Hit, Kungrat, Mangyt).
The transition to established nomadic Uzbek tribes, which began in the 16th and 17th centuries, essentially ended at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of them joined the sedentary population of the Tirkots, most of whom retained traces of nomadic life and tribal tradition, as well as features of their dialects.
The prisoners were engaged agriculture, but one of the main professions in animal husbandry and ladder is animal husbandry with the annual maintenance of livestock for feed.
In 1924, as a result of the demarcation of the national state, the Uzbek SSR was created in the USSR. At that time, the name Uzbek was created for its general population.
religion
A great influence on the population living on the territory of modern Uzbekistan was exerted by different religions. Today, representatives of many religious communities live in Uzbekistan. Despite nationality and ethnicity, religion binds the population of cities and states; it is the driving force for the development of culture and science.
The majority of citizens of modern Uzbekistan are Sunni Muslims.
These include Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmens, Tatars, etc. Islam accounts for 88% of the total population.
Source of Uzbekistan
Orthodox Christians make up 9% of the population.
Religion in Uzbekistan
There are 16 religious denominations and 2,222 religious organizations officially registered in Uzbekistan. Of these: 2042 are Muslim organizations, 164 are Christian, 8 are Jewish, 6 are Baha’is, 1 is a Krishna organization and 1 is a Buddhist.
After the declaration of independence, the state passed a law “On freedom of conscience and religious organizations.” Based on this law, adopted in 1991, a citizen of Uzbekistan, regardless of nationality, can fully practice their religion and pilgrimage.
The law provides that registered religious organizations have the same status, and the state does not interfere in their activities.
They have the opportunity to create their own buildings, places of worship, property and money.
In 1998 it was approved a new version Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organization and made some adjustments regarding the registration and activities of religious organizations. Citizens of Uzbekistan who have received appropriate spiritual education have the right to lead the organization.
The law respects citizens' beliefs.
Every year in Uzbekistan they celebrate Kurban Khait, Easter, and Peisa. Kurbanhat and Ramadan Hayit are officially considered free in the country.
After the adoption of the Law on Religion, the Koran, Old and New Testaments were published in Uzbekistan. Old mosques and new ones have been restored. Christian churches, a Buddhist temple, synagogues, etc. were opened in the regions.
Religion
Various religions had a great influence on the population living on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. To this day, representatives of many religious communities coexist peacefully in Uzbekistan.
Regardless of nationality and ethnicity, religion connected the populations of cities and countries and was the engine of the development of culture and science.
The majority of citizens of modern Uzbekistan are Sunni Muslims.
The most beautiful Uzbeks (25 photos)
These include Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmens, Tatars, etc. Islam is practiced by 88% of the total population. Orthodox Christians make up 9% of the population.
Religion in Uzbekistan
There are 16 confessions and 2,222 religious organizations officially registered in Uzbekistan. Of which: 2042 are Muslim organizations, 164 are Christian, 8 are Jewish, 6 are Baha’is, 1 Hare Krishna organization and 1 Buddhist.
After the declaration of independence, the state adopted a law “On freedom of conscience and religious organizations.” Based on this law, adopted in 1991, a citizen of Uzbekistan, regardless of nationality, can fully practice their religion, as well as make a pilgrimage.
The law stipulates that registered religious organizations have the same status; the State does not interfere in their activities.
They are given the opportunity to own buildings, religious objects, property and funds.
In 1998, a new version of the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” was approved, which included some adjustments regarding issues of registration and activities of religious organizations.
Citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan who have received proper spiritual education have the right to lead organizations.
Legislation respects the religion of citizens.
Every year in Uzbekistan Kurban Khait, Easter, and Passover are celebrated. Kurban Khait and Ramadan Khait are officially considered public holidays in the country.
After the adoption of the law on religions, the Koran, Old and New Testaments were published in Uzbek.
Old mosques were restored, and new ones were erected. Opened in regional cities Christian churches, Buddhist temple, synagogues, etc.
The Uzbeks currently mean a conglomerate of tribes of Turkic origin, with an admixture of Iranian and Mongolian elements, speaking one of the Central Asian Turkic dialects and living in Bukhara (about 1 million, according to Vambery), in Khiva (about 257 thousand, according to Kuznetsov), in Afghan Turkestan (200 thousand, according to Vambery), in the Russian Central Asian possessions (579,740 people, according to Aristov), with a total number of 2,037,240 people, occupying the position of a politically dominant element in these territories since the 16th century.
The very name “Uzbeks” has a political-historical meaning rather than an ethnic one. Uzbek - ancient, found in monuments of the 12th century given name, whose etymological meaning is: true prince. The word “Uzbeks” acquired the meaning of the political name of an entire people in the 14th century, during the reign of the Juchid Uzbek Khan, who stood at the head of the Golden Horde for 30 years and zealously spread Islam among the Turkic tribes subject to him. Those of the latter who accepted Islam have since begun to call themselves, by the name of their khan, Uzbeks, in contrast to both the tribes that remained shamanists and the tribes of the western ulus, the Jaghatais, just as they previously called themselves, after named after the founder of the dynasty, Juchami.
Starting from the second half of the 15th century, the Dzhuchi ulus began to disintegrate; the western part of it completely disappeared, forming the independent khanates and the Kazan khanate, and in the eastern part the Kyrgyz-Kaisachi alliance emerged. After the death of Abul Khair Khan and his sons (in 1465-66), the name of the Uzbeks was preserved only by a few families that remained faithful to their dynasty. The Uzbeks were revived and again began to play a major role when, at the end of the 15th and first quarter of the 16th century, the descendant of Uzbek Khan, the grandson of Abul Khair, Sheybani Khan, united various Turkic tribes around himself and descended from the northern coast of the Aral Sea and the lower reaches of the Syr Darya to the countries of Transoxania to break the power of the Timurids and establish their rule in Bukhara and two other Central Asian khanates.
This entire conglomerate of tribes, in which the Turkic element was mixed with, received the common name “Uzbeks.” In the newly conquered territory, Shebani Khan's army encountered various Turkic tribes that had already settled here, who occupied the position of the ruling class among the original population of the region (of Iranian origin), but who largely mixed with the latter and adopted its culture.
The common political name of these tribes was Jaghatai. At first they treated the Uzbeks with hostility, as barbarian destroyers, but with the establishment of the power of the Shebanids, they began to merge with the victors, forming that mixed population speaking the Jagatai dialect, which to this day in Central Asia is called the Uzbeks. The aborigines of the country of Iranian origin - the Tajiks and Sarts - also underwent the merger process to a significant extent. All this taken together, in connection with the dominant position of the Uzbeks, led to the fact that the name “Uzbeks” began to be called by a variety of nationalities, such as the Kyrgyz, Kara-Kyrgyz, Sarts, Tajiks, and so on.
The extent to which the term “Uzbeks” has lost its purely ethnographic meaning is evident from the fact that not only in official statistics the Uzbeks are classified as Sarts and vice versa, but also in the scientific literature it is proposed to leave the name Sarts altogether, as a separately non-existent people (Lapin), then It is recommended to distinguish Sarts from Uzbeks on such a single, purely social and transitory basis as the loss of features of tribal life (Aristov).
The main characteristic of the Uzbeks must be considered their political position, as Vamberi does, who considers as Uzbeks those Turkic tribes that, having arrived in Transoxania with Shebaki Khan, were less likely than others to be mixed with the Sarts and managed to maintain a dominant position over others over the last three centuries nationalities. The purest elements of the Uzbeks are concentrated in Khiva, Maimen and Sheriseps. There are fewer of them in Bukhara, even fewer in Kokand. In Khiva, the entire population of the left bank of the Amu Darya, with the exception of a few Sarts, are entirely Uzbeks. In Bukhara, along the banks of the Zeravshan, as well as in the southern and western districts, Uzbeks constitute the predominant agricultural population. And these, however, “pure” Uzbeks, judging by the generic names (at least 90), were made up of the most diverse branches of the Turkic tribe, not to mention other early and later admixtures. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about a single anthropological type of Uzbeks.
In the character of the Uzbeks, the typical features of the Turks are very clearly manifested: solidity, straightforwardness, honesty, lack of fussiness, gloomy heaviness - and at the same time, the instincts of a warrior and a ruler.
The purest type is preserved among the Khivan Uzbeks, who, according to Vambery, are of average height, taller than the Kirghiz, but not as tall and strongly built as. The head is oval in shape, eyes with a longitudinal slit, cheekbones are not very prominent, skin color is lighter than that of Tajiks, hairline more magnificent than those of the Turkmens, and often dark.
Among the Bukharan Uzbeks, deeper traces of Aryan mixture are noticeable (the predominant dark color hair and skin), and the Kokand Uzbeks are already difficult to distinguish from the Sarts. 11 Uzbeks of Zeravshan, according to Fedchenko, gave 1664.30 (height) and 83.24 (head index). 33 Uzbeks of Samarkand, according to Uyfalvi - 1678.30 (height) and 84.01 (head index). Uzbeks of Fergana, according to Uyfalvi - 1670.50 (height) and 86.13 (head index).
The vast majority of Uzbeks lead a sedentary lifestyle, engaged primarily in agriculture and having perfectly learned the art of irrigating fields from their cultural predecessors.
There are very few nomadic Uzbeks: in eastern Bukhara and, especially, along the left bank of the Amu Darya, in the Afghan possessions. There are much more semi-nomadic people, who move with their herds from place to place in the summer and stay in permanent winter dwellings (kishlaks) in the winter (mainly in eastern Bukhara), but the transition of these elements to is a matter of the near future. Despite all the similarities between the external life of settled Uzbeks and the Sarts and Tajiks, some differences are also noticeable.
Traditional costume
The clothes of the Uzbeks are made of thicker materials and are not as wide as those of the Tajiks. Instead of a turban, they often wear a high fur hat, wider than that of the Turkmen and lower than that of the Sarts. Women dress in Turkmen style: only the festive headdress goes out of use.
Traditional food
As a farmer, the Uzbek also eats flour foods, but dairy and meat foods, even horse meat, play the same role in the everyday life of the Uzbeks as among the nomads. On the contrary, the table of Sarts and Tajiks is completely alien to him. Among the drinks, Uzbeks drink tea, kurtaba (cheese diluted in water) and ayran; He doesn’t drink kumiss at all.
Traditions and customs
The old habit of living in a tent and in the open air still shows itself today: it is the custom of a sedentary Uzbek to pitch a felt tent in the courtyard of his manor, surrounded by high walls, and often spend the winter in it.
And in social customs, the Uzbeks retained many remnants from the former life of the nomads. Despite the centuries-old influence of Islam, marriages are concluded directly between young people, without the intervention of parents, who participate only in the payment of the dowry, consisting of the traditional 9 heads of livestock. Games, music, competitions and other entertainment accompanying marriage festivities are the same as those of the nomads. Like the latter, an Uzbek woman undergoes violent shaking during childbirth to speed up labor.
The position of women is much better than that of the Sarts and Tajiks; Polygamy occurs only in the upper classes, in Khiva - less often than in Bukhara and Kokand. Family life is distinguished by purity and gentleness of relationships, although the patriarchal power of the father is very great (even elderly sons do not allow themselves to sit or speak first in the presence of their father).
Uzbek religion
By religion, the Uzbeks are zealous Muslims, but not nearly as fanatical as their Aryan neighbors. Their cult retains vestiges of ancient Iranian influences. In Khiva, for example, the celebration of Noruz, that is spring equinox, is just as strictly enforced as by the Persians of Iran. Jumping around the fire, paying respect to it in every possible way, treatment with the rays of the setting Sun, and finally, ancient Iranian solar myths - all this testifies to the original presence of the Turks in the territory of the present-day Uzbeks and their communication with the aborigines of Iranian origin.
