Not by Timur alone: ignoring the Shibanids within the framework of the “Centralized State” concept
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Research objectives: To investigate the historical reasons for the neglect of the Shibanid dynasty in the historical scholarship and political discourse of Uzbekistan within the framework of the “Centralized State” concept. Research materials: The research draws upon the historical works of prominent Orientalists such as N.P. Ostroumov, V.V. Bartol’d, P.P. Ivanov, A.Y. Yakubovsky, A.A. Semenov, O.D. Chekhovich, R.G. Mukminova, B. Akhmedov, and L.B. Alaev. Additionally, the study incorporates the works of Jadids, such as A. Doinsh, A. Fitrat, and A. Kadiri, as well as the contributions of I.A. Karimov, A.A. Askarov, I. Muminov, B.A. Alimdzhanov, A. Malikov, and others. Results and novelty of the research: In the field of historical research and historical discourse in Uzbekistan, the post-Timurid era, which spans from the 16th to 19th centuries, is often portrayed as a period of backwardness, political fragmentation, and weak centralization of power. The Shibanid and Ashtarkhanid dynasties are often viewed as less significant and influential in the history of Uzbekistan compared to the Timurid dynasty. Pre-Soviet historiography, Jadid historians, Soviet historians, and post-Soviet historians have all contributed to this negative assessment of the Shibanids. This perspective is rooted in the Stalinist concept of a centralized state. In the 1950s and 1980s, there were attempts to “rehabilitate” the Shibanids by historians and orientalists. Articles on the history of the Central Asian Shibanids were published, and historical works were translated into Uzbek. However, these efforts were not successful in creating a positive image of the Shibanids in the Uzbek political and research spheres. In contemporary Uzbekistan, the Shibanid dynasty has not been restored to a position as the founders of the state in Transoxiana and Khorasan, and the basis of its original culture. The dynasty’s key figures, Muhammad Sheibanikhan, Ubaydullakhan, and Abdullakhan II, are not widely recognized in historical discourse. Although significant works on the Shibanid dynasty have been translated into Uzbek, the dynasty remains a subject of study for a select group of scholars.
Source: Golden Horde Review
Authors: Bakhtiyor A. Alimdjanov, Akbar T. Zamonov
Language: English
Topic: Eurasian Exchange Networks
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408996942