"Statue of Ajiniyaz - Nukus"
Ajiniyaz Kosibay Uli (Karakalpak:
Әжинияз Қосыбай Улы, Uzbek: Ajiniyoz Qo`siboy o`g`li) known also as Ziywar (his
pen name) was born in 1824 on the southern coast of the Aral Sea in the village
of Kamish bugat (located in Muynak region) near the mouth of the river
Amu-Darya. This part of the coastal area of the Aral coast the home of the
Ashmayli and Kiyat (Karakalpak clans).
He attended the Madrasah's of Imam
Khojamurad, Sher-Gozi and then later Inak Kutlimurat in Khiva during the years
1840-45. Apart from his religious studies he also studied the works of
classical poets such as Navoi, Khafiz, Saadi, Fizuli and developed a deep
interest in what became known as progressive lyrical poetry.
After graduation from the Madrasah of
Inak Kutlimurat Ajiniyaz in Khiva he returned to his native village for a short
time and then went onto what is now Kazakhstan where he stayed for a
year. Coming back to Karakalpakstan he married in his home village. Today the
descendants of this marriage live in the regions of Kungrad, Kanlikul, Shumanay
and in Nukus.
The Kungrad rebellion of 1858-1859 had a big
influence on the poetic nature of Ajiniyaz. As an intellectual and patriot he
could not remain indifferent to the repression by the Khan of Khiva of his
people and took an active part in the revolt.
Afterwards he was captured and deported to
what was then in Russian Imperial times was known as the Trans Caspian Province
(today's Turkmenistan) by the Khivan Khan as one of the leaders of the
rebellion. During this period of exile he translated into Karakalpak many poems
of the Great Turkmen Poet Maktumkuli.
Three years later Ajiniyaz came back home
where he once again faced persecution by the Khivans and again had to
leave this time for what is now Southern Kazakhstan. It was during this time
that Ajiniyaz met the Kazakh poetess Kiz-Menesh and with her took part in
a famous poetry competition "The Aytis" which at that time was
especially popular in Central Asia.
In 1878 his poem was described in the
Tashkent newspaper «Turkistan walayati».
... When there is wedding, you’ll wear red chapan,
And burn from love in the fire of your beloved.
I was born in a year of a sheep, now I am 40, Kiz-menesh,
Will you marry me ....!
... When there is wedding, you’ll wear red chapan,
And burn from love in the fire of your beloved.
I was born in a year of a sheep, now I am 40, Kiz-menesh,
Will you marry me ....!
His years spent in exile in Kazakhstan were
to be the height of his creative period and where he wrote many of his
most famous poems.
Coming back to Khiva which by this
time was absorbed into Imperial Russia, Ajiniyaz opened
schools in the villages of Bozataw, Kamis buget and Jetim uzak for children
from poor families where he taught them skills of writing and grammar. Up until
the end of his life in 1874 - he continued to write poetry.
Study of the poetry of Ajiniyaz first began
in the 1930's. The first published research carried out by the distinguished
Karakalpak philologists K.Aimbetov, O.Kojurov and N.Davkaraev. A major part of
N.Davkaraev’s article 'Essays on the history of the Karakalpak literature' is
dedicated to the poetry of Ajiniyaz.
In the late 40's and 50's a new generation of
researchers K.Aimbetov, I.Sagitov, K.Berdimuratov, S.Akhmetov, B.Ismailov and
others provided new data about his life and literary activity. In 1949 the
poems of Ajiniyaz were first published in the Karakalpak and Uzbek languages,
and in 1975 in Russian.
In the 60's the discovery of a new cache of
poetic manuscripts of Ajiniyaz that had been unknown before, brought new
attention to the study the poet’s work. Among these were articles by
K.Bayniyazov’s "Thoughts about poet
Ajiniyaz", Kh.Khamidov’s "Basis
of the Ajiniyaz’s poetry", A.Karimov’s "Ajiniyaz, a master of the artistic word", K. Sultanov’s "Fallen in love in the youth", A.
Pirnazarov’s "Some thoughts about
the proficiency of Ajiniyaz", A. Murtazaev’s "Literary methods and stylistic peculiarities
of Ajiniyaz Kosibay Uli" and other works.
A comparison of the poetry of Ajiniyaz with
the history of the Karakalpak people was undertaken by Academician S.Kamalov
"Historical-ethnographic information
in the poetry of Ajiniyaz" and by Professor B.Ismailov "Description of the Kungrad rebellion of
1858- 1859 in the poetry of Ajiniyaz".
Ajiniyaz was not only the ideologist of the
popular rebellion but also an active participant of the Bozataw tragedy which
left a terrible wound in the hearts and minds of the Karakalpak people. The
hard trials suffered by the people are told in Ajiniyaz’s famous poem
"Bozataw"
Century of Land with nation,
nation is with land,
Grief is awaiting us, landless in exile.
We won’t forget the pain, tribe will disappear
You were our bread-winner, dear Bozataw.
Heard, firing started out before sunrise,
Slept as free before-woke up as a slaver,
Hands were tied up-where is the struggle…
Your son was captured suddenly, Bozataw
Grief is awaiting us, landless in exile.
We won’t forget the pain, tribe will disappear
You were our bread-winner, dear Bozataw.
Heard, firing started out before sunrise,
Slept as free before-woke up as a slaver,
Hands were tied up-where is the struggle…
Your son was captured suddenly, Bozataw
Ajiniyaz was one of the most well-educated
and cultured men of his time. His body of work brought into the Karakalpak
language and culture many elements of the "kosik", philosophical
lyric style. His poetry leaving a lasting image of what life was like in
Karakalpakstan during the 19th Century.
He is still held in the highest respect in
his homeland, his statue prominently situated in central Nukus.
Sources:
http://www.ndpi.uz/en/content/o_ajiniyaze
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%27jiniyaz
