Muhammad Umar Khan was the Khan of

Kokand Kokand ( uz, Qo‘qon/Қўқон/قوقان, ; russian: Кока́нд; fa, خوقند, Xuqand; Chagatai: خوقند, ''Xuqand''; ky, Кокон, Kokon; tg, Хӯқанд, Xöqand) is a city in Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan, at the sou ...

from until his subsequent illness and death in . He studied at a

madrassa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

after completing his primary education before seizing power from his brother Alim Khan. His poetry written under the pen name "Amir" touched on subjects spanning from

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

, culture, and enlightenment in diwans covering twelve genres. His teenage son Muhammad Ali Khan was given the title of Khan after his death.

Family

Umar was the son of the Khan

Narbuta Bey Narbuta Bek was the Khan of Kokand from . He was the grandson of Abdul Karim Bek his only successor of not killed by Irdana Bek in a coup for power. He had three sons: Alim, Umar, and Shahrukh. His son Alim succeeded him as khan until he was o ...

who reigned from 1774–1798. Umar took the title of Khan from his brother Alim Khan with the help of several co-conspirators. In 1810 Umar and his companions spread a rumor in Tashkent that Alim had been killed and took on the title of Khan. Alim, hearing of the rumors on a military mission, returned to Kokand immediately, only to be ambushed by the Umar faction with Kambar Mirza shooting Alim. Umar's wife Mohlaroyim took an active role in the social life of Kokand as a patron of the arts of sciences and wrote under the pen name of Nodira. His teenage son Muhammad Ali Khan was his official successor to the title Khan of Kokand.

Foreign Policy

Umar continued his predecessor's legacy of expanding the Khanate, but to a lesser extent. In 1816 the city of

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...

was annexed from the

Emirate of Bukhara The Emirate of Bukhara ( fa, , Amārat-e Bokhārā, chg, , Bukhārā Amirligi) was a Muslim polity in Central Asia that existed from 1785 to 1920 in what is modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It occupied the lan ...

. Whilst visiting the tomb of Khoja Akhmet Yassawi he declared himself to be the

Amir al-Mu'minin Amir al-Mu'minin ( ar, أَمِير ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين, amīr al-muʾminīn) is an Arabic title designating the supreme leader of an Islamic community. It is usually translated as "Commander of the Faithful", though sometimes also as "Prin ...

, Leader of the Faithful.Ishankhanov S. K., Catalog of coins of Kokand XVIII-XIX centuries. Tashkent, 1976, p.5

Istaravshan Istaravshan ( tg, Истаравшан; fa, استروشن; russian: Истаравшан) is a city in Sughd Province in Tajikistan. In 2000, the Tajik government changed the name of the city from earlier Uroteppa ( tg, Ӯротеппа; ''Ura- ...

was annexed by Kokand in 1817 and fortresses were constructed on the banks of the

Syr Darya The Syr Darya (, ),, , ; rus, Сырдарья́, Syrdarjja, p=sɨrdɐˈrʲja; fa, سيردريا, Sirdaryâ; tg, Сирдарё, Sirdaryo; tr, Seyhun, Siri Derya; ar, سيحون, Seyḥūn; uz, Sirdaryo, script-Latn/. historically known ...

river in

Zhanakorgan Zhanakorgan ( kk, Жаңақорған, ''Jañaqorğan'') is an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of Zhanakorgan District in Kyzylorda Region of Kazakhstan. This may be to 'Yani Kurgan' (new tumulus) captured in 1861 during the Rus ...

, Julek, Kamish Kurgan,

Kyzylorda Kyzylorda ( kk, Қызылорда, translit=Qyzylorda, ), formerly known as Kzyl-Orda (russian: Кзыл-Орда), Ak-Mechet (Ак-Мечеть), Perovsk (Перовск), and Fort-Perovsky (Форт-Перовский), is a city in south-cen ...

, and Kushkurgan to provide for safe caravan trade with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. However, one of his diplomats sent to Russian was shot by a Russian soldier and another died of illness. Diplomatic and trade relations were maintained with the Emirate of Bukhara,

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva ( chg, ''Khivâ Khânligi'', fa, ''Khânât-e Khiveh'', uz, Xiva xonligi, tk, Hywa hanlygy) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except fo ...

and

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

; the embassy in Istanbul was established in 1819.

Domestic Policy

Umar Khan attempted to imitate

Tamerlane Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

by encouraging study in the fields of science, literature and the development of agriculture.

Cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

, mosques, and

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

s were built in the cities of

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

, Turkestan,

Shymkent Shymkent (; Шымкент, Şymkent), known until 1993 as Chimkent ( uz, Çımkent, چىمكېنت; Yañalif: Çimkent ()); russian: Чимкент, translit=Chimkent (), is a city in Kazakhstan. It is near the border with Uzbekistan. It is one ...

, Sayram, and

Taraz Taraz ( kz, Тараз, تاراز, translit=Taraz ; known to Europeans as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (river), Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the borde ...

.History of Uzbekistan. Tashkent, 1993, p.207 The clergy were given a substantial amount of power and

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

was used to justify suppressing political dissent.

References

{{Authority control Khans of Kokand 19th-century monarchs in Asia People from Kokand 1787 births 1822 deaths