Muhammed Ayaz İshaki (

Tatar Tatar may refer to: Peoples * Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar" * Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia * Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...

: Möxəmmətğayaz Ğiləcetdin ulı İsxaqi (; — 22 July 1954) was a leading figure of the

national movement, author, journalist, publisher and politician. The importance of İshaki to Tatar literature has been compared to what

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

and

Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using pre-reform Russian orthography. ; ), usually referr ...

are to Russians. The most known story of İshaki's is the dystopian "Extinction in 200 years" (''200'' ''yıldan soñ inqiraz'', Kazan 1904). Among the plays often revered is "Zuleiha" (''Zöləyxa,'' 1917), which focuses on forced baptism of his people. İshaki was the secretary of state of the short lived

Idel-Ural State The Idel-Ural State (, , , also İdel-Ural berlege İdel-Ural ştatı), also known as the Volga-Ural State or Idel-Ural Republic, was an short-lasting autonomy of Tatars, Tatar peoples that claimed to unite Volga Tatars, Tatars, Bashkirs, and ...

(1918). While he notably stated that "Russia is a prison of nations", he also (based on his early writings) felt that the so called national problem of the Tatars was largely their own fault; .." peoplethreatened with complete extinction due to their reluctance to follow progress, the Russian culture and renew their centuries-old customs". İshaki himself was heavily influenced by Russian authors and aligned with the Jadid movement. According to researcher Azat Akhunov, İshaki believed that the progress of the Tatar nation was possible only in close cooperation with the Russian world, primarily its enlightened part. While living in İstanbul, İshaki actively corresponded with

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

, who wanted to translate his works into Russian. Ayaz İshaki's daughter was the Turkologist Saadet Çağatay.

Biography

İsxaqi (Iskhakov) was born in 1878 in the village of Yaushirma near

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

to a

Mishar Tatar Mishar Tatar or Western Tatar (Мишәр, ''Mişär / Mişər'', Мишәр Татар, ''Mişär / Mişər Tatar'', көнбатыш татар, ''könbatış tatar'') is a dialect of Tatar language, Tatar spoken by Mishar Tatars, mainly in Pen ...

parents, father Ğiləcetdin and mother Qaməriyə. İshaki was home-schooled by his father at an early age and was sent to study in a

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning ...

(religious school). He continued his education in the Russian-Tatar teachers' school (1898–1902). İshaki moved to Kazan in 1904, where he became acquainted to socialists and adopted some of their views. He became involved in revolutionary activities, participated in an all-Muslim congress in 1905 and subsequently was arrested and sent to a prison near the city of

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

in northern Russia in 1907. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

of 1917 he was involved in activities aimed at achieving cultural autonomy for the Volga Tatars and other

Turkic peoples Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...

of Russia. As a result of his activities, the Soviet authorities started a campaign of harassment and persecution against him and his associates. He was forced to emigrate in 1920. After settling in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, İshaki started publishing a Tatar-language magazine ''Milli Yul'' ("The Way of the Nation") in 1928. In 1931 he presided over the Independence Committee of the Muslims in Idel Ural. In 1939 the magazine was closed and İshaki decided to immigrate to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he became involved in political activities. At this stage his main goal was the restoration of the Tatar nationhood lost in 1552 when the Kazan Khanate was defeated and occupied by the Moscow Principality. Throughout his life İshaki traveled to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

where he tried to establish Tatar-language press and unite disparate Tatar émigré communities. In Finland he spent time especially among the Tatar community of

Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately . It is the most populous mu ...

during 1930s. When İshaki organized a memorial service for Idel-Ural State in Warsaw, a few Finnish Tatars took part; among them Aisa Hakimcan and

Gibadulla Murtasin Gibadulla Murtasin (Гибадулла Муртазин, , ''Ğobəydulla'' ''Mortaza;'' October 25, 1895 – July 28, 1968) was a teacher among the Tatar community of Tampere and Helsinki, Finland. He also contributed to their cultural life by ...

.Muazzez Baibulat: ''Tampereen Islamilainen Seurakunta: Juuret ja Historia'', pp. 100, 114. Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, 2004. ISBN 952-91-6753-9. Ayaz İshaki died in 1954 and was buried in Edirnekapı graveyard of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Notes

Bibliography

* İsxaqıy, Ğayaz. Äsärlär unbiş tomda. Edited by M. Kh. (Mansur Khasanovich) Khasanov. Kazan: Tatarstan kitap näşriäte, 1998. * Kamaliyeva, Alsu. Romantik Milliyetçi Ayaz İshakî. Ankara: Yayınları, 2009. * Muhammed Ayaz İshaki: Hayatı Ve Faaliyeti, 100. Doğum Yılı Dolayısıyla. Ankara: Ayyıldız Matbaası, 1979. * Säxapov, Äxmät. Ğayaz İsxaqıy : načalny etap tvorčestva : monografija. Kazań: Master Line, 2003. * ———. İshaki i tatarskaja literatura XX veka. Kazań: PIK Dom Piečati, 2003. * Ахунов, Азат М. “Гаяз Исхаки «Кто он? Кто он, кто нашу нацию взрастил?»." Татарский мир, 2004, №3. https://web.archive.org/web/20180322003928/http://www.tatworld.ru/article.shtml?article=489§ion=0&heading=0. * Сахапов, Минахмет Ж. Золотая эпоха татарского ренессанса. Казань: Таткнигиздат, 2004.

References

External links

Ayaz İshaki speaking voice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishaki, Ayaz 1878 births 1954 deaths Mishar Tatars Tatar dramatists and playwrights Tatar poets Turkish people of Tatar descent Muslims from the Russian Empire