Abd al-Aziz Khan (Bukhara)
| Abd al-Aziz Khan | |
|---|---|
 Abd al-Aziz Khan of Bukhara (1672) | |
| Khan of the Bukhara Khanate | |
| Reign | 1645 – 1680 |
| Predecessor | Nadr Muhammad Khan |
| Successor | Subhan Quli Khan |
| Died | 1683 Mecca |
| House | Borjigin |
| Dynasty | Janids |
| Father | Nadr Muhammad Khan |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Abd al-Aziz Khan (Chagatai and Persian: عبدالعزیز خان; 1614–1683) was the fifth Khan of Bukhara from the Uzbek Ashtarkhanid dynasty, who ruled between 1645 and 1681.[1]
Early life
He was a son of the Nadr Muhammad Khan, the fourth Khan of Bukhara and thus a descendant of Jochi.
Reign
In 1645, the Begs and feudal lords, dissatisfied with Nadr Muhammed's policy, proclaimed Abd al-Aziz Khan as the Khan of Bukhara.
Mughal Invasion
To retake his throne, Nadr Mohammad asked for help from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who took advantage of this opportunity and marched his army to Balkh. Shah Jahan launched an invasion of Central Asia from 1646 to 1647 against the Khanate of Bukhara. With a total army of 75,000, Shah Jahan and his sons Aurangzeb and Murad Bakhsh temporarily occupied the territories of Balkh and Badakhshan. [2] In 1647, Abd al-Aziz attacked the Mughal troops in Balkh, and after heavy fighting, eliminated the foreign invaders and appointed his brother Subhan Quli Khan as the governor of Balkh.
Civil war and Khiva's invasion
Soon the two brothers started fighting each other for the throne. The Khan of Khiva, Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur and his son Anusha Khan took advantage of such conditions and attacked Bukhara, but in 1657, Abd al-Aziz Khan defeated the Khan of Khiva.
Abdication and death
The long war with Khiva stained the reputation of Abd al-Aziz Khan and he was forced to hand over the throne to his brother Subhan Quli Khan in 1680. Abdul Aziz Khan died in 1683 while performing the Hajj in Mecca.
Legacy
During the reign of Abd al-Aziz Khan, a Madrasa named after him was built in Bukhara as was the Tilya Kori Madrasa in Samarkand.
He was described as a "brave, generous, science-loving Khan". He collected a library of copies of beautiful manuscripts.[3]
Diplomatic relations
During the reign of Abd al-Aziz Khan, the diplomatic and commercial relations of the Khanate of Bukhara with Russian Empire, Safavid Iran and Mughal Empire flourished. In 1669, he sent an embassy headed by Mullah Farrukh to Russia to Tsar Alexis of Russia.[4] In response, in 1670, a Russian embassy headed by the Pazukhin brothers was sent to Bukhara.
References
- ^ Anke von Kügelgen, Legitimation of the Central Asian dynasty of the Mangits in the works of their historians (XVIII-XIX centuries). Almaty: Dyke-press, 2004, pp. 68–69.
- ^ Hada, Ranvijay Singh (18 August 2020). "Balkh Campaign: An Indian Army in Central Asia". PeepulTree.
- ^ Asian Bulletin, published by G. Spassky. January, St. Petersburg, 1825, p. 11.
- ^ Reception in Russia and posting of Central Asian ambassadors in the 17th and 18th centuries. Compiled by N. Veselovsky. St. Petersburg, 1884, p. 17.