Tariq Saeedi
Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807) is the national poet of Turkmenistan. This year – the 300th anniversary of Magtymguly – the Turkic countries and all the other friends of Turkmenistan are holding ceremonies to pay tribute to the great man.
In this short series, we will try to look at some aspects of the life of Magtymguly and highlight his contribution in what Turkmenistan as a country and the Turkmen as a people are today.
It would be an understatement to say that Magtymguly is deeply embedded in the concept of nationhood of the Turkmen people. His powerful message kept the hope alive during all those years of despair.
At the level of the individual, Magtymguly is still among the first teachers of the children in Turkmenistan. They grow listening to the poetry of Magtymguly and the stories and anecdotes of his kaleidoscopic life and his vast travels.
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Magtymguly was a poet, philosopher, thinker, reformer, and teacher. He was also an accomplished jeweller and creator of felt rugs.
His poetry was not just for the sake of poetry – it was a vehicle for conveying his ideas.
The ideas of a philosopher are their main product. It is the highest form of creativity.
Their surroundings and events fuel their ideas, and in turn, their ideas, through their written or spoken word, through their poetry or prose, go out there to shape the world.
First, we should take a panoramic look as to what was happening in the world during the life of Magtymguly Pyragy. We will also try to look at the events taking place in Greater Central Asia, which includes the present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and South Asia.
In the later parts of this short series, we will briefly look at his life and his message. In doing so, we hope to underline the contribution made by Magtymguly in shaping the Turkmen as individuals and as a united nation, and Turkmenistan as a country.
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Some of the main events and developments during the life of Magtymguly Pyragy:
- In 1722, the Afghans conquered much of Iran, overthrowing Shah Sultan Hussain Safavi. In 1729, the Afghans were ousted by Nader Shah, and the Safavi dynasty was restored to the throne. — In 1736, Nader Shah founded the Afsharid dynasty and assumed the title of Shah of Persia. He ruled until his death in 1747.
- In 1739, Nader Shah defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal and sacked Delhi.
- In 1747, after the death of Nader Shah, Ahmed Shah Durrani ascended the throne and founded the Durrani Empire, which is the present-day Afghanistan.
- The Russo-Persian war took place 1722-1723. The Russo-Turkish was happened, 1735-1739. There was another Russo-Turkish war, 1768-1774. There was yet another Russo-Turkish war, 1787-1792.
- Russia abolished slavery in 1723. Eighteen years later, in 1741, Pope Benedict XIV issued Immensa Pastorum principis against slavery.
- The first step of the abolishment of serfdom in Austrian monarchy took place in the period 1781-1785. The second step was in 1848.
- The invasion of the Kazakh territories by the Dzungars, 1723-1730. This is called ‘Great Disaster.’ The Dzungar people are the many Mongol Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically, they were one of the major tribes of the Four Oirat confederation. They were also known as the Eleuths or Ööled, from the Qing dynasty euphemism for the hated word “Dzungar”, and as the “Kalmyks”
- In 1724, the Treaty of Constantinople was signed, portioning Persia between the Ottoman Empire and Russia.
- The first Saudi state was founded by Mohammad Ibn Saud in 1744.
- In 1757, the Battle of Plassey marked the beginning of the formal British rule in India after years of commercial activity in the framework of the East India Company.
- In 1760, the Zand dynasty was founded in Iran. In 1794, Qajar dynasty was founded in Iran, replacing the Zand dynasty. The period of the Zand dynasty was relatively peaceful and led to the prosperity of the people. The Qajar dynasty brought turmoil and clashes. In 1795, Mohammad Khan Qajar razed Tbilisi to the ground.
- Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770.
- From 1773 to 1775, there was the Pugachev’s Rebellion, the largest peasant revolt in the Russian history.
- In 1776, Adam Smith published the The Wealth of Nations.
- In 1783, the Russian Empire annexed the Crimean Khanate.
- The French Revolution took place, 1789-1799.
- Power in the Khiva Khanate passed from the Arabshahids at the beginning of the 18th century to the Kazakh Chingizids, and from 1770 to 1920 to a dynasty from the Uzbek tribe of Kungrats, who ruled until the abolition of the Khanate.
- From 1709 to 1876, the Kokand Khanate, formed by people from the Uzbek tribe Ming, also existed on the territory of modern Uzbekistan.
- By the end of the 18th century, there were three state entities: the Bukhara Emirate, the Kokand Khanate and the Khiva Khanate. All three state entities were not friendly with each other.
From the late 16th century onward, it was difficult period for the Turkmen people. There were fragmentations along the tribal lines and there were several migrations under the pressure from the opposing forces.
Popular epics such as Koroglu, and other oral traditions, took shape during this period which could be taken as a beginning of Turkmen nation.
The poets and thinkers of the time, most notably Devlet Mehmed Azadi and Magtymguly Pyragy became a voice for an emerging nation, calling for unity, brotherhood and peace among Turkmen tribes.
Most of the present-day Turkmenistan was divided between Khanates of Khiva and Bukhara except southernmost parts, which were handed to Persia. Nader Shah of Persia, conquered it in 1740 but after his assassination in 1747, Turkmen lands were recaptured by Uzbek khanates of Khiva and Bukhara.
As can be seen from the timeline above, we have picked the events and developments during the life of Magtymguly. It stands to logic that we should mention the upheaval and turmoil in the lands encompassing present-day Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Caucasus, and Russia.
However, we have added some other bits of information that don’t make a direct sense in the context of shaping the personality and message of Magtymguly Pyragy.
We will deal with this in the next part of this series. /// nCa, 19 June 2024 [to be continued] (photo credit – Turkmenportal)