Abdurauf Fitrat
Abdurauf Fitrat (1886, Bukhara – 1938, Tashkent) was a prominent figure of the Jadid movement, a scholar, writer, and political leader. He first studied in Bukhara, then in Istanbul, where he embraced and promoted ideas of national awakening. Between 1912–1916 he opened Jadid schools and, from 1917, became an ideologue of the Young Bukharians. He founded Chigʻatoy Gurungi, an intellectual society dedicated to advancing language, history, and culture. Fitrat served in the Bukhara People’s Republic, later working in Moscow, Samarkand, and Tashkent in both academic and political roles. He produced influential works in literature, linguistics, history, and musicology. Arrested in 1937, he was executed in 1938.
Abdulla Qodiriy
Abdulla Qodiriy (1894–1938) was a pioneering Uzbek novelist, playwright, and publicist, considered the founder of the Uzbek novel. He was born in Tashkent to a gardener’s family, studied at maktabs, a Russo-native school, and later at a madrasa, before continuing his education in Moscow (1924–1925). Qodiriy worked for Soviet newspapers Ishtirokiyun, Qizil Bayroq, and co-founded the satirical magazine Mushtum. His works include the play The Unfortunate Groom (1915), the novels Bygone Days (1926), Scorpion from the Altar (1928), and the novella Obid Ketmon (1934). Arrested during Stalin’s purges, he was executed in 1938. Posthumously rehabilitated, he remains a national classic.
Is'hoqxon Ibrat
Is’hoqxon Ibrat (1862, To‘raqo‘rg‘on – 1937, Andijan) was a reformist scholar, writer, linguist, and educator of Turkestan. Born into a literate family, he studied in local madrasas, later traveling widely through Istanbul, Europe, Arabia, and India, collecting books and cultural artifacts, including a rare manuscript of Qutadg‘u bilig. In 1901 he published Lug‘ati sitta al-sina (“Six-Language Dictionary”) and in 1908 established the Matbaa Is’hoqiya printing press, producing primers and educational works for Jadid schools. He authored over 15 works, including Tarixi Farg‘ona, Tarixi madaniyat, and Mezon uz-zamon. A pioneer of modern education, he introduced new teaching methods and opened progressive schools. Arrested during Stalin’s purges in 1937, he died in prison under torture at age 75. His grave remains unknown, but his legacy was later honored with a memorial complex in To‘raqo‘rg‘on.
Mahmudhoja Behbudi
Mahmudxo‘ja Behbudiy (1875, Samarqand – 1919, Qarshi) was a leading reformer, educator, playwright, and journalist of the Jadid movement. Orphaned young, he studied under his uncle and became a mufti. He opened Jadid schools, a public library (Qiroatxonayi Behbudiya), and actively promoted education and enlightenment. In 1913, he launched the Samarqand newspaper and the influential Oyina journal, publishing articles on national rights, history, and language. As a playwright, he wrote Padarkush (1913), the first Uzbek drama, which laid the foundation of national theatre. A political activist, he supported the 1917 Turkestan Autonomy and opposed Bolshevik colonial policies. In 1919, he was captured by Soviet agents and executed near Qarshi. His legacy as a martyr for freedom and education inspired later generations.
Abdulla Avloniy
Abdulla Avloniy (1878, Tashkent – 1934) was a prominent educator, poet, playwright, journalist, and public figure of the Jadid movement. Coming from a modest family, he studied in traditional schools while also working as a laborer. In 1904, he opened a usuli jadid school in Mirobod and soon became active in publishing, founding newspapers like Shuhrat, Osiyo, Turon, and contributing to Sadoyi Turkiston. He was a co-founder of the Turon society and its theatre, promoting cultural revival. Avloniy wrote influential textbooks such as Birinchi muallim, Ikkinchi muallim, and Turkiy Guliston yoxud axloq. He also created dramas and translated plays, fostering modern Uzbek literature and theatre. After 1917, he joined the Communist Party, held various official positions, and continued teaching at higher institutions. His literary legacy included poetry, satire, and educational works. Avloniy died on August 25, 1934.
MunavvarQori Abdurashidkhonov
Munavvarqori Abdurashidkhonov (1878, Tashkent – 1931) was a leading educator, writer, and public figure of the Jadid movement. Coming from an intellectual family, he studied in Tashkent and Bukhara, later opening the first usuli savtiya (new method) school in Tashkent in 1901. He authored key textbooks such as Adibi avval and Adib as-soniy, laying the foundations of modern Uzbek education. As a journalist, he founded and contributed to newspapers like Xurshid, Shuhrat, and Sadoyi Turkiston. A reformer, he promoted national schools, higher education, and cultural institutions, also supporting the Turkestan Autonomy. In the 1920s, he engaged in underground independence movements. Arrested in 1929, he endured torture and was executed in 1931.
Abdulhamid Cho‘lpon
Abdulhamid Cho‘lpon (1897, Andijan – 1938, Tashkent) was a major Uzbek poet, writer, translator, and public figure of the Jadid movement. Born into a cultured family, he received early education in madrasas, mastering Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. Influenced by Fitrat and other reformists, Cho‘lpon began publishing in 1912, using pen names like Qalandar and Cho‘lpon. His poetry and prose reflected enlightenment ideals and national awakening, addressing oppression, ignorance, and the struggle for freedom.
He worked in journalism (Hurriyat, Sadoyi Turkiston, Ishtirokiyun), theater, and translation, bringing Pushkin, Gorky, and others into Uzbek literature. His major works include poetry collections Uyg‘onish (1922), Buloqlar (1923), Tong sirlari (1926), and the novel Kecha va kunduz, which depicted social hardship, especially women’s plight.
A participant of the 1920 Baku Congress, he engaged in cultural and political life but soon faced persecution as a “nationalist” and “pan-Turkist.” Arrested during Stalin’s purges, he was executed on October 4, 1938. Cho‘lpon remains a symbol of freedom, renewal, and national consciousness in Uzbek literature.
Ashurali Zohiriy
Ashurali Zohiriy (1885, Qo‘qon – 1938, Farg‘ona) was a prominent Jadid intellectual, teacher, journalist, and linguist. Educated at the Muhammad Alixon madrasa (1897–1914), he mastered several languages and joined the Jadid movement around 1910, contributing to educational reforms and opening new-method schools. He played a key role in founding Sadoyi Farg‘ona, El bayrog‘i, Yurt, and later Yangi Farg‘ona, promoting enlightenment and autonomy. As a linguist, he authored the first Uzbek Imlo (orthography) textbook (1916), co-wrote Turkiy xrestomatiya, and compiled a Russian–Uzbek dictionary (1925).
Zohiriy also taught at the first teacher-training courses in Fergana and took part in language congresses, including the 1926 Samarkand Latinization congress. Accused of nationalism and pan-Turkism, he was imprisoned in 1929, exiled to the Belomor canal, released in 1936, but rearrested in 1937 during Stalin’s purges. He was executed on December 28, 1937. After Uzbekistan’s independence, his name was rehabilitated, and institutions and memorials now honor his legacy as a reformer and cultural figure.