28.04.2022

In the article, the biography of Karimjon Vahobov, the organizer and first director of Bukhara State University, is covered on the basis of archival documents.

Key words: archival documents, People’s Commissariat of Education, Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan, list, personal фонд, storage unit, inventory

Historical memory gives a nation strength and power, helps it достойно overcome the difficult испытания of life, and helps it preserve its identity. In their work “Without historical memory there is no future,” our Head of State emphasized: “A person who has historical memory is a strong-willed person. The lessons of history teach a person to be vigilant. Self-awareness begins with knowing history.” Therefore, without knowing history well, it is impossible to achieve high spirituality. History resembles an unexplored fortress. The more you search, the more it reveals the secrets hidden in its depths. However, interpreting it correctly, evaluating it, and appreciating it are also important. First of all, history must be respected. In order to give a correct assessment to historical events and phenomena, a historian must be able to проникнуться the spirit of that era. Only then will history bring to the surface the ores hidden in its depths.

In the course of researching the history of BuxDU, which marked its 85th anniversary, we had to be among the first to find answers to a number of questions. One such problem is the question of who was the first director (rector) of BuxDU. In the university’s small conference hall, among the photographs of BuxDU rectors, one can see first of all that K. Vahobov served as director in 1930–1935. However, no other information is given in any of the literature devoted to the history of the higher educational institution [1].

The rector of the university, A.A. To‘laganov, set a number of similar tasks for the working groups formed to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Bukhara State University. For this purpose, searches carried out in the Central State Archives of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Bukhara Regional State Archive and the Bukhara City Archive of personnel records, the exhibits of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education, and other ведомственные archives yielded results.

In the documents of Fund 94 of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Narkompros (People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR) [2], we encountered the first document confirming that 29-year-old Karimjon Vahobov was the first director of the university.

The archival document provides information about his social origin and what positions he worked in.

Our research in the city archive under the Bukhara city administration led us to find the family of the first director of the university. Using the family archive of Ulug‘bek Vahobov (68 years old), the son of the university’s first director Karimjon Vahobov, who currently lives in Tashkent, we copied valuable information and photographs about the first director.

At Ulug‘bek Vahobov’s initiative, the documents belonging to Karimjon Vahobov from the family archive were transferred to the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture. In 1982, the head of the museum department, M. Po‘latova, processed these documents and formed the personal fund of “K. Vahobov.” This fund contains more than 100 photographs and more than 100 documents [3]. On the basis of the documents of the personal fund of “K. Vahobov,” we prepared biographical information about the life path of the first director of the university, Karimjon Vahobov.

Karimjon Vahobovich was born in Namangan in 1901 (in some documents 1902 is also written). In the Central State Archive of the Republic of Uzbekistan [4], Karimjon Vahobov’s biography is given starting from the age of 12. It states that in 1913–1918 he apprenticed to a shoemaker in the city of Namangan; in 1918–1919 he worked as a guard at School No. 1 in Namangan; in 1919–1921 he served in the Red Army; in 1921–1923 he was engaged in handicraft work; in 1924 he studied at the party school in Bukhara; in 1924–1925 he was deputy head of the political-educational department; in 1928–1929 he served as head of the District Department of Public Education (RayONO) of G‘ijduvon district; and in 1928–1929 he worked as head of the City Department of Public Education (GorONO) of Bukhara city.

This valuable document compiled in the 1930s requires supplementation with the information from the exhibits of the personal fund of “K. Vahobov” in the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts. Due to the shortage of кадры, it was clarified that Karimjon Vahobov also carried out a number of other duties.

For example, under inventory number 1705/II (15) there is a certificate confirming that in 1922 he was the head of the military–civilian training department of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Control of the Bukhara People’s Soviet Republic (BXShR). Under inventory number 17058/II (5b), a certificate is preserved confirming that by Order No. 30 of November 30, 1924, of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the BXShR, K. Vahobov was appointed to the position of head of a department of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the BXShR. Karimjon Vahobov also made a great contribution in 1924 in the BXShR People’s Commissariat of Education to eliminating illiteracy (likbez). Also, a certificate is preserved under inventory number 17057/II (2) confirming that by Order No. 16 of December 1, 1924, of the Zarafshan Okrug Executive Committee he worked as head of the Zarafshan Okrug political-educational administration; and by Order No. 13 of December 30, 1924, simultaneously as deputy head of Oblono, as well as head of the regional press and publishing department.

By the decision of the plenum of the G‘ijduvon uezd executive committee of April 17, 1926, he was appointed as head of public education of the G‘ijduvon uezd.

In 1927 he was a слушатель of the teacher retraining course at the Uzbek Pedagogical Institute named after Nizomiy.

In addition, two important documents of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR in 1930 confirm that Karimjon Vahobov was appointed as the first director of the university: Order No. 146 of September 9 of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR, and an extract from Protocol No. 91 of the meeting of the collegium of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR dated October 1, 1930.

The first document is a valuable source about the opening of the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute and also states that Karimjon Vahobov was appointed as its director, and that he was responsible for the work related to the opening of the university by November 7.

Order No. 146 of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR also assigned important tasks to Karimjon Vahobov, such as allocating 30,000 (thirty thousand) rubles to prepare the new building for study and organizing the admission process according to the quota of 105. The extract from Protocol No. 91 of the collegium meeting of September 1, 1930, of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR indicates that the agenda considered the issue of approving Karimjon Vahobov as director of the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute and N.S. Dmitriev as deputy for academic affairs. The two important documents cited above confirm that Karimjon Vahobov was appointed as the first director of the university [5].

BDU—Bukhara State University
Karimjon Vahobov. 1930. Exhibit No. 17058/12 (28) of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts.

Among the exhibits of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts, on the back of this photograph kept under number 17058/12 (28), there is an inscription: “Kogda ya bl direktorom gos.pedinstituta”.

Among the exhibits of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture, there is also a photograph confirming that through the efforts of Karimjon Vahobov the assignment of the People’s Commissariat of Education was fulfilled on time—namely, a photograph taken on November 7, 1930, on the opening day of the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute [6].

As you view the photograph, you can obtain valuable information about the organizer and first director of the institute, the name of the institute and the initial teaching staff, as well as the first учебное building. The photograph also clarified the question of what the opening date and the first name were of BAPI, which in some sources was mistakenly interpreted as the Bukhara Agrarian Pedagogical Institute—i.e., the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute (in accordance with the spelling rules of 1930, the word “Oliy” (Vsshiy) was used in the form “Aliy”).

In the photograph there is also Karimjon Vahobov, who served as head of the Bukhara Okrug education department, showed dedication in organizing the university, and in 1930 was appointed as the first director of the institution (fourth from the right in the first row). Also, among the exhibits of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts, a director’s certificate issued in the name of K. Vahobov by the People’s Commissariat of Education is preserved [7].

The fact that Karimjon Vahobov’s certificate confirming his directorship of the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute was valid until May 1931 helped restore another historical truth. Above we noted that in the university’s small conference hall, among the photographs of BuxDU rectors, it is written first that K. Vahobov served as director in 1930–1935. The documents provided grounds for clarifying the chronology that K. Vahobov served as director in 1930–1931. Other documents also confirmed that Karimjon Vahobov served as director from October 1, 1930, to March 1931 [8].

Exhibit No. 17057/II (22) of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts.

This document, kept in the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under inventory number 17057/II (20), indicates that starting from April 1, 1931, Karimjon Vahobov was sent to study in Moscow at the Krupskaya Academy.

Thus, a new problem arose: who was the director of the Bukhara Higher Pedagogical Institute in 1931–1935?

On March 27, 1931, in issue No. 69 of “Uzbekistanskaya pravda,” a critical article titled “V Buxarskom VPI biologiya vtesnyaet politiku fabrika kadrov rabotaet bez programm i planov” was published. It criticized shortcomings committed during the institute’s 7 months of activity. Instead of K. Vaxabov, Usmonov G‘ani was appointed as director, and instead of Dmitriev, deputy director for academic affairs, Fradkin was appointed. Another historical truth was restored: namely, it was determined that the second director, Usmonov G‘anijon, served in 1931–1934, and the third director, X.X. Valiev, served in 1934–1935, and their photographs were also found.

K. Vahobov successfully graduated in 1933–1936 from the All-Union Communist Agricultural University in Leningrad. In the exhibit of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts No. 17058/12 (22), the выпускная vignette of the graduates of this university is preserved.

Continuing to study K. Vahobov’s biography, we can also learn that in 1939–1940 he worked as secretary of the Октябрь district party committee of the city of Tashkent [9].

Among the exhibits of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts there is a document свидетельствующий that K. Vahobov moved to a new job [10]. According to it, by Order No. 1712a of the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Uzbek SSR dated September 3, 1940, he was appointed director of the Central Museum of History of the Uzbek SSR.

During the years of World War II, K. Vahobov was among the first to volunteer to go to the фронт. Having served up to the rank of captain, K. Vahobov was awarded a number of medals and orders for bravery. Among them are the medal “For Combat Services” and the Order of the “Red Star” [11].

In 1944, a letter of gratitude came addressed to the head of the government of Uzbekistan, U. Yusupov, from the major of a military unit named Garasin. The full text of the letter is preserved as exhibit No. 11285/II of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts.

From the content of the letter, one can learn that during the war years K. Vahobov invented a field oven in order to provide the military unit with bread in a timely manner. As a result of this invention, it was possible to improve the food supply of soldiers.

It is noted that at the Novo-Kramatorsk machine-building plant in Russia, ovens were produced based on K. Vahobov’s design [12].

In the letter from Major Garasin to the head of the government of Uzbekistan, Usion Yusupov, gratitude was expressed to the entire Uzbek people who raised and educated K. Vahobov.

In the postwar years, K. Vahobov (from 1946) worked as head of the Bukhara (oblono) education department. There is also a document confirming that from 1950 he worked as head of the public education department of the Moscow district of the city of Tashkent [13].

Among the documents sent from the family archive of K. Vahobov’s son, U.K. Vahobov, there is an obituary published on December 29, 1959, in one of the periodicals [14]. This obituary is connected with K. Vahobov’s death, and from it one can learn about his last position. In the last years of his life, K. Vahobov worked as deputy head of the Bukhara regional department of agriculture. From this source one can also learn that for his services K. Vahobov was awarded the Order of the “Badge of Honor.”

The historical development of mankind shows that self-awareness, first of all, is manifested through the spiritual reality of human existence—honor, dignity, reputation, conscience, and honor. Understanding the meaning and purpose of life also begins with self-awareness.

On this matter, the Head of State I.A. Karimov said: “By self-awareness I mean restoring historical memory, understanding who our ancestors were, whose наследники we are, and on that basis building a society that is unique and appropriate for us.”

During the preparation of this article, we became acquainted with the children of the first director of BuxDU, Karimjon Vahobov, and collected a number of pieces of information about them as well. Today, Karimjon Vahobov’s three children are active in various fields of our society.

In conclusion, to date a total of twenty-one rectors have served at BuxDU. All of them led scientific-creative and organizational work for the university and contributed their share. We believe that this article will serve as a basis for future generations to conduct similar research about them as well.

Hamroyev Azalshoh Hazratovich, BDU—Bukhara State University
Senior teacher of the Department of History of Bukhara State University,
Associate Professor of the International Academy of Ancient Studies

Rahmonova Mavluda Abdusamadovna
Senior teacher of Bukhara Engineering-Technological Institute

REFERENCES

Buxarskiy Gosudarstvenny pedagogicheskiy institut imeni Sergo Ordjonikidze. Kratkiy istoricheskiy ocherk. (1930–1980 gg.). Tashkent – “O‘qituvchi” – 1981; Materialy nauchno-texnicheskoy konferensii, posvyashchennoy 60-letiyu Buxarskogo Gosudarstvennogo instituta. Buxara – 1990.
O‘zR MDA F.r-94. O 5, D 930, – S. 75–77.
Pulatova M. Yarkaya zvezda. Sovetskaya Buxara. 1982, 30 iyul.
O‘zR MDA F.r-94. O 5, D 933, – 13 s.
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/II (5).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17058/12 (24).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17058/II (2).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/II (20).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/12 (82); 17057/II (13).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/12 (82); 17057/(4).
Exhibit No. 11279/(8) of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts.
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/12 (82); 17057/II (35).
Inventory of the Bukhara Museum of Fine Arts under the Bukhara State Museum-Reserve of Artistic Architecture 17057/12 (82); 17057/II (7).
Obituary. Sovetskaya Buxara. 1959, 29 dekabr.