The picture shown above is that of the last Emir of Bukhara, Said Mir Mohammed Alim Khan. Alim Khan is a direct descendant of Genghis Khan and the last member of the Khan family to rule a territory. The photo was taken by Prokudin Gorskii in 1911 when he traveled to the Emirate of Bukhara which is modern day Uzbekistan. The Emirate of Bukhara was a protectorate of the Russian Empire which allowed Alim Khan access to a proper military and political education in St. Petersburg. Alim Khan returned to Bakhara at the age of 16 in order to help his father govern the Emirate. Alim Khan’s father dies in 1910 and Alim became the Emir of Bakhara in 1911, the same year that Prokudin Gorskii visited the Emirate.
Alim Khan started his rule with the intentions of reforming the traditional ways of Bukhara with an emphasis on political reform. Bribes, unnecessary taxes, and unjust laws created by the administration were common throughout Bukhara’s government. This “traditional” type of government was something that Alim Khan wanted to change. He stopped taking bribes and “gifts” and forced his administration to do the same. He also got rid of certain taxes that the previous administration had created. While he pushed for reform in government, he also reinstated more traditional laws such as the harem system which allowed him to house over 100 wives. Whether it was caused by his back and forth between modern reform and traditional laws and social norms, or just the changing of the times, Alim Khan quickly found himself in the middle of a revolution.
The revolution between the reformists and the traditionalists escalated quickly with the traditionalists eventually exiling the reformists to Kazan and Moscow. This actually helped Alim Khan in the short run because he was forced to pick the traditionalist side. This being said, Alim Khan’s attempt at reform, failed. He was not able to convince the people and gain their trust. The people saw Alim Khan as a man that was trying to take away the strength and power of traditional morals. Although Alim Khan got to keep his throne for a little longer due to him siding with the traditionalists, the reformists were far from giving up. The reformists gained the support of the Bolsheviks, and the Bolsheviks attempted to assault Bukhara in 1918 with a small portion of the Red Army. Due to the Russian Revolution, the Red Army was untrained and spread very thin. This led to an absolute route in Bukhara as Alim Khan defended his territory and then slaughtered multiple known reformists in Bukhara to send a message to his followers that he was fully supportive of the traditionalist movement.
Alim Khan was allowed to revel in his victory and power from the comfort of his throne for the next two years. However, once the Russian Revolution died down, Russia looked to Bukhara once again. This time, with much more force, the Red Army marched upon the Ark of Bukhara and topped the stronghold within four days. Alim Khan was forced into hiding, eventually settling in Kabul Afghanistan. The takeover of Bukhara was a turning point in region. Traditional values were being toppled over by the Russians as their power grab continued throughout central Asia.
Picture Credits: https://content.wdl.org/603/thumbnail/1430159399/616×510.jpg
Reference: Butler, R. (2016, March 8). The Last Khan. Retrieved from http://our- russia.com/08032016231921/last-khan
Jake's Blog 
Very interesting backstory and the context of the Emir’s story sounds very similar to that of the Russian government’s during this time period. The same struggle to please both the reformists and the traditionalists can be seen during the revolutionary period which we’ve been talking about in class. It’s cool how this sort of the thing was happening all over the empire and not just the heartland of Russia.
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It would seem that as a protectorate of the Russian Empire, Bukhara fell victim to many of the same problems that the Empire had. This struggle between the reformists and traditionalists was going on at the same time as the Russian Revolution.
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Hey Jake, really cool photo of one of the last “great” Khans! I love this picture because it really illustrates the diversity the empire had in terms of being so vast and full of tiny kingdoms within the larger nation. I’d be interested to learn the history of this Bukhara state, do you happen to know how far back this emirate came to be?
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The Russian Empire covered so much land that it had no choice but to be diverse. It makes me wonder how much of this diversity contributed to the Russian Revolution. I am sure that it was hard to keep some sort of standard across such a vast and diverse region. The city of Bukhara was one of the largest and oldest cities in what we know as modern day Uzbekistan. The city dates back over two millennia but the Emirate itself was established in 1785.
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Alim Khan seems to have been in a very tough position between the reformists and traditionalists. Is there a reason why the Bolsheviks were so willing to support the reformists in overthrowing Alim Khan?
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The Bolsheviks were itching for reform. They started with places like the Emirate of Bukhara but as we learned in class, the Bolsheviks eventually followed Lenin into the Russian Revolution of 1917 not even 6 years later.
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What an interesting post! I think the fate of the last Emir typifies the confusing and complex dynamics of the Revolution and civil war period (1917-21). The Bolsheviks are anti-Imperialist until the Empire dissolves, but then over the next few years, they realize they have to consolidate their hold over the periphery — and occupy it – in order to not be ousted themselves. So, they end up re-conquering the same territories the might have imagined they were “liberating” at the outset.
Also, check out Isaiah’s post on the Emir as well: http://russianhistory20thcentury.com/istill17/uncategorized/bukhara-empire-of-russia/#comment-5
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Also, that source you found is really intriguing! do you think that author is really named “Rhett Butler”? Some of the photography on that site is fabulous, and the historical narrative about the Emir is detailed and fascinating. It’s too bad they don’t cite the sources of the information they use in their articles.
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