A CRY SEALED IN MEMORIES: THE 1916 TURKESTAN UPRISING THROUGH THE EYES OF ZAKI VALIDI

Abstract

This article is devoted to analysing the historical and political roots and consequences of the popular uprising that took place in Turkestan in 1916 on the basis of Ahmad Zaki Validi Togan's work "Memoirs". It opens up the pages reflecting the national suffering, the colonial oppression and the people's aspiration for freedom that lie behind the events described in the author's recollections. In particular, through the testimony of Zaki Validi, the participants in the uprising, their fates and the violent policy of the tsarist government are described on the basis of concrete facts. Through the unity of historical memory, personal observation and factuality, the article reveals the distinctive echo of the tragedy of 1916 and assesses it as an important stage in the freedom struggle of the peoples of Turkestan.