SADRIDDIN AYNI AND THE FINAL PERIOD OF THE BUKHARA EMIRATE: A LITERARY AWAKENING

Abstract

one of the most influential figures of the Central Asian enlightenment movement. Born in the Bukhara Emirate, Ayni grew up in a modest family of craftsmen and scholars whose values shaped his passion for knowledge and reform. Drawing mainly on his autobiographical works Memoirs and The Old School, the article traces Ayni’s path from his childhood education and early hardships to the personal losses that strengthened his resolve for social change. His experiences under the oppressive rule of the Emir later inspired his literary and reformist vision. In Samarkand, Ayni created some of his most remarkable works, including the revolutionary poem The March of Freedom (1918), which powerfully voiced his ideals of liberty and progress.