Investigating the Process of the Fall of the Khanate of Bukhara to the Russians in the 13th Century Ah / 19th Century CE

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University, Arak, Iran.

2 Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Abstract

Objective: In the second half of the 19th century CE, the colonial rivalry between Russia and Britain intensified in Central Asia. Despite the long-standing political and cultural background of the Emirate of Bukhara, this khanate could not withstand the Russian advances. The present study seeks to answer the question of why and how the Emirate of Bukhara lost its independence. Its main hypothesis is that a combination of internal weaknesses and Russia's coherent, aggressive policy constituted the conceptual model for the fall of Bukhara.
Method: This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population of the study includes manuscript sources, historical documents, and European travelogues related to the Qajar period and Tsarist Russia in the 13th century AH. To write the article, the authors first collected and categorized the internal and external causes of the fall of Bukhara from primary sources, and then, through a comparative analysis of various narratives, analyzed the key stages of the Russian advance up to 1868 CE.
Findings: The main findings indicate that internal despotism, ethnic and religious conflicts, the political miscalculations of Amir Muzaffar, as well as Russia's coherent military policy coupled with its exploitation of internal rifts within the khanate, paved the way for the fall of Bukhara in 1868 CE.
Conclusion: The fall of Bukhara was not only the end of this khanate's political independence and the beginning of its period of protectorate status, but it also fundamentally altered the balance of power in Central Asia in favor of Russia.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

English translation of references
Manuscripts
Bagha Khajeh, Mohammad ibn Ghazi. (n.d.). “Montaxab-e tārix-e amirān-e Manqit-e Boxārā” (Selection from the history of the Manghit Emirs of Bukhara) (Manuscript). Anstito Šarq-šenāsi-ye Tājikestān (Institute of Oriental Studies of Tajikistan), Accession no. 1329. [In Persian]
Eyni, Sadr Al-Din. (1923). “Tārix-e amirān-e Mānqitiye-ye Boxārā” (History of the Manghit Emirs of Bukhara) (Lithograph). Estālinābād. [In Persian]
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History

  • Receive Date: 30 August 2025
  • Revise Date: 06 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 26 November 2025

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