Embracing A Central Asian Renaissance?
What will a cultural renaissance in Central Asia mean - especially for Iranians and Afghans.
In common with other countries that had been under Soviet rule, the five Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have celebrated their 30th anniversary of independence in 2021 - the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They do so against a backdrop of global political tumult with Afghanistan and Iran - two countries with whom the Central Asian republics share much in a way of historic and cultural links - on their doorstep.
A recent interview given by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, was quite interesting for the fact that he decried the negative impact Communism had on the development of Uzbekistan, and a continuation of what he saw as the Russian colonisation of the country. This is striking given that Russia under Vladimir Putin has been committed to whitewashing the Soviet period and still refuses to acknowledge the atrocities of that era. Another prominent political figure, Alisher Qodirov (who leads another pro-government party), expressed similar sentiments regarding Communism.
But more to it, is the theme of a “Third Renaissance” being touted for Uzbekistan and the region in general. The idea should resonate strongly beyond the borders of Uzbekistan and neighbouring Tajikistan (whose histories can’t be separated given the present borders only date to the Soviet era), given their historic cultural affinities with Afghanistan and Iran.
Discourse about the “Third Renaissance” has tied in with the program of reform that has taken place in Uzbekistan since Mirziyoyev assumed power in 2016, distancing his rule from that of his predecessor Islom Karimov and the Soviet regime which preceded them. It is hoped that reforms will eventually improve the human rights situation in the country, and make it more open to the world. The country’s rich cultural heritage helps encourage tourism.
To acknowledge the negative impact of Communism on the country, let alone state that it was a continuation of Russian colonial policies, is striking not only because it contradicts Russia’s narrative of history but also because it contradicts much of Western liberal discourse on the matter. After all, colonialism is only ever condemned when it is Western nations who have done it, but the colonisation of territories by Ottoman and Russian empires has long been given a pass.
The meaning of a renaissance
The Central Asia region has long been linked to ancient Iranian civilisation. Nowhere is this more evident than the glorious cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, today in Uzbekistan. The region was part of the Achaemenid Empire and there has also been a Jewish presence in Uzbekistan for just as long.
Central Asia would come under the rule of Islamic caliphates, but the weakening of the Abbasid Caliphate led to the rise of local dynasties. The period between the 9th and 11th Centuries is known as the Iranian Intermezzo or renaissance, with a revival of Persian culture and identity under local dynasties in Iran and Central Asia.
The Samanid Dynasty which ruled present-day north-east Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was a key player in this revival, which is also considered the “First Renaissance” described above, in which Samarkand and Bukhara enjoyed a Golden Age. After the fall of the Samanids, the region would come under Turkic and then Mongol rule, but the underlying Persian culture remained. (The Uzbek language is one of the more heavily Persian-influenced Turkic languages, and Persian is also still spoken in Uzbekistan)
Under the Timurids, the region would experience a renaissance (“Second Renaissance”). The fall of that empire would see two and later three regional states emerge in Central Asia: Khiva (Khwarzem), Bukhara and later Kokand (covering the Fergana Valley). What is now Tajikistan was divided between Bukhara and Kokand (who also at times ruled parts of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), but in reality local petty shahs held sway in many areas until the 19th Century prior to colonisation by the Russian Empire.
With the Russian Revolution in 1917, the region resisted the Bolsheviks until 1920 and resistance (the Basmachi movement) continued for some years after that. The present-day borders of the republics date to this period. Central Asia experienced the same kind of terror as other regions under Soviet rule, while the Soviet cotton industry used slave labour.
Since independence in 1991, authoritarian government has been the norm in the region with a number of lingering Soviet legacies. At the same time, a revival of national culture and identity has been evident throughout. While Central Asia was imprisoned under Soviet rule, Iran experienced a national revival under the Pahlavi Dynasty. Since 1979, Iran has been ruled by the anti-Iranian Islamic Republic which negates Iranian culture, and Afghanistan has come under similarly barbaric Islamist domination.
And this is why a cultural renaissance in Central Asia is so important not just for the region, but for Afghan and Iranian people everywhere. Because so much of the culture is shared, and because in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan it is possible to freely celebrate one’s own culture in their own country, there is a powerful resonance. Especially for Iranians in the opposition movement, nationalist and monarchist, a secular national identity is one to be aspired to.
Indeed, once Iran is liberated from Islamic Republic rule, the potential of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and Central Asia working together is limitless. Culture is everything and a cultural revival in Central Asia can be very helpful for Afghan and Iranian people who despair at what has been done to their own countries.