the events of the 1916 uprising. Shokay vividly
described the victory of the February Revolution in
Petrograd and the subsequent upheavals, which led to
his return to Turkestan in April 1917.
Upon his return, Mustafa Shokay became actively
involved in political processes in Turkestan. He
founded and started publishing the newspapers
"Birlik Tug`i" and "Свободный Туркестан" in
Tashkent during the spring of 1917. At the First All-
Turkestan Muslim Congress held in Tashkent on
April 16-23, 1917, he chaired the establishment of the
Central Council of Turkestan Muslims
(Kraymussovet), also known as the National Center.
Shokay participated in the First All-Kyrgyz [All-
Kazakh] Sejd held in Orenburg in July 1917 and
became a member of the Turkestan Committee of the
Provisional Government from August 1917. After the
Bolsheviks seized power in Tashkent, the National
Center led by Mustafa Shokay relocated to Kokand in
early November (Rajabov, 2021).
According to the "Ulug` Turkestan" newspaper,
on July 15, 1917, Mustafa Chokai was nominated and
elected as a member of the Turkestan Committee of
the Provisional Government of Russia during the
meetings of Tashkent city, Transcaspian, Fergana,
and Syrdarya regions (Committee of Turkestan,
1917).
Ahmed Zaki Validii, another prominent state and
public figure and a consistent advocate for the
independence of the Turkic peoples, was born on
December 10 (22), 1890, in the village of Kuzyanovo,
Ilchik-Temirovsky district, Sterlitamak [Istarlitomak]
uezd, Ufa province. His parents, both religious
workers, were educated and proficient in several
languages. Ahmed Zaki Validii, also known as
Akhmatzaki Akhmetshakhovich Validov or Toghan
in emigration and later in Turkey, played a crucial
role as an orientalist and Turkic scholar.
In his memoirs written abroad, Ahmed Zaki
Validii detailed his travels to Turkestan and Bukhara,
particularly his stay in the Bukhara Emirate in the
summer of 1914.
Similar to Mustafa Shokay, Ahmed Zaki Validii
arrived in Tashkent in April 1917 and actively
participated in the political processes of the country.
He became the general secretary (Proceedings of the
Convention, 1917) of the Muslim Council of
Turkestan (Kraymussovet), established at the First
Congress of All-Turkestan Muslims in April 1917.
Validii also served as the editor of the "Kengash"
newspaper, the official organ of the Council, and
played a key role in the autonomy movement in
Turkestan, consistently advocating for the unity and
independence of the Turkic peoples.
As the editor of the "Kengash" newspaper, the
press organ of the "Sho'roi Islam" society, Ahmed
Zaki Validii mentioned in his memoirs that he wrote
most of the main articles published in the press organ
(Validii, n.d.).
In order to provide a clearer understanding of the
activities of national political forces in Turkestan,
Validii categorized societies into three groups: class
organizations, sectarian organizations, and general
organizations. He emphasized the need for these
organizations to have charters to maintain order.
Validii also proposed the reform of various societies
and organizations operating in Tashkent and other
major cities of the Turkestan region.
Ahmed Zaki Validii served as secretary and
chairman in several meetings of the Central Council
of Turkestan Muslims held in June-July 1917. On
June 27, 1917, he was accepted as the director of the
organization and education department of the Central
Council (Turkestan Central Council, 1917).
In the fall of 1917, Ahmed Zaki Validii left
Tashkent and became one of the leaders of the
government and national movement of
Bashkortostan, assuming roles such as head of
government and military inspector. When autonomy
was restricted, he distanced himself from the Soviet
state and the Bolsheviks, arriving in Bukhara in the
fall of 1920.
4 CONCLUSIONS
In 1917, key figures among the Turkic peoples, such
as Mustafa Shokay and Ahmed Zaki Validii, played
pivotal roles in the political landscape of Turkestan.
Tashkent, being the political and economic hub,
witnessed the active involvement of these leaders in
guiding Turkestan progressives. Together, these
Turkic leaders spearheaded the fight for freedom and
independence, initially against the Russian Empire
and later against the Bolsheviks and Soviet Russia.
Alongside Mustafa Shokay and Ahmed Zaki
Validii, other prominent figures like Munavvar Qori
Abdurashidkhanov, Ubaydulla Khojaev, Abdulla
Avloni in Tashkent, Obidjon Mahmudov in the
Fergana Valley, Cholpon, Hamza, Mahmudhoja
Behbudi in Samarkand, Fitrat, Fayzulla Khojaev,
Abdulvahid Burkhanov, and Abdulkadir Muhitdinov
in Khorezm, as well as Polvonniyoz Haji Yusupov
and Bobohun Salimov in Khorezm, demonstrated
courage in the struggle for the unity and
independence of Turkestan and their people.
REFERENCES
Son of Mustafa Chokay. (1992). Independence
Executioners (Memoirs of 1917). Tashkent: Gafur
Ghulam Publishing Association.