Historical, Ethnological, Philosophical Aspects and Methodology of

Research of Family Traditions and Values of Fergana Valley

Khaitkhan Ismailova

Andijan Institute of Economics and Construction, Andijan, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Fergana Valley, Family, Tradition, Value, Geostrategic Approach, Non-Scientific Approach, Process, Region,

National, Attitude.

Abstract: The socio-philosophical analysis of the transformation of family traditions and values of the Fergana Valley

is described in the article based on scientific sources. Unscientific, geostrategic approaches were identified

during the study of sources. Unbiased information is disclosed. It has been scientifically proven that national

mental characteristics in family relations in the region have not lost their importance since ancient times.

1 INTRODUCTION

Fergana Valley is one of the most densely populated

valleys. Nevertheless, you can find green villages,

fields rich in empty green landscapes, wide highways,

and a lively life reigns in the cities. It can be said that

the region is located in the center of Central Asia. The

valley has made an immeasurable contribution to the

history and culture of the region. The processes in the

Fergana Valley have a great impact on the

surrounding regions and countries. The fact that the

Fergana Valley is the largest market in Central Asia,

and the passage of trade caravans through the Great

Silk Road from ancient times strengthens these

factors.

The Fergana Valley has always been a region of

social diversity and pluralism. Representatives of

various nationalities and peoples (Uzbek, Kyrgyz,

Tajik, Russian, Turkish, etc.) live in the territory. The

present represents a high degree of continuity with the

past because of several identities that have coexisted

over the centuries.

The region has attracted the attention of

international scientists, geographers, and scientific

researchers because of its unique geographical

location, invasions of different eras, various political

processes, and unique traditions of the population.

Family relations have been of special importance

in the life of the valley. In the family, parents and

children, marital relations, and kinship issues have

https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8844-4326

been honoured as a sacred bond at all times. There are

many historical sources about the social relations,

national values, and family relations of the

inhabitants of the valley.

2 THE MAIN RESULTS AND

FINDINGS

In literary sources for the study of the Fergana Valley,

the term “family” describes child education

consisting of a breadwinner father, a household, a

mother engaged in raising children, and their

children. There are family customs, ceremonies and

traditions of the valley that have come down from

ancient times to the present day, which are stone

inscription monuments, and folklore, including

“Olan”, “Lapar”, “Yor-Yor”, “Alla”, “Kelin Salam”,

people related to natural phenomena such as

“member's guide”, “narrative”, “legend”, “find”,

“proverb”, “prayer”, “Yo Ramadan”, “Kinna

Aytimlari”, “askiya”, “khizikchilik”, “latifa” views

are reflected. Ancient dreams, thoughts, life

processes, and inner experiences of the people are

reflected through mythological images, materials

related to the folk calendar, and folklore sources

related to weather changes.

In the above-mentioned folklore, the processes of

the marriage of a girl and the marriage of a bride are

reflected. In epics such as “Alpomish”, “Tahir and

1334

Ismailova, K.

Historical, Ethnological, Philosophical Aspects and Methodology of Research of Family Traditions and Values of Fergana Valley.

DOI: 10.5220/0012966500003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1334-1338

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

Zuhra”, “Farhad and Shirin”, “Layli and Majnun”,

special attention is paid to traditions and values in

family relations.

From the Fergana Valley came figures such as the

great allama Burkhaniddin Margilani, who analyzed

family relations jurisprudentially. Burkhaniddiy

Margilani's work “Hidaya” in Central Asia served to

regulate issues such as family, marriage,

breastfeeding, divorce, and determining the surname

of a found child in the Ferghana Valley.

In addition, Zahiriddin Muhammed Babur's work

"Babirnoma" describes the geographical location,

climate, unique traditions and rituals of the Fergana

Valley. “Bu kentlardin quyi domanada tog‘ bila

Boron suyining oralig‘ida ikki parcha hamvor dasht

voqi’ bo‘libtur. Birini Kurrai Toziyon derlar, yana

birini Dashti Shayx. Еzlar jikin tola o‘ti bisyor yaxshi

bo‘lur Atroq va aymoq yoz munda kelurlar. Bu dom

anada ranga-ranga har nav’lola bo‘lur. Bir qavatla

sanattim, o‘ttuz ikki - o‘ttiz uch nav’ g‘ayri mukarrar

lola chiqtn. Bir nav’ lola bo‘lurkim, andin andek qizil

gul idi kelur, lolai gulbo‘y der eduk. Dashti Shayxta

bir parcha yerda bo‘lur, o‘zga yerda bo‘lmas, yana

ushbu damanada Parvondin quyiroq sadbarg lola

bo‘lur, ul ham bor porcha yerda g‘urband tangisining

chiqishida bo‘lur” said, mountain, river, flora and

fauna, roads, weather, distance, population and their

occupations, ways of living, material livelihood of

people, information about social life and period,

nature, their relations in general. The beautiful nature

of the valley, delicious fruits, and agricultural

products were described many times in Babur's

works.

From the history of Fergana Valley, women's

participation in family relations and community

management is observed. For example, through the

life and work of Mokhlaroyim, the daughter of

Andijan governor Rahmonqulibai, who created in the

second half of the 19th century under the pseudonym

Nodirabegim, one can get information about the

lifestyle, place in society, and family status of women

of that time. Mohlaroyim is a singer of love, devotion

and loyalty. In his poems, he also sang about beauty

and loyalty, the pains and sorrows of Eastern women.

After the death of her husband Amir Umar Khan, her

son Muhammad Ali Khan, who ascended the throne,

is helped in state affairs. This shows that the women

of the valley are intelligent, knowledgeable and smart

in every field.

It is known that Uvaysiy, who lived and created

during this period, mentored Mohlarayim, created in

all genres as a prolific artist. Uwaisi praises

faithfulness and loyalty in his sharia. Through the

poems of the poetess, it is known that the women of

the valley have such feelings as loyalty, devotion, and

love.

In the works of enlightened artists such as Hamza,

Cholpon, Abdulla Qakhkhor, Abdulla Qadiri, Fitrat,

the lifestyle, experiences, and family relations of the

valley's inhabitants during the khanate period are

described.

In the works of Hamza, one of the prominent

modern enlighteners of Turkestan, the hard life of the

people of that time, the hardships faced by women,

and the role of women in society are described. In

Hamza's "Secrets of Parangi", Tolakhann, the main

character, said, "O God, why did you create women if

you don't care about them like a flying bird?" Is this

also birth? Oh my God, is this just a living?"

eloquently expressed their moaning. The author

expresses the sorrows and pains of modern women

through these lines. The play tells about the fact that

women's desires are not important, their thoughts are

unimportant, and the fate of girls whose interests and

dreams are ruined. As can be seen from the work,

during the time of the Khans, cases such as polygamy

and prostitution caused family relations to deteriorate.

Abdurauf Fitrat's work "Family or Family

Management Procedures" highlights aspects that

should be paid attention to by a young man and a

young woman when building a family. Through this

work, the author tries to teach people about morality,

family rules, and expresses his views in a very simple

and understandable way. In order to regulate family

relations, he gives examples from the verses of the

Holy Qur'an, examples from hadiths and shows

existing family conflicts, disagreements and

shortcomings in the family.

Abdulla Qadiri's work "Bygone Days" describes

the shari'a issues of building a family in the valley, as

well as the romantic relationship between a boy and a

girl, the role of parents in the family, and the living

conditions of the population. Internal and external

courtyards in Uzbek families, issues of regulation of

relations between men and women in families based

on Islamic religion and national values are described.

In addition, many resources have been created that

provide information on family traditions and values

of the Fergana Valley. In Abdulla Kadiri's novel "Past

Days" the lifestyle of Fergana Valley families in the

20th century, in Abdulkhamid Cholpon's novel

"Night and Day", the morals of young people of that

time, bonds in family relations, in Tolagan

Kasimbekov's novel "Broken Sword" the invasion of

Tsarist Russia in Central Asia, The situation in Kok

and the negative consequences of the war are

highlighted. In these works, the difficult economic

conditions in the Fergana Valley in the 19th-20th

Historical, Ethnological, Philosophical Aspects and Methodology of Research of Family Traditions and Values of Fergana Valley

1335

centuries, the hardships of the population's lifestyle,

the people's discontent, and the processes of

transformation in family customs and traditions are

highlighted.

Many scientific researches and expeditions were

conducted in the Fergana Valley. But mainly

scientific sources can be studied through the research

conducted during the Soviet colonial period.

The first work of this type are Flipp Efromov's

"Nine Year Journey". By fate, the author comes to

Kokhan and the lifestyle of the inhabitants of this land

arouses great interest in him. It describes issues such

as the love between husband and wife in the peculiar

family relations of the inhabitants of the region, and

the fact that the inhabitants have a strong faith in

religion. It is said that there is a large trade complex

in Kokand, many foreigners visit for trade from other

countries, and traders meet a lot because of the Great

Silk Road.

Flipp Nazarov, translator and officer of Tsarist

Russia, will travel to Kokan. During his journey, he

carefully observes the geography of the region. He is

especially interested in the mountains surrounding the

valley. According to the author, there is a large trade

route in this area, and travellers are not interrupted

day and night. But he says that walking around the

mountain at night is a bit scarier, the shadow of the

mountains in the moonlight makes one shiver. In

addition, livestock breeding is rare in the people's

lifestyle, because various vegetables and fruits are

grown in the regions, and the population is mainly

engaged in cotton farming, silkworm breeding and

cocoon cultivation, planting crops.

Researchers have explained that the main reason

why the Russian Empire conquered Central Asia and

paid attention to the Kokand Khanate was trade

relations in the region, as well as geographical

location, natural resources, and climate. V. V.

Velyaminov-Zernov, one of the first researchers on

the history of the Kokan Khanate of the 40s-50s of the

XIX century, in his work “Труды восточного

отделение императорскаго орхиологического

общество” (“Proceedings of the Eastern Branch of

the Imperial Archeological Society”) describes the

processes of the termination of the Khanate, the

reasons for the invasion of the Russian Empire, and

the standard of living of the population in this

situation.

Gubaeva Stella Sitdighovna, one of the

researchers of Uzbekistan, in her work "Fergana

Valley" describes the geographical location, climate,

lifestyle, living conditions, role of women in society,

family values and traditions of the Fergana Valley in

the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the work,

"Fergana Valley, one of the oldest historical and

ethnographic regions of Central Asia, is always

distinguished by its ethnic mosaic and difficult socio-

economic situation. At the end of the 19th century and

the beginning of the 20th century, when capitalism

was formed in the region, there is information that

Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uighurs, Central Asian

Jews, Tatars and others lived in the valley.

Fergana Valley is an area surrounded by high

mountains. Nevertheless, the region reflects a special

nature due to its unique climate, nature, wide fields,

and rivers such as Amudarya, Syrdarya, and Norin.

The territory has all the possibilities for human living

needs. That is why geographers have always been

interested in the region at the international level.

Here, many delicious fruits, field crops, green fields

give a special mood to Jesus. In addition, various

conflicts in the region, invasion actions, Great Silk

Road caravans that passed through the territory

attracted the attention of merchants and politicians.

Despite such a problematic situation and various acts

of aggression, psychologists, philosophers, and

representatives of various fields have been interested

in the unique lifestyle and social relations of the

population, especially because of the preservation of

national mental characteristics in family traditions

and customs.

It became clear in the results of the research that

not all information on the study of the Fergana Valley

was approached objectively. In particular, after

Tsarist Russia conquered the region, the newly

conquered lands were explored at the initiative of the

administration. Fergana Valley has been studied by

researchers for various non-scientific and

geostrategic purposes.

"After the Russians moved directly to the present-

day Turkestan, travel information was made through

detailed observations and recommendations," A.I.

Maksheev proves our point.

A.R. Luria, a psychologist of Czarist Russia, who

studied the mental state of the Fergana Valley

population, post-war experiences, and perception

levels of the population, analyzes the region in

comparison with internationally developed countries.

After the war, when the inhabitants of this region

were going through difficult psychological

experiences, it can be seen that Luria made a negative

conclusion about the level of perception of the

population.

S.N.Abashin, V.I.Bushkov, among the

researchers of Chor Russia, also conduct scientific

research in the Fergana Valley. In the work

"Ferganskaya dolina", the authors analyze the living

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conditions of the population during the colonial

period.

In the studied scientific research, the unique

inhabitants of the Fergana Valley, their lifestyle, and

processes in the region have attracted the attention of

international scientists and researchers. As a result,

many sources related to the region have been created.

3 DISCUSSION

Religious values play an important role in the lifestyle

of Fergana Valley residents. Elements of teachings

such as Animism, Fetishism, and Totemism can be

found in ancient religious concepts. From the family

values that have been preserved to this day, such

cases as a good attitude towards the white snake,

respect for it, special respect for the horse from

animals, protection from the evil eye by wearing

amulets, and belief in the presence of divine spirits

have been preserved.

Zoroastrianism also plays an important role in the

valley lifestyle. In marriage ceremonies, it is

manifested in the bride's delivery, the handover of the

girl, in the interaction between parents and children,

and in public issues. The opinion of parents and the

public is especially important in the marriage of a boy

and a girl.

With the introduction of Islam to the territory,

great attention was paid to the religious regulation of

the family relations of the population. According to

the tenets of the Islamic religion, marriage

ceremonies, family matters, relations between parents

and children, and close relatives were regulated by

jurisprudence. Family matters are the command of

God and the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Sunnat was

strictly followed. Especially in the region, the Hanafi

sect is widespread, and the main population of the

region believes in this sect.

The invasion of Tsarist Russia made a radical

change in the life of the region. In marriages, the

mixing of women and men was introduced. Weddings

continued from dawn to dusk with various

entertainments, dancing and intoxicating drinks. The

relationship between the boy and the girl was also

shown openly.

After the independence of Uzbekistan, the

strengthening of family relations and the regulation of

family relations based on the national values and

traditions of the people were strictly determined by

the legislation. National legislation was created to

regulate family relations. The Family Code of the

Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted in 1998, reflects the

national mental characteristics of the people while

meeting international requirements.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The geography of the Fergana Valley, various

conflict situations in the area, and the peculiar way of

life of its inhabitants have been the focus of attention

of international scientists and politicians since ancient

times. In different periods, transformation processes

took place in the way of life and family relations of

the inhabitants of the region. Nevertheless, the

residents of the region have preserved their national

mental characteristics in family customs and

traditions.

In the process of studying the sources, it became

clear that researches and expeditions were conducted

in the region by researchers in different periods. The

presented scientific results were philosophically

analysed. As a result, it became clear that the Fergana

Valley was studied for various religious and

geostrategic purposes. After the independence of

Uzbekistan, an objective study of the region was

launched. During the years of independence, a

number of reforms are being carried out to develop

the Fergana Valley. In addition, family relations were

also regulated by law. A number of nationalities and

ethnicities living in the territory have been given all

the opportunities to organize family relations. In the

legislation, it was determined that the family is under

the protection of the state. Issues such as marriage,

relations between parents and children, close

relatives, determination of genealogy, dissolution of

marriage, alimony, and marriage between citizens of

Uzbekistan and foreign citizens have been included in

the family legislation.

The inclusion of such norms in family law creates

a basis for strengthening family relations, improving

the standard of living of the population, and

preserving national family values and traditions.

REFERENCES

Ismailova, Kh. (2021). Abdurauf Fitrat's work "Family or

Family Management Procedures" deals with the issue

of family values. Society and Innovation, 2(9/S), 266-

271.

Nazarov, P. M. (Year of publication not provided). Notes

on some peoples and lands of the central part of Asia.

Efremov, P. S. (1952). State Publishing House Geogr.

Literature. (87 pages).

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Bobir, Z. M. (1960). Bobirnoma. Publishing House of the

USSR Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. (509

pages).

Velyaminov-Zernov, V. V. (Year of publication not

provided). “Proceedings of the Eastern Branch of the

Imperial Orchiological Society”.

Gubaeva, S. S. (2012). Fergana Valley. LAP LAMBERT

Academic Publishing GmbH & Co.Kg Germany. (261

pages).

Abashin, S. N., & Bushkov, V. I. (2004). Fergana Valley.

Moscow Science. (113 pages).

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