Bokhara, the First Flourishing Base of Farsi Language
Bokhara, the First Flourishing Base of Farsi Language
Bokhara is the capital of the state under this title in South-Western of Uzbekistan Republics which is the 5th in population and 3rd in importance which has 300 thousands population. Its background is back to the Achaemenidae dynasty. Finding something made from brass proves that there was human life during the second millennium B.C.
Flourishing of Iranian Culture
Bokhara is one of the biggest cities for flourishing Iranian culture and one of the canons of Iranian literature and knowledge after Islam. Bokhara and generally Middle-East had no importance in political geography before Sassanian dynasty (874-1004). When it was chosen as the capital of the government in the 9th century, it became famous. Samanian were the founder of the second new wave of Iranianism. In their time, Farsi language had development and was successful. Samanian used Arabic language in their office works and assumed it as the sing of unity of Abbasian, although they gave opportunity to Farsi poets like Roodaki (D. 941) and Daghighi (D. 980) to compose their poetries with their national language which was made of native language combining of different accents. This language was accepted by Samanian court and finally it was developed under the title of Farsi Language. As a result Farsi Language is owed to Bokhara in this issue.
Bokhara People
In past the population of Bokhara were generally Tajik, Uzbek, Kazak, Russian, Jewish and Arab until during recent decades groups of Jewish retuned to Israel and most of Russians retuned to Russia after destroying Soviet Unions. Although they still live in Bokhara and their numbers are not few. People of Bokhara are Sunni Muslims and fellow of Hanafi religion. The common language is Farsi with Bokhara accent but because of the main language of the country is Uzbek, all of the people of Bokhara are familiar with it too and they speak to it in general places.
Bokhara is like other Iranian ancient cities, has local identity. Although today all of the addresses are based on alleys and streets, people generally use the names of locals for addressing. Two locals from 32 locals of Bokhara are the zones for immigrant Iranians who have entered to the city during last centuries and now their accent is not different from other locals’. Their names are “Iran Mahaleh” and “Choghur Mahaleh”.
Farsi Calligraphy
Today you cannot ever find one Farsi word on Bokhara’s wall when you walk in Bokhara streets and alleys. All of the signs are in Russian or Uzbek calligraphy. However, according to history less than a century ago, not only the colloquial language of these people was Farsi but also their written language was it too. “Bokharay-e Sharif” is the first newspaper in Farsi of the central Asia which its first issue was published on Monday 11th March in 1912 in Bokhara. After Bokharay-e Sharif, other Farsi newspapers like Samarghand, Ayineh, Seday-e Forghaneh and Seeday-e Torkestan were published too. However, the low flame of Farsi calligraphy was turned off in central Asia. In January 1912 the political representative of Tzari Russia in Turkistan Republics which was one part of Russia country, wanted to close Bokhara-e Sharif newspaper. After separating of Soviet unions the newspaper started to publish again in 1991. This time it used Cyrillic alphabet instead of Farsi because no more people knew Farsi. In 2003 it was closed again because of Uzbek policies of Uzbekistan government.
Translated by Somayyeh Qazizadeh
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