Mahmudkhoja Behbudi and the Jadid Movement in Turkestan

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise scholarly overview of the socio-political activity, literary creativity, and academic-literary views of mufti Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, one of the leading figures of the Turkistan Jadid movement. It aims to highlight Behbudi’s role in the renewal movement of early 20th-century Central Asia, to systematize his biography on the basis of primary sources, to identify key dates in his life and work reflecting his constructive personality, creativity, and mastery, and to analyze the “Project of Turkestan Cultural Autonomy” from the perspective of national cultural history and the foundations of statehood, thereby showing the significant role of this historical document in the Turkistan Jadid movement. The study employs historical-comparative, comparative-typological, and descriptive methods. Its results can be used in compiling the scientific biography of Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, in researching and preparing his journalistic works for publication, in developing detailed articles and studies devoted to the great Jadid’s political activity, and in writing monographs, textbooks, and teaching manuals on the history and literature of early 20th-century Uzbekistan.