Sobirjon Muhamedovich Yusupov (1881-1931) was one of the national leaders of Bukhara and Turkestan, politician and statesman.
He was born in 1881 in the family of an Uzbek worker in Bukhara. He worked in a cotton gin since he was 9 years old. He spent his childhood among the Tatars. In 1907-1910, he studied at the school of handicrafts in Tashkent, where he majored in mechanics.
While living in Tashkent, S. Yusupov joined the social-democratic movement in Russia. Fleeing the persecution of the Russian Empire in Turkestan, he returned to Bukhara in 1911. He fought against the Bukhara Emirate.
He worked in Tashkent during the February revolution.
On October 18-26, 1917, he participated in the congress of Muslim leaders held in Tashkent and became a member of the Central Military Council.
At the extraordinary 4th Congress of All-Turkistan Muslims held in Kokand, he became part of the National Assembly of Turkestan.
In early 1918, he became a member of the Bolshevik Party. In Tashkent, April 20-May 1, 1918, the first legislative body of the Soviet power, consisting of 36 members of the 5th Congress of Workers, Soldiers, Christians, Muslims and Peasants of Turkestan Deputies - the Central Executive Committee of the Turkestan ASSR was founded and S. Yusupov also joined as the first representatives from the local population along with S. Jorabayev, Sh. Ostonboyev, and S. Azimboyev [1].
In the summer of 1918, he went to Moscow and participated in the work of the 5th Congress of All-Russian Soviets, the leaders of the Bolshevik Party and met with V.I. Lenin and Ya.M. Sverdlov. He was the extraordinary representative of the Turkestan ASSR in the RSFSR (1918-1919) and member of All-Russian MIK and Turkestan ASSR MIK. He was the Deputy Chief of the Political Department of the South-Eastern Front (1919). He worked at the Turkestan Commission. In the Samarkand and Yettisuv regions, he worked as the chairman of the Extraordinary Commission and the chairman of the Revkom, implementing the ideas of the Soviet government [2].
As part of the Red Army, in August-September 1920, he took an active part in ending the Bukhara Emirate and occupying the capital city of Bukhara. According to Faizulla Khojayev, he was a member of the Bukhara Central Revkom [3]. After the establishment of the BKHSR, S. Yusupov worked as the chairman of the All-Bukhara Emergency Commission, the supervisor of military affairs of the BXSR, the commander of a separate detachment (CHON) in the Shahrisabz militia, and the head of the General Directorate of the BKHSR militia in 1920-1924. At the end of 1924, he was recalled to Moscow. Then he returned to Tashkent and in 1925-1926 became the director of the textile factory “Qizil Sharq”.
He died on May 12, 1931 in Tashkent at the age of 50. Historian A. Akramov wrote the historical pamphlet “Sobirjon Yusupov” (Tashkent, 1964).
[1] Rajabov Q., Haydarov M. Turkiston tarixi (1917-1924-y.). - B. 48.
[2] Revolyutsiyey prizvannne. Biograficheskiye ocherki. - Tashkent: “Uzbekistan”, 1987. - S. 142-146.
[3] Fayzulla Xoʻjayev. Buxoro inqilobining tarixiga materiallar. - Toshkent: “Fan”, 1997. - B. 173.
