Born near Samarkand in 1875 into a family of religious scholars, Behbudiy received a traditional education and became a mufti. Travels to Istanbul, Cairo and the Hejaz in 1899–1900 showed him how far the Muslim world beyond Turkestan had already moved, and he returned determined to modernise education at home. He opened new-method schools, published newspapers and the magazine Oyna (The Mirror), and wrote Padarkush (The Patricide), the first modern Uzbek play. He was arrested by the Emir of Bukhara's men and executed at Qarshi in 1919.
Key achievements
Wrote Padarkush (1911), the first modern Uzbek play, and staged it in Samarkand in 1914
Founded the magazine Oyna and the newspaper Samarqand, cornerstones of the Turkestan press
Opened new-method schools and wrote the textbooks they taught from
