In 1868, the Bukhara Emirate fell into vassal dependence on the Russian Empire, having received the protectorate status. Existing since 1753 as the successor of the Bukhara Khanate, the emirate of the same name was created by the tribal aristocracy of the Uzbek clan Mangyt. It was from him that the first Bukhara emir, Muhammad Rakhimbiy (1713-1758), came from, who managed to subjugate the Uzbeks to his power and win the internecine struggle. However, since Muhammad Rakhimbiy was not Chingizid by origin, and in Central Asia only a descendant of Genghis Khan could bear the title of khan, he began to rule Bukhara with the title of emir, giving rise to a new Turkestan dynasty - Mangyt. Since the Bukhara Emirate, having become a protectorate of the Russian Empire, retained all its state administrative and political structures, the armed forces of the emirate continued to exist. Not much is known about them, but, nevertheless, Russian military and civil historians, travelers, writers left some memories of what the army of the Bukhara emir was like.
From nukers to sarbaz
Initially, the army of the Bukhara Emirate, like many other feudal states of Central Asia, was an ordinary feudal militia. It was represented exclusively by horsemen and was subdivided into nukers (naukers) - service people, and kara-chiriks - militias. Nukers, not only in war, but also in peacetime, were in the military service of their master, receiving a certain salary and being exempted from other duties. Mr. Nukerov provided them with horses, but the servicemen purchased weapons, uniforms and food at their own expense. In the detachments of the nukers, there was a division according to the type of weapons - there were arrows - "mergan" and spearmen - "nayzadasts". Since the nukers needed to pay salaries and provide horses, their numbers were never high. At the end of the 19th century, 9 detachments of nukers, 150 people each, were stationed in Bukhara and its environs. The detachments were recruited according to the tribal principle - from Mangyts, Naimans, Kipchaks and other Uzbek tribes. Naturally, the tribal detachments were completely controlled by the tribal aristocracy. In addition, the Kalmyks living in Bukhara, as well as the Turkmen and Arab tribes who roamed the territory of the Bukhara Emirate, could be used as nukers (the Arabs lived in the area of the ancient city of Vardanzi since the Arab conquest of Central Asia, and by now they have practically assimilated with the local Uzbek and the Tajik population, although in some places there are still groups of the Arab population).
In wartime, the emir called for the service of the kara-chiriks - the militia, recruited by the conscription of most of the Bukhara men of working age. The kara-chiriki served on their horses and were armed as necessary. Detachments of kara-chiriks were also used as a kind of prototype of the engineering troops - for the construction of all kinds of defensive structures. In addition to the cavalry, already at the end of the 18th century. The Bukhara Emirate acquired its own artillery, which consisted of 5 nine-pound cannons, 2 five-pound, 8 three-pound guns, and 5 mortars. Until the 19th century, the Bukhara army did not have any service regulations and functioned in accordance with medieval customs. When the emir of Bukhara announced a campaign, he could count on an army of 30 to 50 thousand nukers and kara-chiriks. Even up to 15-20 thousand could be provided by the governors and governors of Samarkand, Khujand, Karategin, Gissar and Istaravshan.
According to an old custom, the campaign of the Bukhara army could not last more than forty days. After forty days, even the emir did not have the right to increase the time of the campaign for several days, so the soldiers dispersed in all directions and this was not considered a violation of discipline. Another generally accepted rule, not only in the troops of the Bukhara Emirate, but also in the troops of the neighboring Kokand and Khiva khanates, was a seven-day siege period for a fortress or city. After seven days, regardless of the results of the siege, the army was withdrawn from the walls of the fortress or city. Naturally, loyalty to medieval traditions did not add combat capability to the Bukhara army. E. K. Meyendorff, who published the book "Travel from Orenburg to Bukhara" in 1826, wrote about two types of the emir's guard in Bukhara. The first unit, called “mahrams” and numbering 220 people, performs daily functions, and the second unit, “kassa-bardars”, has 500 people and is responsible for the protection of the emir’s palace. During the campaigns, the emirs tried to save as much as possible on their troops, which, at times, led to very funny situations. Thus, the kara-chiriks mobilized on a campaign were supposed to arrive at the location of the army with their own food supplies for 10-12 days and on their own horses. Those who arrived without a horse were obliged to purchase one at their own expense. However, the salary of ordinary kara-chiriks for the purchase of horses was not enough, therefore, when Emir Khaidar in 1810 decided to start a war with the neighboring Kokand Khanate, he could not even collect cavalry. Three thousand militias arrived at the location of the Emir's army on donkeys, after which Haydar was forced to cancel the appointed campaign ((See: R. E. S. 399-402)).
Gradually, the Bukhara emir Nasrullah was strengthened in the idea of the need for a significant modernization of the armed forces of the state. He was less and less satisfied with the unreliable and poorly trained feudal militia. When the Russian mission of Baron Negri, guarded by a Cossack escort, arrived in Bukhara in 1821, the emir showed a very great interest in organizing military affairs in the Russian Empire. But then the emir did not have the financial and organizational capabilities for the reorganization of the Bukhara army - just the Chinese-Kypchaks revolted, the internecine struggle of the Bukhara feudal lords became fierce. Nevertheless, the Bukhara emir, seeing the gun techniques demonstrated to him by the Russian Cossacks and soldiers, then forced his servants to repeat these techniques with wooden sticks - there were no guns in Bukhara at that time. (See: R. E. Kholikova. From the history of military affairs in the Bukhara Emirate // Young scientist. - 2014. - No. 9. - pp. 399-402). The Emir willingly accepted into military service captured Russian and Persian soldiers, deserters, as well as all kinds of adventurers and professional mercenaries, since at that time they were carriers of unique military knowledge that was completely absent from the feudal aristocracy of the Bukhara Emirate and, moreover, from the rank and file nukers and militias.
Creation of a regular army
In 1837, Emir Nasrullah began to form a regular army of the Bukhara Emirate. The organizational structure of the Bukhara army was substantially streamlined, and most importantly, the first regular infantry and artillery units were created. The strength of the Bukhara army was 28 thousand people, in the event of a war, the emir could mobilize up to 60,000 soldiers. Of these, 10 thousand people with 14 artillery pieces were stationed in the capital of the country, Bukhara, another 2 thousand people with 6 artillery pieces - in Shaar and Kitab, 3 thousand people - in Karman, Guzar, Sherabad, Ziaetdin. The cavalry of the Bukhara Emirate numbered 14 thousand people, consisted of 20 serkerde (battalions) galabatyrs with a total number of 10 thousand people, and 8 regiments of Khasabardars with a total number of 4 thousand people. Galabatyrs were armed with pikes, sabers and pistols, representing the Bukhara analogue of the Ottoman Sipahs. The Khasabardars were equestrian riflemen and were armed with cast-iron wick falconets with a stand and a sight for shooting - one falconet for two riders. An innovation of Emir Nasrullah was an artillery battalion organized in 1837 (artillerymen in Bukhara were called "tupchi"). The artillery battalion originally consisted of two batteries. The first battery was stationed in Bukhara and was armed with six 12-pound copper guns with six charging boxes. The second battery was located in Gissar, had the same composition and was subordinate to the Gissar bey. Later, the number of artillery pieces in the Tupchi battalion was increased to twenty, and a cannon foundry was opened in Bukhara. Only by the beginning of the twentieth century, British-made Vickers machine guns appeared in the army of the Bukhara Emir.
As for the Bukhara infantry, it appeared only in 1837, following the results of the military reform of Emir Nasrullah, and was called “sarbazy”. The infantry consisted of 14 thousand people and was subdivided into 2 bayraks (companies) of the emir's guard and 13 serkerde (battalions) of the army infantry. Each battalion, in turn, included five companies of sarbazes, armed with hammer, smooth and rifled guns and bayonets. The infantry battalions were equipped with military uniforms - red jackets, white pantaloons and Persian fur hats. By the way, the appearance of regular infantry as part of the Bukhara army caused some discontent on the part of the Uzbek aristocracy, which saw this as an attempt on its importance as the main military force of the state. In turn, the emir, anticipating the possible discontent of the Uzbek beks, recruited infantry battalions from among the captured Persian and Russian soldiers, as well as volunteers from among the Sarts - sedentary urban and rural residents of the emirate (before the revolution, both Tajiks and sedentary Turkic-speaking population). The sarbazes of the infantry battalions were fully supported by the Bukhara emir and lived in the barracks, where a place was allocated for their families. It should be noted that initially the Bukhara emir, who did not trust his vassals, the beks, started recruiting sarbazes by buying slaves. The main part of the Sarbaz was made up of Ironies - Persians, captured by the Turkmens who attacked the territory of Iran and then sold to Bukhara. From among the Persians, non-commissioned officers and officers of regular infantry units were initially nominated. The second large group were Russian prisoners, who were highly valued due to the availability of modern military knowledge and combat experience. In addition to the Russians and Persians, Bukharians were recruited into the Sarbaz from among the most disadvantaged strata of the urban population. Military service was very unpopular among the citizens of Bukhara, so only the most extreme need could force a Bukharian to join the army. The Sarbazs were settled in the barracks, but then for them villages of state houses were built outside the city. Each house housed one sarbaz family. Each sarbaz received a salary and, once a year, a set of clothes. In field conditions, the sarbaz received three cakes a day, and in the evening they received hot stew at government expense. After 1858, the Sarbaz had to buy their own food on a paid salary.
Army of the Russian protectorate
In 1865, on the eve of the Russian conquest of the Bukhara Emirate, the Bukhara army included regular infantry and regular cavalry. The infantry consisted of 12 sarbaz battalions, and the cavalry consisted of 20-30 hundred mounted sarbazes. The number of artillery pieces was increased to 150. About 3,000 mounted sarbazes served in the regular cavalry, 12,000 foot sarbazes served in the infantry, and 1,500 tupchi (artillerymen) in the artillery. Infantry battalions were subdivided into companies, platoons and half-platoons. Foot sarbazes had firearms only in the first rank, while they differed in extreme variety - they were wick or flintlock rifles, and seven-line rifles with a fork-shaped bayonet, and pistols. The second line of sarbazes was armed with pistols and pikes. In addition, both ranks were armed with sabers and sabers - also very diverse. As for the cavalry, it was armed with rifles, match and flintlock guns, pistols, sabers and pikes. A single uniform was introduced, depending on the parts, - a red, blue or dark green cloth jacket with cotton wool, with tin or copper buttons, white linen pants, boots, and a white turban on the head. Red jackets with black collars were worn by foot sarbaz, and blue jackets with red collars were worn by sarbaz, who served in the field or fortress artillery. The gunners were also armed with pistols, sabers or checkers. In wartime, the Bukhara emir could gather the militia of the Kara-Chiriks, armed, most often, with sabers and pikes (some militias could have wick guns and pistols in service). Also, a detachment of Afghan mercenaries was in the service of the emir, and in wartime the emir could hire several thousand nomadic Turkmen, who were famous for their militancy and were considered the best warriors in Central Asia. However, the weakness of the Bukhara army and its inability to fight a strong enemy was obvious, so the Russian Empire relatively quickly conquered the territory of Central Asia and forced the Bukhara emir to recognize the protectorate of Russia over the emirate. For two years, from May 1866 to June 1868, Russian troops were able to pass almost the entire territory of the Bukhara Emirate, inflicting several crushing defeats on the troops of the emir's vassals, and then - on the emir himself. As a result, on June 23, 1868, Emir Muzaffar Khan was forced to send an embassy to Samarkand, occupied by Russian troops, and agree to conclude a peace treaty. But, despite the fact that the Russian protectorate deprived the emir of the opportunity to conduct foreign policy, the Bukhara emirate was allowed to maintain its own armed forces.
After the Bukhara Emirate became a protectorate of the Russian Empire, the system of manning the regular army changed. If before the Sarbaz were recruited from prisoners and slaves, now, after the abolition of slavery, only volunteers were recruited into the Sarbaz. Of course, only representatives of the poorest strata of the population of Bukhara - the urban lumpen proletariat - went into military service. In addition, residents of remote poor villages were recruited into sarbazi. Sarbazes wore military uniforms and were in the garrison position only during duty. Outside of service, they wore ordinary civilian clothes, and lived not in the barracks, but in their houses or in removable corners in the caravanserais. Since the salary of a soldier to support the family was often not enough, many sarbazes either ran their own subsidiary plots, or went to their villages to farm there in the houses of relatives, or were engaged in crafts or were hired by farm laborers and auxiliary workers. The infantry was divided into two main parts: "Saturday" and "Tuesday". The "Saturday infantry" sarbazes were on guard duty and were engaged in military training on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The "Tuesday infantry" sarbazes were at their posts and trained on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Combat training lasted two hours in the morning on the day of service, and then the sarbazes dispersed to guard posts, either went to work for their commanders or were left to their own devices. The level of training of the sarbazes remained extremely low. The classic of Tajik literature, the writer Sadriddin Aini, who found himself back in the days of the Bukhara Emirate, recalls an incident he witnessed: “the chief ordered the trumpeter to give a signal. The inferior commanders repeated the order to their units. We did not understand the words of their commands. They said that they were giving the command in Russian. But those who knew Russian asserted that "the language of the command of these commanders has nothing in common with the Russian language." Whatever the words of the command, but the soldiers made various movements under it. A detachment of eight men walked past us. The commander from behind gave a drawn-out command: -Name-isti! The detachment, having heard this command, walked faster. The commander, furious, ran after him and stopped the detachment, while he slapped each soldier in the face: “Let your father be damned, I’ve been teaching you for a whole year, but you cannot remember! - then again, in the same drawn-out, but more quietly, he added: - When I say "sweep", you must stop! One of the spectators said to the other: - Obviously, Russian words have the opposite meaning to Tajik words, because if we say "hints", it means "keep going." (Later I learned that this command in Russian would be "in place") "(quoted from: Aini, S. Vospominaniia. Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Moscow-Leningrad 1960).
- Bukhara sarbaz at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The highest military command of the Bukhara army was carried out by the emir of Bukhara, but the direct military leadership of the regular infantry and artillery units was carried out by tupchibashi - the chief of artillery, who was also considered the chief of the Bukhara garrison. The issues of quartermaster support for the troops were in the competence of the kushbegi (vizier), to whom the durbin, the state treasurer, who was in charge of financial and clothing allowance, and the Ziaetdinsky bek, who was responsible for food supply and horses, were subordinate. Beks who did not have any special education, but were close to the emir's court, were appointed to command positions in battalions and hundreds. The emir preferred to appoint people who were nevertheless familiar with military affairs to the posts of company commanders in infantry battalions. These were the prisoners and fugitive Russian soldiers, merchants, fit for health reasons and had experience of living in the Russian Empire, which, according to the emir, allowed them, at least approximately, to get an idea of the preparation of the Russian army. Russian soldiers also prevailed among the commanders of the artillery, since the emir did not have his own sarbazes with the knowledge necessary for the artillerymen.
- artillery of the Bukhara emir
The company of the emir's guard (sarbazov dzhilyau) consisted of 11 officers and 150 lower ranks. The infantry battalion of foot sarbazes consisted of 1 headquarters officer, 55 chief officers, 1000 lower ranks and non-combatants: 5 esauls, 1 corpoichi (a bugler who also performed the duties of a battalion adjutant) and 16 bojs (musicians of the battalion orchestra). The cavalry five-hundredth regiment consisted of 1 general, 5 staff officers, 500 lower ranks. The artillery company consisted of 1 officer and 300 lower ranks. The army of the Bukhara Emir also had its own system of military ranks: 1) alaman - private; 2) dakhboshi (foreman) - non-commissioned officer; 3) churagas - sergeant-major; 4) yuzboshi (centurion) - lieutenant; 5) churanboshi - captain; 6) pansad-boshi (commander of 5 hundred) - major; 7) tuxaba (regiment commander) - lieutenant colonel or colonel; 8) kurbonbegi - brigadier general; 9) dadha (commander of several regiments) - major general; 10) parvanachi (commander of the troops) - general. The head of the garrison in Bukhara, who bore the rank of topchibashi-ilashkar and commanded all the infantry and artillery of the emirate, also bore the title of "wazir-i-kharb" - minister of war. Later, the system of military ranks in the Bukhara Emirate was somewhat modernized and by the end of the 19th century looked like this: 1) alaman - private; 2) chekhraogaboshi - non-commissioned officer; 3) zhibachi - sergeant-major; 4) mirzaboshi - second lieutenant; 5) guards (korovulbegi) - lieutenant; 6) mirohur - captain; 7) tuxabo - lieutenant colonel; 8) eshikogaboshi - colonel; 9) biy - brigadier general; 10) dadha - major general; 11) monk - lieutenant general; 12) parvanachi - general.
The creation of regular infantry and artillery finally confirmed the priority of the emir among the local feudal lords, who could only oppose the Bukhara ruler with a mounted feudal militia. However, in the confrontation with modern armies, the Bukhara army had no chance. Therefore, after the Russian conquest of Central Asia, the Bukhara army performed decorative and police functions. Sarbazi served to protect the emir and his residence, provided security during tax collection, supervised the peasants during the execution of state duties. At the same time, the maintenance of the army was a rather heavy burden on the weak economy of the Bukhara Emirate, especially since there was no serious need for it. Most of the infantry and cavalry units of the Bukhara army were poorly armed, and there was virtually no military training. Even officers were appointed people who had no military training and were often completely illiterate. This was due to the fact that officer and non-commissioned officer ranks were awarded according to the length of service, subject to the availability of appropriate vacancies, therefore, theoretically, any ordinary soldier who entered life-long service could rise to the officer rank. However, in practice, most of the officer positions were occupied by family or friend ties, or were bought. Only units of the Emir's Guard were trained by Russian officers according to the Russian military regulations and were able to carry out Russian commands.
Modernization of the Bukhara army at the beginning of the twentieth century
After a trip to Russia in 1893, the Bukhara emir decided to carry out a new military reform. To this he was inspired by his acquaintance with the Turkmen militia in Ashgabat, which had been trained by Russian officers. In 1895, a military reform began in the Bukhara Emirate, as a result of which the army of the emir was significantly reorganized. In 1897, the Bukhara army consisted of 12 line infantry battalions of sarbaz, one guards company of dzhilyau, two fortress artillery companies and a mounted militia. The infantry was armed with rifled percussion guns, Berdan rifles, flint and match guns. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the cavalry regiments were completely disbanded, but the personal convoy of the emir included two hundred horsemen djilau. In Bukhara, Karshi, Gissar, Garm, Kala-i-Khumba and Baldzhuan, artillery teams with a total of 500 soldiers and officers were stationed. The infantry battalions in Bukhara (two battalions) and Darvaz (one battalion) were armed with Berdan rifles, while the armament of the rest of the Sarbaz battalions did not change. The emir's horse hundreds of djilau were armed with firearms and melee weapons, and the artillery received about 60 copper and cast iron smooth-bore muzzle-loading guns, cast in Bukhara - at the local cannon foundry. In 1904, Emperor Nicholas II sent four 2.5-inch mountain cannons mod. 1883 In 1909, two more mountain guns were sent. They entered service with the Guards Horse Mountain Battery.
The uniform of the Bukhara army was also changed, now it both in the infantry and in the artillery consisted of black cloth uniforms with red flaps on the collar and red shoulder straps, black ceremonial or red casual trousers, high boots, black caps. The summer uniform consisted of white shirts for sarbazes and white jackets for officers. The units of the Emir's Guard, which consisted of two hundred horse-drawn djilau and a horse-mountain battery, were named Tersk, since the Bukhara emir himself was included in the Tersk Cossack army. The guardsmen also received Cossack uniforms - they wore black Circassians and black hats, in the hundreds of horsemen they wore light blue beshmet, and in the mountain battery - black with scarlet edging. The guards units were called "kaokoz", that is - "Caucasus".
This is how the writer Sadriddin Aini described the emir's guard: “as soon as the courtiers entered the citadel, the emir's cavalry left their barracks to the Registan to the sound of a military band. All of the Emir's cavalry troops were called "Caucasus", their uniform was similar to the clothes worn in those days by the inhabitants of Dagestan and the North Caucasus. Three groups were distinguished by the color of their clothes: "Kuban", "Tersk" and "Turkish". Although each detachment had its own uniform, it was more like a circus than a military one. "Caucasians" constantly lived in barracks and could not freely walk the streets. Wherever the emir went, barracks for them were set up where he stayed. Young men served in the ranks of the Caucasian army, the eldest of whom could hardly be given eighteen years, the same soldiers who turned more than eighteen years old were transferred to the infantry”(Aini, S. Memoirs).
- the orchestra of the emir's guard
The officers of the Bukhara army wore the shoulder straps of the Russian army, and without any attention to the meaning of the shoulder straps. So, the captain could wear the epaulettes of the lieutenant, and the lieutenant - the epaulette of the captain on one shoulder and the lieutenant colonel on the other shoulder. The highest command staff, as a rule, did not wear a military uniform, but wore a national costume, sometimes with epaulets sewn to luxurious dressing gowns. Another modernization of military ranks took place: 1) alaman - private; 2) catch up - non-commissioned officer; 3) churagas - felfebel; 4) mirzaboshi - second lieutenant; 5) jivachi - the lieutenant; 6) guards - staff captain; 7) mirahur - captain; 8) tuxaba - lieutenant colonel; 9) biy - colonel; 10) dadho - major general. In the Bukhara army, a salary was introduced, which was 20 tenges for the lower ranks (similar to 3 rubles) per month, for officers - from 8 to 30 rubles per month. The officers who were in the rank of tuxabo received 200 tenges and once a year - clothes. Mirakhurs received from 100 to 200 tenges, guardians - from 40 to 60 tenges per month, Churagas, Dzhebachi and Mirzobashi - 30 tenges each. Every year the emir or bek gave their officers two or three half-silk robes. In the last decade of the Bukhara Emirate's existence, the annual issuance of clothing also began to be replaced by the payment of an appropriate amount of money, which an officer or non-commissioned officer could spend at his own discretion. For example, a non-commissioned officer with the rank of Churagas received 17-18 tenegs instead of the Fergana satin robe he was entitled to by rank. The total cost of the Bukhara government for the maintenance of the armed forces reached 1.5 million Russian rubles a year. Such high expenses displeased many dignitaries, but the emir did not intend to reduce military costs - the presence of his own army, in the opinion of the Bukhara ruler, gave him the status of an independent Islamic monarch.
Meanwhile, despite significant financial costs, the Bukhara army was extremely poorly prepared. The Russian generals did not like this moment very much, since in the event of hostilities the Bukhara troops had to come under the operational subordination of the Russian military command, but they were clearly not adapted to act in the conditions of modern war. The low level of combat training of the Bukhara emir army was aggravated by the fact that after the Russian conquest of Central Asia, the Bukhara troops no longer fought with anyone and they had nowhere to gain combat experience.
When in February 1917 a revolution took place in Russia that overthrew the Romanov monarchy, the Bukhara emir Seyid Mir-Alim-khan was completely at a loss. Seeing so powerful and indestructible, the Russian Empire instantly ceased to exist. The Bukharian nobility and clergy considered the Russian revolution a very dangerous example for the emirate and, as it turned out later, were right. The emir began an urgent modernization of the Bukhara army, knowing full well that soon the Mangyts' century-and-a-half rule might also be in jeopardy. Bukhara purchased new rifles and machine guns, began the practice of hiring Afghan and Turkish mercenaries, as well as foreign military instructors. In 1918-1919. As part of the Bukhara army, new guards regiments (serkerde) were formed - Shefsky, Turkish and Arab. The patron regiment (Sherbach serkerde) was stationed at the dried up lake Shur-kul, consisted of 6 bayraks (hundreds) and numbered 1000 bayonets to 1000 sabers. The Shef regiment included hundreds of emir horse guards djilau and volunteers - students of Bukhara madrasahs. Servicemen of the Chiefs Regiment were dressed in red single-breasted uniforms, white trousers, and on their heads they wore black astrakhan hats.
The Turkish regiment numbered 1250 people and consisted of 8 bairaks (hundreds), it was armed with 2 machine guns and 3 artillery pieces. The regiment was stationed in Kharmyzas near Bukhara and was almost completely manned by Turkish soldiers who ended up in Bukhara after the British defeated Turkish troops in Transcaucasia and Iran. In addition to the Turks, 60-70 Afghans served in the regiment, about 150 Sarts and Kirghiz of Russian citizenship, and only 10 citizens of Bukhara. The officer corps was manned by the Turks. In the Turkish regiment, red uniforms with black trim, white wide trousers and red fez with black tassels were installed as uniforms. From a military point of view, the Turkish regiment was considered the best in the army of the Bukhara Emirate, constantly participated in military parades. It was assumed that in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, it was the Turkish regiment that would play the most important role in the defense of Bukhara.
The Arab regiment numbered 400 sabers and consisted of 4 bairaks (hundreds), but it was completed not by Arabs, as one might think from the name, but by Turkmen mercenaries. The formation was stationed in the Shir-Budum region, which is three versts from Bukhara. Sarbazes of the Arab regiment wore black Tekin hats and dark olive overcoats with red tabs, which depicted a star and a crescent. In addition to the Shef, Arab and Turkish regiments, armed detachments were formed, which were directly subordinate to the local beks. According to Soviet agents, in 1920 the Bukhara army included a regular emir army of 8272 bayonets, 7580 sabers, 16 machine guns and 23 guns, stationed in Old Bukhara, and a militia of beks consisting of 27 070 bayonets and sabers, 2 machine guns, 32 different old guns, stationed throughout the territory of the Bukhara Emirate. The main armament of the Bukhara army in the period under review consisted of British 7, 71-mm Lee-Enfield rifles of the 1904 model, 7, 71-mm Vickers MK. I machine guns and French 8-mm Mle1914 "Hotchkiss" machine guns, in the militia units are still were in service with the "three-line" and the Berdan rifle. In addition to army units, a regular police force formed according to a military model was stationed on the territory of Bukhara, the number of which was about 60 people - mercenaries aged 19-50 years, armed with revolvers and sabers.
- the last emir of Bukhara Seyid Alim Khan
Preparing for confrontation with Soviet Russia, the Bukhara emir established close ties with the emir of neighboring Afghanistan. It was from Afghanistan that the main military aid began to flow to Bukhara, as well as instructors and mercenaries. The formation of armed detachments manned by Afghans began on the territory of the Bukhara Emirate. At the court of the emir, a headquarters was formed, which included Afghan officers, in turn controlled by British residents. Afghanistan even provided the Bukhara emir with artillery pieces. The number of the emir's army reached 50,000 people, in addition, impressive armed detachments were at the disposal of the beks and other feudal lords. After the start of the anti-emir action in Bukhara, units of the Red Army under the command of Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze moved to the aid of the rebels in Bukhara.
The end of the emirate. Bukhara Red Army
On August 29, 1920, the troops of the Turkestan Front, by order of M. V. Frunze, marched on Bukhara, and already on September 1-2, 1920 they took the capital of the Bukhara Emirate by storm and defeated the Bukhara army. On September 2, 1920, the Bukhara Emirate actually ceased to exist, and on its territory on October 8, 1920,the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic was proclaimed. On September 13, 1920, the "red" Bukhara signed an agreement with the RSFSR, according to which Soviet Russia recognized the political sovereignty of Bukhara. The remnants of the army of the Bukhara Emir continued armed resistance to Soviet power in the ranks of the Basmach movement. However, a certain part of the sarbaz took over the Soviet power. On September 6, 1920, the Bukhara Revolutionary Committee decided to create the People's Nazirat (Commissariat) for military affairs. The first nazir for military affairs of the BNSR was the Tatar Bagautdin Shagabutdinov (1893-1920) - a native of a poor family in the Tambov province, in the past worked as a coachman and postman, and during the First World War he graduated from a military paramedic school and served as a paramedic in one of the cavalry units of the Russian army in Turkestan. However, already in November 1920, Shagabutdinov was killed by the Basmachs, and Yusuf Ibragimov became the new Nazir for military affairs. This is how the formation of the BKA - the Bukhara Red Army began, created according to the model of the Red Army and on the basis of the 1st East Muslim Rifle Regiment, which participated in the Bukhara operation of 1920. The command of the Turkestan Front of the Red Army transferred weapons, command personnel and personnel of Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen nationality to the Bukhara Red Army. In the middle of 1921, the Bukhara Red Army included about 6 thousand soldiers and commanders, and its structure consisted of 1 rifle and 1 cavalry brigades. The voluntary principle of manning was introduced, in 1922 it was replaced by general conscription for a period of two years. In 1922, the Bukhara Red Army included rifle and cavalry regiments, an artillery division, combined military command courses, and support units. On September 19, 1924, at the Fifth All-Bukhara Kurultai of Soviets, it was decided to include the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic, under the name "Bukhara Socialist Soviet Republic", into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. On October 27, 1924, the Bukhara Socialist Soviet Republic ceased to exist, and the territories that were part of it, as a result of the national-state demarcation of Central Asia, were included in the newly formed Uzbek and Turkmen SSR and the Tajik ASSR (from 1929 the Tajik ASSR became Tajik SSR).
