Description of the Tsarist Russian invasion and Mulla Solihbek Akhund’s leadership in the defense of Tashkent in the work “Tarixi Jadidai Tashkand”

Muhammad Salih Khwaja Toshkandi’s work “Tarikh-i jadidah-yi Tashkand” (written in Persian-Tajik between 1863–1888) stands as one of the most significant eyewitness sources on 19th-century Central Asia, providing a detailed account of the Russian conquest of Tashkent in 1865. This article analyzes the relevant sections of the second volume, deeply examining the process of the Russian invasion, the popular character of the city’s defense, and the leadership role of Mulla Solihbek okhund (Solihbek dodkhoh, 1805–1868). Employing source criticism and textual analysis methods, the study presents the author’s personal testimonies, direct quotations, and a comparative analysis with official Russian sources. The work is evaluated as a unique document that reveals mechanisms of local resistance, internal betrayal, repression, and imperial ideological falsification in the early stages of colonialism. This research further emphasizes the importance of national sources in Turkestan historiography and contributes to re-examining the colonial period history from a national perspective.