Abdulla Avloniy

Abdulla Avloniy (12 July 1878 – 25 August 1934) was an Uzbek poet, playwright, journalist, scholar, and community leader active during the early 20th century.

Early life Avloniy was born on 12 July 1878, in the Mergancha neighborhood of Tashkent. During his childhood, he began his education at the Madrasa in O`qchi neighborhood at the age of 12. He initially attended an old-style school and later continued his education in the madrasa (1885–1895). After completing his studies at the madrasa, he became a teacher. He closely followed newspapers and journals while he was living in Orenburg, Kazan, and Tiflis. In 1904, Avloniy opened a Jadid school in Mirabad. However, the government later suppressed this newspaper as well. Avloniy was the first to suggest teaching subjects like chemistry, geography, physics, and astronomy in schools. He worked to promote education by establishing a school for local children in the Mirobod neighborhood of Tashkent in 1908. He also taught subjects like language and literature. In 1909, he founded the "Jamiyati xayriya" to educate orphans. In the same year, he published the first volume of a collection of his poetic works titled "Adabiyot yoxud milliy sheʼrlar" (Literature or National Poems). In 1968, the Abdulla Avloniy Memorial House Museum was established. In Tashkent, there is a street named after Avloniy, as well as two neighborhoods, a cultural center, and a national research institute dedicated to his name. In 2019, a film titled "Avloniy" was premiered, depicting Avloniy's missions in Afghanistan. The poet Muhammad Ali portrayed Abdulla Avloniy as one of the characters in his epic novel "Boqiy dunyo" (The Eternal World) in 1979. In the Writers' Garden in Tashkent, there is a statue of Avloniy.