Khoja Niyaz
Khoja Niyaz خوجا نىياز | |
---|---|
Kökbayraq | |
President of the Islamic Republic of East Turkestan | |
In office November 12, 1933 – April 16, 1934 | |
Preceded by | Polity established |
Succeeded by | Polity abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | 1889 Kumul, Xinjiang, Qing China |
Died | August 21, 1941 Urumchi, Xinjiang, Republic of China |
Nationality | Uyghur |
Khoja Niyaz, also Khoja Niyaz Haji (
Early life and uprisings
Khoja was born in 1889 in a small mountainous village in Kumul Prefecture, Xinjiang. He participated in his first rebellion at the age 18, joining a 1907 uprising of peasants and mountaineers against Shah Maqsud, hereditary ruler of Kumul (who was allowed semi-autonomous rule by Qing China). After being defeated, he fled to the Turpan region, where he entered "Astana," religious school and became acquainted with future prominent Uyghur Turpan revolutionary leaders, brothers Maksut and Mahmut Muhiti. After one year of studying, he left Turpan and went on the Hajj to Mecca, adding to his name the title "Hajji".
In 1912, Khoja returned to Xinjiang where another uprising against the Kumul Khanate, led by Temur Halpa, was developing and he joined the rebellion, quickly being promoted to the position of an adviser to the leader of uprising. Following the treacherous killing of Temur Halpa at the banquet on September 06 1913, held by Xinjiang Governor Yang Zengxin, who previously had mediated the conflict and raised Temur Halpa to the position of Commander of Provincial Troops in the Kumul Region, Hoja Niyaz was forced again to flee.
In 1916, he came to the then-
Revolutionary leader
In 1923, Khoja Niyaz returned to Xinjiang, first to
Nevertheless, the Xinjiang Governor Jin Shuren (1928–1933), sought to take advantage of the power vacuum left after the death of Shah Mahsut and decreed the abolition of the Kumul Khanate, preventing the new ruler, Shah Mahsut's son Nazir, from assuming control. At the same time, Jin Shuren arranged for Han Chinese migrants from Gansu to settle in the abolished Khanate. These events sparked the Kumul Rebellion in 1931, which was led by Hui warlord Ma Zhongying in Gansu after his June 1931 meeting with Hoja Niyaz and Yulbars Khan. Ma Zhongying agreed to add his troops to the campaign to topple Jin Shuren. Hoja Niyaz also received support from the Mongolian People's Republic: in autumn 1931 they provided him 600 sets of winter clothes, felt tents and 120 rifles (which were actually bartered for horses, one rifle was given for two horses).
Rebellion soon spread from the East of Xinjiang throughout the whole province and by February, 1933, when Urumqi was laid siege by joint Uyghur and Hui troops, the Provincial Government controlled no more than 10% of Xinjiang's territory. On April 12, 1933, General Sheng Shicai came to power in Xinjiang after former Governor Jin Shuren was toppled off in March by the mutinied Russian Cossack troops ( retreated to Northern Xinjiang in 1921 after losing civil war in Russia), who previously were mobilized by Jin Shuren into Provincial Army in late 1931 in desperate attempt to quell Rebellion. Sheng Shicai gained support from USSR after confirming all secret agreements that previous Governor concluded with the Soviet Union and in June 1933 he made an alliance with Hoja Niyaz against Ma Zhongying. Previous alliance between Hoja Niyaz and Ma Zhongying was destroyed following the battle of Jimsar. On this battle Hoja-Niyaz forces suffered heavy casualties, but forced garrison of Jimsar to surrender. Ma Zhongying's forces during the battle guarded mostly the flanks and the back of joint troops, while Uyghur troops were put into the frontal attack on Jimsar fortress. Hoja-Niyaz agreed to provide the free retreat of besieged garrison in exchange of weapons of the fortress' Arsenal. But at night, Ma Zhongying suddenly came to the fortress, seized all Arsenal (12,000 rifles, 6 machine guns and 500,000 bullets) and joined Chinese garrison to his Tungan troops. He refused to share weapons of the seized Arsenal with Hoja-Niyaz, that outraged the latter. This happened on May 28, 1933 and on the next few days Hoja-Niyaz already met with the representatives of Soviet Consul-General in Urumchi Apressoff to start peaceful talks with Sheng Shicai. Agreement of alliance between Sheng Shicaii and Hoja-Niyaz was signed on June 4, 1933 and at this time the Soviets gave Hoja Niyaz "nearly 2,000 rifles with ammunition, a few hundred bombs and three machine guns."[1] The newly appointed Soviet Consul in Urumqi, Garegin Apresoff, who arranged negotiations, forced Hoja Niyaz to turn his troops against Tungans (Hui) forces, and that eventually led to the rebellion's turning into massacres between different national groups, and its defeat in the hands of Provincial troops.
Hoja Niyaz marched his troops across Dawan Ch'eng to Toksun, where he was defeated at the
Death
There are contradictory statements about his death. Though appointed by
The name Niyas was used for a son of Yulbars Khan.[4]
See also
- Islamic Republic of East Turkestan
- Sabit Damolla
References
- ISBN 0-521-25514-7. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ISBN 0-521-25514-7. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ a b Pahta, Ghulamuddin. "Soviet‐Chinese collaboration in Eastern Turkestan: the case of the 1933 uprising". Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs: 250.
- ISBN 978-0-521-25514-1.
Sources
- Pahta, Ghulamuddin (1990). "Soviet‐Chinese collaboration in Eastern Turkestan: the case of the 1933 uprising". Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs. 11 (2): 250. .