Furqat's ashes were brought from China to Kokand (video)

The ashes of Furqat, the son of renowned Uzbek literary figure Zakirjon Kholmuhammad, were transported from China and laid to rest in a cemetery in Kokand. In addition, a statue of Furqat was unveiled in the city center. The Union of Writers of Uzbekistan reported this.

On October 3, Furqat’s ashes were brought from the Yorkent district of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China to the Shaykhan cemetery in Kokand, Fergana region.

“Now, there is a symbolic grave of the poet in our country,” stated the Writers' Association.

On the same day, a ceremony was held to inaugurate a statue of Furqat in the city center of Kokand. Writer and translator Ibrahim Gafurov, a Hero of Uzbekistan, and the mayor of Kokand, Ma'ruf Usmanov, spoke at the event, reflecting on Furqat’s literary legacy and spiritual contributions.

For context, Furqat, the son of Zakirjon Kholmuhammad, was born in 1858 in Kokand into a modest artisan family. Due to financial hardship, 17-year-old Zakirjon had to leave his madrasa education to work. Alongside his work, he continued to educate himself, teach, and engage in creative writing. He spent much of his life traveling.

Notably, Furqat traveled from Tashkent to Samarkand on May 14, 1891. In the spring of 1892, he moved to Arabia and lived in Mecca and Jeddah. Later that year, he traveled to Mumbai, visited other cities and towns in India, and returned to Mumbai. In March 1893, he relocated to Kashmir, then to Kashgar, and eventually settled in Yorkent, where he lived until his death in 1909. Today, a mausoleum dedicated to the poet stands in the city of Yorkent, within the borders of China.