Shakhimardan is a small, picturesque village in Uzbekistan, nestled among the mountains of the majestic Alai Range. It’s hard to imagine, but it was in this idyllic place that the writer, poet, playwright, and composer Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi was brutally murdered on March 18, 1929. Known for enriching Uzbek literature, collaborating with theaters, promoting socialist values, fighting against social inequality, advocating for women’s rights, opposing reactionary clergy, and defending scientific approaches, Hamza died at the hands of religious fanatics who stoned him to death. In the 1960s, a mausoleum with his grave and a monument was erected in his honor.
In the post-revolutionary years, Hamza worked as a teacher and traveled with a theater troupe to areas where the Red Army was fighting. In 1926, he established the first orphanage in the USSR. Alongside his public activities, he continued to write, producing the first works of Uzbek Soviet drama. His most popular plays, «The Secrets of the Paranja» and «The Tricks of Maisara,» depict the difficult lives of women in Uzbekistan before the October Revolution.
Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi was killed because of his advocacy for women’s rights and his opposition to Muslim radicals. In 1929, he arrived in Shakhimardan, one of the most conservative settlements in Uzbekistan. There, Hamza organized an International Women’s Day event on March 8, during which 23 women discarded their veils. On March 18, he was murdered by local men who stoned and beat him to death. He was buried at the site of his death, where the Soviet authorities later built a mausoleum.
In the post-Soviet period, the site lost its significance and became less important to the public due to fears of offending religious sentiments. Today, Hamza is often regarded as a Soviet propagandist. In several Uzbek cities, streets and other landmarks named after Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi have been renamed, including a drama theater, a district, a metro station, and a street in Tashkent.
During the Soviet era, two films about the life of Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi were made: «Fiery Roads» and «The Furious Hamza.»