# Battle of Irjar

The Battle of Irjar was a battle between the Russian Empire and the Emirate of Bukhara on May 20, 1866, near Irjar between a Russian contigent commanded by Major Romanovsky against the Bukharans of Muzaffar bin Nasrullah.

## Background

A year before Irjar, Tashkent, which previously belonged to the Khanate of Kokand, was conquered by the Russian Empire. After this, at the request of the Bukhara Emir, General Chernyaev sent an embassy to Bukhara, consisting of the astronomer Karl von Struve, an officer of the General Staff, a topographer and a mining engineer. The ambassador in Bukhara, however, was detained by the khan, who promised to release it three times and three times deceived the Russian authorities. In the spring, gangs of Bukharans began to openly invade Russian possessions, robbing the Kyrgyz, seizing homes, destroying fuel reserves on the Syr Darya and even shooting at Russian steamships.
By May it became clear that the emir, having gathered significant infantry and cavalry forces with artillery, had already crossed the Syr Darya with part of them, coming to the rear of the Russian detachment based in Chinoz. Active actions and an offensive for the Russian troops became a necessity.

## Prelude

On May 19, a Russian detachment under the command of General D. I. Romanovsky [ru] set out from Chinoz to the steppes, consisting of 14 infantry battalions and some 500 Cossacks with 20 guns and 8 rocket launchers, in the direction of the Irjar pass, with the steamship Perovsky carrying provisions for the detachment for 10 days. A small auxiliary detachment of Kraevsky was moving in parallel along the right bank of the Syr Darya from the Keleuchin fortification.
At the end of the first 30 versts (20 miles) march to the Murza-Rabat wells, when there were still about 20 versts (13 miles) left to Irjar and, at dawn, the Cossacks shot down the first groups of Bukhara cavalry that appeared; the artillery also began to operate, and did not cease firing from that moment until the very end of the battle.
At the head of the Russian column moved Captain Alexander Konstantinovich Abramov with 6 battalions and 8 guns. On the right went Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pistolkors [ru] with Cossacks, rocket launchers and 6 guns. Behind moved a reserve of 3 battalions with 4 guns of Major Pishchemuki and a convoy with cover.

## Battle

On May 20, the Bukharan army attacked the Russian detachment: mounted crowds of Bukharans and Kirghiz surrounded it from all sides, especially pressing hard on the baggage train of Lieutenant Colonel Fovitsky.
A mile and a half before the Bukhara positions, the Russian detachment was met with intense cannon fire from the trenches. However, the Russian columns were able to force their way through the mass of Bukhara cavalry, which continued its attacks. About an hour later, the Bukhara onslaught weakened, and the Russian columns counterattacked: Abramov's units moved toward the rubble and captured it within half an hour. Pistolkors also distinguished himself, quickly occupying one enemy position after another. During the battle, the Bukhara army was defeated and, after unsuccessful attempts to counterattack, fled to its own territory, suffering significant losses. Those Bukhara who tried to escape to the right bank of the Syr Darya came under attack from the Keleuchin detachment.
Emir Muzaffar bin Nasrullah himself provoked his army to flee, fleeing to Samarkand. The huge camp of the Bukharans fell into the hands of the Russians along with all their property. The next day, the Russians took another camp (the emir’s headquarters) where their trophies included carpets, sofas, the khan’s kitchen, and a report from the Samarkand bek from the front that "the Russians are already surrounded and will soon all be captured".
The Bukhara tents were dismantled by Russian soldiers for shirts, and subsequently, throughout the entire campaign, one could see shirts on them, half made of blue, half of red or green material, with bizarre dragons or birds.

## Aftermath

Despite their numbers, the Bukharans suffered a complete defeat, losing about a thousand people killed, while the Russians had only 12 wounded. The Russian detachment's trophies included 10 cannons, supplies of gunpowder, cartridges, and shells.
The victory at Irjar opened the way for the Russian army to Khujand, the fortress of Nau, and Jizzakh, which covered access to the Fergana Valley (Romanovsky did not pursue Muzaffar, who fled to Samarkand), which were taken following the victory at Irjar.
Emir Muzaffar, having arrived in Bukhara, was met by a crowd hostile to him, blaming him for the defeat. The ulama demanded the start of the war, Muzaffar hesitated and did not dare to do so. Then, at a general council, the ulama spoke out openly against the emir and declared him unworthy of occupying the throne of the "great Timur". Having left the capital, the emir hoped to find support among the people, but this did not happen, and in the end he had no choice but to declare a gazavat alone (even despite the refusal of support from Khiva, Kokand and Afghanistan, which at the last moment abandoned the confrontation with the Russian Empire).