YOUTH (1917 - 1941)

YOUTH (1917 - 1941). Childhood

THE BIRTH OF SHARAF

Sharaf Rashidov was born on 6 November 1917, the day before the Great October Socialist Revolution.

SHARAF'S HOMELAND

Sharaf's birthplace is the Sovungarlik rural community in the suburbs of Jizzakh, a small city located north-east of ancient Samarkand. Jizzakh was the last major human settlement with a caravanserai before a mountain pass on the Great Silk Road. This region bordered on an almost waterless territory called the Golodnaya (Hungry) Steppe. Despite its lifeless and wild landscapes, Sharaf Rashidov always spoke fondly about his native village — later he would begin his first novel with a description of his homeland.

To protect the city from the Golodnaya Steppe, residents took much care of wells, canals, fields and gardens. Sharaf's family worked in these fields. His father Rashid Khalilov and mother Kuysinoy Khalilova (Nosirova) were literate and respected people despite their status — they were simple dekhans (peasants), rural residents who modestly earned their living through hard work.

THE LIFE OF SHARAF'S FAMILY AFTER THE SOCIALIST REVOLUTION

The family's situation improved after the 1917 Socialist Revolution: Sharaf's father first joined the ranks of the Jizzakh militia, since 1924 worked as arbakesh (carrier) in the Kizil Karavan artel, and in 1929 joined the collective farm named after the 10th Anniversary of October. Sharaf had five brothers: Kamal, Sahab, Isom, Asil and Nosir.
Whatever financial situation the parents were in, the children, following the example of their father and mother, learned to read and write: Rashid and Kuysinoy were among the few peasants who could read and write.

PLACED IN HARSH LIVING CONDITIONS, YOUNG SHARAF WAS STUBBORNLY GAINING NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE AND MANAGED THROUGH HARD WORK TO BECOME QUITE AN INTELLECTUAL PERSON. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE LIFE OF A MAN WHO MADE A HUGE CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORY OF HIS COUNTRY.

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