Andijan uprising of 1898

The Andijan uprising of 1898^[a] was a nationalist rebellion which occurred on 29 May [O.S. 17 May] 1898.^[1] Around 1,500 armed men attacked the Russian forces at Andijan (formerly part of the Khanate of Kokand),^[1] under the direction of the Naqshbandi Sufi sheikh "Dukchi Ishan" (Muhammad Ali Madali) (1856–1898).^{[citation needed]} The attack saw the rebels surround the camp, taking the soldiers of the 20th Russian battalion by complete surprise.^[1] However, the Russian troops quickly regrouped and managed to rout the rebels.^[1] The uprising lasted about 15 minutes.^[1]

Twenty-two Russian soldiers died, and 16 were wounded.^[1] Other attacks were staged simultaneously at Margilan and Ush. Eighteen participants were executed, including the leader. 546 rebels were arrested, and 356 condemned to forced labour or exile to Siberia (163 were set free). The rebel leader was thought to be representative of the Ottoman Empire (but the credentials proved false^{[clarification needed]}), and he was declared khan the day before the revolt.

The majority of the rebels were Kyrgyz,^[2] who in 1875 had rebelled against Muhammad Khudayar Khan (who reigned 1845–1858, 1862–1863, and 1867–1875).

Count Konstantin Pahlen, who conducted an inspection tour of Russian Turkestan in 1908–1909, wrote in his memoirs that the rebellion caused considerable alarm within the Tsarist government.^[3] Edward Dennis Sokol points out that while this affair might seem insignificant at first glance, it actually revealed widespread dissatisfaction with Tsarist rule in Central asia.^[1]