Belgi Dergisi

Öz

The relations between the Central Asian khanates/emirates and the Ottoman Empire hold significance for both Turkish and world history. Among the Central Asian khanates, the one that established relations with the Ottoman Empire the most was the Emirate of Bukhara. The emergence of the Safavid Empire had a significant impact on the development of relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Emirate of Bukhara, as the idea of cooperation against the Safavids positively influenced this development. From the 18th century onward, the most important factor affecting the development of relations was Russia's expansion. In the 19th century, Russia increased its pressure on both the Ottoman Empire and the Uzbek khanates/emirates. Correspondingly, the search for cooperation also increased. Relations in the 19th century primarily developed around the mutual visits of envoys. The relationships particularly grew within the framework of Bukhara envoys coming to Istanbul. When examining the documents in the Ottoman archives, it is observed that the main reasons for the envoys' visits were to announce changes in rulers or to congratulate new rulers. Although these reasons appeared to be the primary focus, the letters brought by the envoys revealed various requests for assistance from the Ottoman Empire. It is even understood that some delicate matters were conveyed verbally to the envoys, considering the risks associated with transmission over the journey, and these envoys delivered these verbal messages to the Ottoman court. The Ottoman Empire always showed respect to the incoming envoys and tried to fulfill their requests within its means. However, at times, the requests could not be fully met due to considerations of Russian and regional delicacies. During these visits, gift exchanges and the search for cooperation against various threats were observed. This article aims to evaluate the documents related to the subject based on the Ottoman archives. In this directions, it is aimed to identify the envoys sent from Bukhara and to reveal the reason for their sending, their purposes, their activities, the ceremonies and services provided for the embassy delegations, the routes of the envoys and the difficulties they suffered.