NATIONAL TERRITORIAL BORDERLINES IN TURKESTAN

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the national-territorial delimitation process carried out by Soviet authorities in Central Asia during 1924–1925. It demonstrates how a historically unified region—formed through centuries of shared cultural heritage and coexistence among the peoples of the Turkestan ASSR, Bukhara, and Khorezm republics—was artificially divided into separate national republics. The study examines the main causes, stages, participants, as well as the political and social consequences of this process.The article emphasizes that the delimitation was based on the principle of “divide and rule” and was aimed at weakening the leading position of the Uzbek people in the region. As a result, five independent republics (Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan) were established; however, these borders continue to generate various challenges even today.