P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Dodkhudoeva, Lola
Tajik scholar Lola Dodkhudoeva was born in Dushanbe in 1951.
Dodkhudoeva graduated from the Leningrad State University in
1973 with a degree in Arabic studies. She started her career as a re-
search fellow in the Department of Medieval History of the Institute of
History, Archeology, and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of
Tajikistan in 1977. Thereafter she became the Head of the same insti-
tute. In 1993 and 1994, Dodkhudoeva was employed by the Ministry of
Education of Tajikistan, and from 1996 to 1997, she served as the Dep-
uty Director of the Soros Foundation's Open Society Institute in Tajiki-

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Iraj Bashiri

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stan. Dodkhudoeva became the Secretary-General of the UNESCO

National Commission for Tajikistan in March 2000.
Dodkhudoeva's research is focused on Islam and its role in the me-
dieval cultures of Central Asia. At the present, she is continuing her
education as a doctoral candidate in history.
Domullo Ikromcha
See Ikrom, Muhammad.
Donish, Ahmad
Tajik writer, poet, painter, and judge Ahmad Donish was born in
April, 1826, in Bukhara into a poor family headed by Mullah Nasir.
Also referred to as Ahmad Makhdum Kallah, his early education was
undertaken by his mother, a teacher. Later, he joined the mekteps and
madrasahs for a religious education. Finding rote memorization intel-
lectually uninspiring, he devoted himself to the study of the works of
the great Perso-Tajik and Arab authors. Thus, while still at school, he
studied the natural sciences, mathematics, astronomy, history, philoso-
phy, and literature on his own. He completed his formal studies, which
he paid for with money he received for his paintings, in 1850. After
that, upon the recommendation of his teacher, he found employment as
court architect and painter. In reality, however, according to Donish
himself, he merely copied manuscripts and attended to court correspon-
dence. In the latter responsibility, Amir Nasrullah (ruled 1826-1860)
personally nominated Donish as secretary for a delegation leaving for
St. Petersburg.
The first phase of Donish's career includes three trips to Russia.
These trips acquainted him with life in St. Petersburg and expanded his
knowledge and world view. During the first trip, for instance, he not
only participated in official negotiations, but visited the literary and in-
dustrial centers of St. Petersburg. Upon his return to Bukhara in 1850,
however, his high hopes that the Amir would implement some of his
suggested reforms were shattered. The Amir accepted only what was of
military and economic interest, and summarily rejected all advice re-
garding social, educational, and cultural reforms.
Donish faired even worse when the selfish Amir Muzaffar (ruled
1860-1885) systematically alienated all the worthy and experienced of-
ficials who had assisted his father. As for Donish, he was isolated. In

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