Muhammad Ali Madali

Who is Muhammad Ali Madali?

Muhammad Ali Madali was an ishan of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, who led an 1898 revolt against Russian domination, centred in the town of Andijan. Madali, seeking to rid the area of the Russians and restore the khanate of Khokand, called for "holy war", and led 2,000 men against the Russians. However, his force was blocked outside the city on Andijan by the Russian 20th Line Battalion and defeated. Of those 2,000, 546 were put on trial, and Madali and five of his lieutenants hanged.