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'''Abdul Mejid''' ({{fl.|1860}}) was a [[Kabul]]i [[mullah]] and merchant who explored [[Central Asia]] (then frequently known as [[Tartary]]) on behalf of the [[British Empire]].

==Name==
Abdul Mejid's [[Abdul Majid|name]] has been various transcribed as Abdul Mejid,{{sfnp|Rawlinson|1866|p=140}}{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} '''Abdul Mejíd''',{{sfnp|Yule|1872|p=[https://archive.org/details/1872-journey-to-source-of-river-oxus-by-wood-and-yule-s/page/n43/mode/2up xlvi]}} '''Abdul Medjid''',{{sfnp|Rawlinson|1866|p=148}} '''Abdul-Medjid''',{{sfnp|Fedtschenko|1874|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_rMBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA618 618–621]}} '''Abdoul Medjid''',{{sfnp|Reclus|1884|loc=[https://archive.org/details/earthitsinhabita06recl/page/166/mode/2up Fig. 85]}} and '''Abdool Mujeed'''.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 1]}}

==Life==
[[File:TE&II Vol 06 Fig 085.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Abdul Mejid's route across the [[Hindu Kush]], [[Pamir Mountains|Pamir]], [[Transalai]], and [[Alai Mountains]] (dotted line), alongside those of other early explorers in the region.]]
Abdul Mejid was raised in [[Kabul]], [[Emirate of Afghanistan|Afghanistan]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} His father was an [[imam]]{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 1]}} and he himself became learned enough in [[Islam]] and [[Islamic law]] to be considered a [[mullah]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} After finding employment in the emirate's mint, he became a merchant and married the daughter of the still more prosperous [[Slavery in Central Asia|freedman]] Nazir Khairulla Khan.{{efn|Variously also written Nasir Khayr Ullah, Nasir Khan,{{sfnp|Wolff|1845|p=233}} Nazir Khyroola,{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 1]}} and Nazir Khairoullah.{{sfnp|''Indian Mail''|1854}}}}{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 1]}}{{sfnp|Wolff|1845|p=233}} Abdul Mejid travelled throughout [[Central Asia]],{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} then frequently known as [[Tartary]]. The area has extremely difficult terrain and was known at the time for its violent hostility to outsiders,{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=85}} including [[British India|Britain]]'s disastrous [[1842 retreat from Kabul|retreat from Kabul]] during the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] and the subsequent execution of the British agents [[Charles Stoddart]] and [[Arthur Conolly]] by the [[emir of Bokhara|emir]] of [[Emirate of Bokhara|Bukhara]] [[Nasrullah Khan (Bukhara)|Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur]]. The [[Emirate of Afghanistan|Afghan]] [[emir of Afghanistan|emir]] [[Dost Mohammad Khan]] was also married to another of Nazir Khairulla Khan's daughters, and the two merchants found themselves on favorable terms with the British at [[Peshawar]] following the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]].{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP4 2]}}

On 28 September 1860, Abdul Mejid was dispatched from [[Peshawar]] as a [[Pundit (explorer)|pundit]] by the [[Peshawar Division|division]] commissioner Hugh Rees James{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 1]}} (1823{{ndash}}1864) and the [[governor-general of India|governor-general]] of [[British India|India]], [[Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning|Earl Canning]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} Provided with an official letter and gifts including [[music boxes]], [[watches]], and [[rifles]], his mission was to journey to [[Kokand]], establish contact and confirm Britain's friendship with [[Khan of Kokand|its khan]] [[Muhammad Malla Beg Khan|Muhammad Malla Beg]], and assess the level of [[Russian Empire|Russian]] influence and presence in the [[Khanate of Kokand|khanate]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} Because of the hostility at the time between Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur and both Muhammad Malla Beg and Dost Mohammad Khan, Abdul Mejid was precluded from following the easiest route through [[Bukhara]].{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP4 2]}} Instead, he travelled through Kabul (8 October),{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA1 3]}} the [[Hindu Kush]] and [[Khan Abad|Khanabad]] (24 October),{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA4 4]}} [[Fayzabad, Badakhshan|Fayzabad]] in the vassal emirate of [[Badakhshan]] (4 November), the [[Pamir Steppe]] (16 November),{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA5 5]}} and the [[Taldyk Pass]] into [[Gulcha]] (5 December),{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA8 8]}} reaching Kokand on 17 December.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA9 9]}} Muhammad Malla Beg being absent on a western raid of Oratepa (now [[Istaravshan]]), Abdul Mejid was entertained by local nobles until the khan's return on 7 January 1861.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA9 9]}} He had several audiences with the khan while compiling information for the British on local conditions.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA10 10{{ndash}}13]}}

Abdul Mejid left Kokand on 31 January 1861 but was detained until 10 March at nearby Yar Mazar (now [[Fergana]]) waiting for companions on his journey.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA13 13{{ndash}}14]}} One envoy was tasked to communicate with the British at Peshawar and another to travel to [[Constantinople]] (now [[Istanbul]]) to resume relations between Kokand and the [[Ottoman Empire]].{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA15 15]}} Abdul Mejid then passed through the [[Tengizbay Pass]] and along the [[Vakhsh River]] towards [[Kulob]], whose lord Surrah Khan imprisoned the entire party at [[Khovaling]] on behalf of Bukhara. Reports of the disorder following Muhammad Nasrullah Bahadur's deposition, however, prompted the khan to release the party with gifts, entertainment, and well wishes.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA14 14]}} Crossing the [[Amu Darya]], Abdul Mejid reentered Badakhshan and returned to Khanabad.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA14 14{{ndash}}15]}} He reached Kabul on 6 June and Peshawar on the 26th, relating his journey to James, who praised his clarity, sobriety, bravery, and utility and recommended a substantial payment be arranged for his troubles.{{sfnp|James|1863|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA15 15]}}{{efn|James's report includes a detailed itinerary of the stops along Abdul Mejid's route with approximate distances between each.{{sfnp|James|1863|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA16 Appendices A & B]}} The Russian scholar [[Alexei Fedchenko]] subsequently matched James's sometimes irregular names{{mdash}}including the [[scribal error]] "Dysame Lake" for Abdul Mejid's intended "the same" in reference to two days' travel beside [[Karakul (Tajikistan)|Lake Kara Kul]]{{sfnp|Curzon|1896|p=48}}{{mdash}}to known locations in his essay on the Kokand Khanate.{{sfnp|Fedtschenko|1874|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_rMBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA618 618–621]}} [[Henry Yule]] attempted the same with a few of the lakes in his discussion of the headwaters of the [[Amu Darya]] attached to the 2nd edition of [[John Wood (explorer)|John Wood]]'s ''Journey''{{sfnp|Yule|1872|pp=[https://archive.org/details/1872-journey-to-source-of-river-oxus-by-wood-and-yule-s/page/n83/mode/2up lxxxv–lxxxvi]}} but was misled by the egregiously inaccurate hydrography produced by Wood and by earlier Chinese reports.
{{sfnp|Curzon|1896|pp=48 & 74}}}}

==Legacy==
His trip was the first recorded journey through the Pamir from south to north,{{sfnp|Curzon|1896|p=74}} in honor of which the [[Royal Geographical Society of London|Royal Geographical Society]] provided him with a gold watch valued at [[British pound (currency)|£]]26 6[[British shilling|s.]] and a ceremony in London congratulating him {{lang|la|in absentia}} overseen by [[Percy Smythe, 8th Viscount Strangford|Lord Strangford]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} Although Abdul Mejid had not undertaken any observations of [[latitude]] or [[longitude]] nor undertaken any [[surveying]], his safe passage and detailed account of his route inspired [[Thomas George Montgomerie]] to expand the use of [[Indian people|native Indian]] pundits for the [[Great Trigonometrical Survey]] and for British exploration in [[Qing Tibet|Tibet]].{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=24}} The pundit [[Hyder Shah]], "The [[Havildar]]", later reprised parts of Abdul Mejid's route while undertaking additional scientific observations.{{sfnp|Waller|1990|p=92}}

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography===
{{ref begin}}
* {{citation |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=grcOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA314 |contribution=Summary and Review |title=Allen's Indian Mail and Register of Intelligence... |volume=XII |issue=246 |location=London |date=14 June 1854 |publisher=William H. Allen |ref={{harvid|''Indian Mail''|1854}} }}.
* {{citation |last=Curzon |first=George Nathaniel |author-link=George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston |url=https://pahar.in/pahar/Books%20and%20Articles/Central%20Asia/1896%20The%20Pamirs%20and%20the%20Source%20of%20the%20Oxus%20by%20Curzon%20s.pdf |title=The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus |date=1896 |publisher=[[Royal Geographical Society of London|Royal Geographical Society]] |location=London }}.
* {{citation |last=Reclus |first=Élisée |author-link=Elisee Reclus |url=https://archive.org/details/earthitsinhabita06recl/page/n7/mode/2up |title=The Earth and Its Inhabitants, ''Vol. VI:'' Asia, ''Vol. I:'' Asiatic Russia |editor-last=Ravenstein |editor-first=Ernst Georg |editor-link=Ernst Georg Ravenstein |editor2=A. H. Keane |display-editors=1 |location=New York |publisher=D. Appleton & Co. |date=1884 }}
* {{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_rMBAAAAYAAJ |title=Bulletin de la Société de Géographie |lang=fr |trans-title=Bulletin of the Geography Society |series=6th ser. |volume=VII |date=June 1874 |location=Paris |publisher=Ch. Delagrave & Co. |last=Fedtschenko |first=Alexei Pavlovovitch |author-link=Alexei Fedchenko |contribution=Le Khanat de Khokand et les Contrées Environnantes |trans-contribution=The Khanate of Kokand and Surrounding Countries |editor-last=Guyard |editor-first=Stanislas |editor2-last=Yule |editor2-first=Henry |editor2-link=Henry Yule |display-editors=1 |issue=39 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_rMBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA609 609–626] |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_rMBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA609 }}.
* {{citation |last=James |first=Hugh Rees |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ |title=Selections from the Records of the Government of India |volume=XXXIX |location=Calcutta |publisher=Foreign Department Press |date=1863 |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PP3 |contribution=Report on a Journey to Kokan }}, printing a letter dated 19 October 1861.
* {{citation |last=Rawlinson |first=Henry Creswicke |author-link=Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/-Two_Memoirs_published_by_Veniukof_on_Pamir_Region_and_Bolor_Country_by_Rawlinson_from_PRGSv10_s.pdf_-Two_Memoirs_published_by_Veniukof_on_Pamir_Region_and_Bolor_Country_by_Rawlinson_from_PRGSv10_%28IA_dli.pahar.0614%29.pdf |date=26 March 1866 |pages=134–153 |contribution=Observations on Two Memoirs Recently Published by M. Veniuskof on the Pamir Region and the Bolor Country in Central Asia |title=Proceedings... |publisher=[[Royal Geographical Society of London|Royal Geographical Society]] |location=London }}.
* {{citation |last=Waller |first=Derek |title=The Pundits: British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia |date=1990 |series=''Asian History'', Vol. I |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]] |isbn=0-8131-9100-9 }}.
* {{citation |last=Wolff |first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Wolff |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/05007325/ |title=Narrative of a Mission to Bokhara in the Years 1843{{ndash}}1845 to Ascertain the Fate of Colonel Stoddart and Captain Connolly |location=New York |publisher=Harper & Brothers |date=1845 }}.
* {{citation |last=Yule |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Yule |contribution-url=https://archive.org/details/1872-journey-to-source-of-river-oxus-by-wood-and-yule-s/page/n17/mode/2up |contribution=An Essay on the Geography and History of the Regions on the Upper Waters of the Oxus |pages=xxi--xc |date=1872 |url=https://archive.org/details/1872-journey-to-source-of-river-oxus-by-wood-and-yule-s/page/n1/mode/2up |title=A Journey to the Source of the River Oxus |edition=2nd |location=London |publisher=John Murray }}.
{{ref end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mejid, Abdul}}
[[Category:Explorers of Central Asia]]
[[Category:People from the Durrani Empire]]
[[Category:Afghan Muslims]]
[[Category:1860s in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:19th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:19th-century Afghan people]]
[[Category:19th-century explorers]]

Abdul Mejid explorer - Revision history

SharePoint Press at 13:50, 20 November 2025