The Hajj and Religious Politics after 1905 123hajj, but would instead provoke a backlash from many sides, above all from
Muslim pilgrims, for whom the hajj had become a major focus of debate within
the newly expanded Muslim press, and an indicator of their status as Muslim
subjects.
Before being appointed hajj director, Saidazimbaev was largely unknown in
Russia outside Turkestan. Some would later complain that Stolypin had hired
him solely on the recommendation of Muslim deputies from the Duma.^9 One
Russian official described him as “the American type,” shrewd and enterpris-
ing. Saidazimbaev succeeded in gaining this powerful and lucrative position
for three reasons: his family connections, the comprehensive character of his
plan, and his astute ability to play to the multiple motivations animating gov-
ernment interest in the hajj.^10
Saidazimbaev came from the Muslim elite class in Turkestan, created by the
Russians from among those who helped them conquer the region in the late
nineteenth century. His father, Said Bay, one of Tashkent’s wealthiest mer-
chants, had welcomed the conquest and served the Russian administration in
Figure 4.1. Said Gani Saidazimbaev.
Note the many Russian medals
pinned to his chest, attesting to his
status as an elite and a trusted
intermediary of the Russian
colonial administration in
Turkestan. Early 1900s. (Courtesy
of http://www.medalirus.ru))