This talk introduces the story of Aghā-yi Buzurg, an extraordinary woman who lived in sixteenth-century Bukhara—located in present-day Uzbekistan—and became one of the few known female Sufi leaders in Islamic history. Her life is documented in a hagiography titled The Manifestation of Wonders, written by her male disciple. In a historical context where women’s religious authority was rarely recorded, this text offers a rare window into how a woman could gain spiritual, social, and even political influence in early modern Central Asia. Aghā-yi Buzurg was not only respected for her personal piety but also led a wide network of followers, advised rulers, and competed with prominent male religious figures of her time. Her story challenges modern assumptions about gender roles in Muslim societies, especially in the history of the Central Asian region. By examining her life and legacy, Professor Shanazarova’s presentation invites the audience to reconsider how power, gender, and religion were intertwined in pre-modern Central Asia and to reflect on the broader historical dynamics that have shaped women's roles in the region.

Aziza Shanazarova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religion at Columbia University. Her research centers on the religious history of Islamic Central Asia and the Persianate world, focusing on the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. She earned a dual PhD in Religious Studies and Central Eurasian Studies from Indiana University-Bloomington in 2019. Prior to joining Columbia, she taught at Stanford University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she held a postdoctoral position.

Shanazarova is the author of Female Religiosity in Central Asia: Sufi Leaders in the Persianate World (Cambridge University Press 2024), which received an honorable mention from the British Association for Islamic Studies/BRAIS-De Gruyter Prize in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World in 2022. She also published Manifestations of a Sufi Woman in Central Asia: A Critical Edition of Ḥāfiẓ-i Baṣīr’s Maẓhar al-ʻajā’ib (Brill 2020). Her peer-reviewed articles have been featured in leading journals, including Der Islam, Journal of Sufi Studies, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Journal of Islamic Manuscripts, and the International Journal of Islam in Asia.

Accommodation: If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.