Akmulla, Miftakhetdin

Born Dec. 14, 1831, in the village of Tusanbai, Belebeev District, Ufim Province; died Oct. 21, 1895. Bashkir poet and educator. Also has a place in Tatar and Kazakh literatures.

Born to a family of a mullah, Akmulla wrote verses in Turkic and several works in Kazakh. He expressed the ideals and feelings of the simple man, derided the bai (rich stock raisers, merchants, or landowners) and mullahs, encouraged the people to acquire education and skills, and extolled reason and justice. His verses appeared as a separate collection in 1904. The satirical magazine Akmulla, which was published from 1911 to 1916 in Troitsk, Orenburg Province, was named after the poet.