Abstract
The article examines the scholarly and source-based significance of folklore expeditions for the study of the creative activity of bakhshis who performed in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions in the mid-twentieth century. Drawing on field reports, performer information cards, repertoire lists, epic texts, musical transcriptions, and magnetic tape recordings collected during expeditions conducted by the Institute of Art Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan between 1955 and 1961, the study reconstructs important aspects of the historical state of the bakhshi performance tradition. Particular attention is given to materials concerning such performers as Khudoyqul Niyozov and Mardon Avliyoqulov, as well as archival records related to the epics “Gorogly”, “Alpomish”, “Avaz”, and “Yozi va Zebo”. The study demonstrates that expedition materials provide valuable evidence for investigating bakhshi repertoire, master-disciple traditions, performance styles, improvisation, and variability in epic performance. The article also emphasizes the importance of the restoration, digitization, and cataloguing of these archival materials for their long-term preservation and wider introduction into scholarly circulation.