P. SHUBINSKY

SKETCHES OF BUKHARA

Origin and lineage of the Mangyt dynasty. - Emir Mozafar-Eddin and his family. - The position of the Bukhara Khanate before the installation of Seid-Abdul-Akhat on its throne. - He is made emir. - Ceremony of accession to the throne. - The first reforms and transformations. - Emir's childhood and adolescence. - His life in Kermine and management of the bekstvo. - The exterior of Seid-Abdul-Akhat Khan. - His character, habits, lifestyle. - Family and harem. - The state of the emir. - The highest administration of the khanate. - Representatives of the clergy and the army. - Court staff. - The significance of the Russian political agency for Bukhara. - External relations of the Emir.

Emir Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan - the seventh sovereign from the Mangyt dynasty ( The first ruler of Bukhara from the Mangyt house was Shah-Murad (1784-1802). He was succeeded by: Mir-Gaider (1802-1825); Hussein Khan and Omar Khan (1825-1826); Nasr-Ullah (1826-1860); Mozafar-Eddin (1860-1885)), established on the Bukhara throne after the death of Abul-Gazi, the last emir from the house of Ashtarkhanids, in 1795-1796 ( Vambery: "History of Bukhara", translation of Pavlovsky, St. Petersburg, 1873, vol. II), p. 120. Mirza-Shamsi-Bukhari: "Notes", Kazan, 1861, pr. I, pp. 41-42).

The Uzbek clan Mangyt and, in particular, its branch Tuk, have long been close to the supreme power and have actually ruled the country since the beginning of the 18th century ( The literal meaning of the word "Uzbek" is independent. Vambery: "History of Bukhara", vol. II, pr. II, p. 2. The word "mangyt" means a dense forest. Abul-Gazi: "Genealogy of Turkic tribes", translation by Sablukov, Kazan, 1854, p. 27. The word "tuk" - a detachment of soldiers of 100 people. Marco Polo, translated by Shemyakin, Moscow, 1863, p. 184). In 1784, the energetic and talented representative of this clan, Shah-Murad, removes the weak and incapable Abul-Gazi from power and becomes the supreme ruler of the khanate. His son, Mir-Gaider, upon the death of Shah-Murad in 1802, takes the title of Emir. Emir Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan, now reigning in Bukhara, is the great-grandson of this sovereign.

The Mangyt dynasty traces its lineage along the male line from Uzbek, the ninth sovereign from the house of Juji, along the female line from Genghis Khan.

The Mangyts were brought to the shores of the Oxus by Chinggis Khan from the northeast of Mongolia at the beginning of the 13th century and, along with the Kungrats, were considered the bravest and most famous family of all Uzbek tribes that roamed within the Khiva Khanate. In the 16th century, Sheibani-Mohammed-khan summoned some of them to Bukhara, where he provided them with the Karshi steppes ( Vambery: "History of Bukhara", vol. II, p. 116). Currently, they roam, partly in the vicinity of this city, partly in the Bukhara district ( Khanykov: "Description of the Bukhara Khanate", St. Petersburg, 1843, pp. 58-66). The Mangyt tribes remaining in Khiva inhabit the upper reaches of the left bank of the Syr Darya and are subject to the Khiva Khan.

Bukhara Uzbeks were originally a military-service class. Their political influence grew as the internal structure of the khanate weakened under the scepter of the weak and mediocre Ashtarkhanids. In the second half of the 18th century, it reaches its climax, and Shah Murad already freely takes possession of the ancient throne of Transoxania; having married, then, the granddaughter of the emir Abul-Feiz-khan ( Abul-Feiz-khan reigned in Bukhara from 1705-1747. He was killed by his rebellious minister Rakhim-Bi, who seized the supreme power and exterminated all direct descendants of Abul-Feiz. Mirza-Shamsi-Bukhari, ave. VIII, pp. 55-58. The last emir from the house of Ashtarkhanids, Abul-Gazi, was a great-nephew of Abul-Feiz), Shems-Banu-Aim ( Malcolm and Izetullah consider her the daughter of Abul-Feiz, and the former gives her the name Yelduz-Begum. We give preference to the information about it in the article. Grebenkina: "Genealogy of the Mangyt dynasty" ("Yearbook of the Turkestan Territory", issue III, pp. 338-339)), the last representative of the Ashtarkhanid clan, he legitimizes the supreme power seized by him and the rights of the dynasty he founded to the throne of the Genghisids ( The Ashtarkhanids were direct descendants of Genghis Khan. At the same time, they came from the Astrakhan khans expelled from Russia. Vambery: "History of Bukhara", vol. II, pp. 67-69).

Emir Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan was born in Kermin in 1857. He was the fourth son of the Emir Seyid-Mozafar-Eddin, who died in Bukhara on October 31st, 1885. The emir's mother, a Persian woman, from slaves, named Shamshat, was distinguished by a rare mind and was the beloved wife of Mozafar-Eddin. She died in Kermin in 1879, living with her son, whom she almost did not leave since his appointment as a bek in this city. In addition to her son, she had one daughter, Salih, whom Mozafar-Eddin married off to his nephew Amand-Ullah.

It is known that the late Mozafar-Eddin was a great admirer of female beauty. Taking advantage of the dual rights of a Muslim and a Central Asian ruler, he had, in addition to four legitimate wives, an extensive harem, consisting of 150-200 women. His eldest wife was the daughter of the Shakhrisabz bek, Daniar-atalyk, but he had no children from her. From other wives, he had the following offspring ( Information about the family of Emir Mozafar-Eddin was necessarily communicated to us by the cousin of the Emir of Bukhara living in Tashkent, Mir-Seid-Akhat-khan): Katy-Tyura-Abdul-Malik, born of one of the four legal wives of the emir, a Persian woman named Hasa-Zumrat, born in 1848; Seid-Nur-Eddin, a former bek of Chardzhuysky, was born in 1851, died at the end of the seventies; Seid-Abdul-Mummin, born in 1852, was appointed Gissor bek during the life of Mozafar-Eddin; Seid-Abdul-Akhat, dissatisfied with his management of the bekstvo, transferred him in 1886, first to Boysun, and then recalled him to Bukhara, where he now lives with his family; Seid-Abdul-Fettah, born in 1857, died shortly after his trip to St. Petersburg, to present to the late Emperor, in 1869; Seid-Abdul-Sammad, bey Chirakchinsky; Seid-Sadyk, the late emir was appointed bek of the Charjui after the death of Nur-Eddin; upon accession to the throne, Abdul-Akhata was recalled to Bukhara, where he now resides; Seid-Akram, Bek of Guzar; Seid-Mir-Mansur, born in 1863, lieutenant of the 3rd Dragoon Sumy regiment, serves and lives in Moscow. In addition, the late emir had several sons who died during his lifetime and did not leave historical memories of themselves in the Bukhara people.

The order of succession to the throne is not exactly established by the Bukharian laws. Each ruler of Bukhara can bequeath his throne to the "most worthy", but usually the emirs passed it on to their eldest sons, who, even during their lifetime, bear the title of kati-tyur, which is equivalent to the title of heir.

The circumstances that caused the expulsion of Abdul-Malik from the country of katy-tyur are sufficiently known, and we will not reproduce them in full detail, reminding only the reader that this Bukhara prince strove to seize the throne during his father's lifetime. In 1868, when the troops of Mozafar-Eddin were finally defeated by the Russians in the battle at Zera-Bulak and the whole country rebelled against him, Abdul-Malik, incited by the fanatical clergy and the British, who promised him help with arms and money, openly became the head of the rebellion and with the troops remaining in Bukhara, he opposes his father, who at this critical moment turns for help to his recent enemies, the Russians, with whom he has just made peace. This help was immediately given to him, and General Abramov, having scattered the troops of the katy-tyur in skirmishes at Jama and Karshi, forced him to flee first to Khiva, and then to India, where he still lives in Peshaver, retired from the British government ( Vamberi for some reason considers him dead ("History of Bukhara", vol. II, p. 195). Meanwhile, Abdul-Malik, according to official and private information, is in full health, living luxuriously in Peshaver, on a large subsidy given to him by the British.).

The offended and angry father forever deprives Abdul-Malik of the rights to the Bukhara throne and proposes to appoint his third son, Nur-Eddin, the Charjui Bek, but this clever and talented prince soon dies. The same fate befell the young Abdul-Fettakh, whom Mozafar-Eddin predicted to be his heir, sending him to Russia in 1869 to present to Emperor Alexander II, whom he intended to ask for Abdul-Fettakh's approval in the title of kati-tyur during his lifetime. ("Russian Invalid", 1869, No. 116, 125 and 128).

Having lost these two sons, the emir transfers the rights to the Bukhara throne to his fifth and beloved son, Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan. In 1883 he sent him to Russia to be presented to Emperor Alexander Alexandrovich and to attend the sacred coronation. At the same time, the emir asks for the approval of Seid-Abdul-Akhat by Russia as the heir to the Bukhara Khanate. The sovereign emperor was pleased to fulfill the request of the emir, and the young prince takes to Bukhara strong guarantees of his future power, leaving pleasant memories everywhere in Russian society, created by his simplicity, intelligence and beautiful appearance. ("New Time", 1883, No. 2637; "Government Bulletin", 1887, No. 89, etc.).

In the summer of 1885, Mozafar-Eddin was in Karshi, where he fell ill with an epidemic paint fever. In the autumn of the same year, he moved to Bukhara, where the disease intensified, and on October 31, at dawn, he died at the age of 62. Mozafar-Eddin spent the last days of his life in his favorite country palace Shire-Badan. But the emir's close associates, and at the head of their 72-year-old kush-bei Mulla-Mehmed-Biy, foreseeing the imminent death of their ruler and fearing popular unrest, at night transported him to the palace, to the citadel of Bukhara, where he actually died.

In the same form, the death of Mozafar-Eddin was hidden from the people until the arrival of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat-khan from Kermine, for whom one of the most devoted to him Mirahurs was immediately sent.

Until the arrival of the new emir, no one entered the room where the body of the late Mozafar-Eddin was located, except for Kush-Begi and his son Mukhamet-Sherif-Divan-Begi, who from time to time gave various orders on behalf of the Emir, as if still alive ...

Having received the news of the death of his father, Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan immediately left Kermine, accompanied by 1,000 nukers, and in the morning of November 1 he was already in the village of Bogaeddin, the resting place of the famous Central Asian saint Bogaeddin-Khodja, distant from Bukhara by distance of 8 versts. After performing a prayer service at the saint's grave and distributing alms, he, accompanied by a huge retinue of Bukhara dignitaries, an army, accompanied by a huge crowd of people, drove into Bukhara.

On the same day, at 11 o'clock in the morning, the body of Mozafar-Eddin was buried in the Khazret-Imla cemetery, where the entire clan of the Mangyt dynasty was buried.

On November 4, Seid-Abdul-Akhat ascended the Bukhara throne. This ceremony, which combines, at the same time, the coronation, consists in the fact that in the throne room of the ancient Bukhara castle on the Registan, with the meeting of all the courtiers, military, spiritual and civil officials in Bukhara, the highest representatives of the Uzbek families, government and the clergy solemnly sit the new emir on a white felt, spread at the foot of the throne, and, raising the felt, they lower it, together with the emir, onto the throne, which is a large, smoothly polished, gray-bluish marble stone, with three steps leading to it, covered with seven covers of expensive Bukhara and Indian fabrics ( This ceremony has been established since the time of Rahim-Bi, who forcibly seized power after the assassination of Abul-Feiz. Former emirs of Bukhara performed their coronation in Samarkand, ascending the famous throne of Timur-kok-tash. Residents of Samarkand refused to let Rakhim-Bi into the city. To complete the coronation, on the advice of those close to him and as a well-born Uzbek himself, he adopted a purely Uzbek work as the symbol of coronation, which constitutes the most necessary item in their everyday life - a mat, and to indicate the purity of his intentions, origin and wealth of the clan, a white mat was chosen. The coronation ceremony was performed by the Uzbeks, similar to the one just described. Grebenkin: "Genealogy of the Mangyt dynasty" ("Yearbook of the Turkestan Territory", issue III, p. 337). Mirza-Shamsi-Bukhari("Notes", p. 2) says that Mir-Haider, upon accession to the throne, placed a crown decorated with precious stones on his head, but this was not done during the crowning of Seid-Abdul-Akhat Khan).

Then greetings are pronounced, after which those present swear allegiance to the emir, alternately kissing his hand, which, as a sign of humility and eternal obedience, they apply to their forehead and eyes. The first is the Khoja-kalyan (head of the clergy), the second is the nakib (the next spiritual rank), the third is the kush-bei, the fourth is the divan-bei, etc. This ceremony of oath is called dastbeigat.

After that, the emir retires to the inner chambers, and sugar is distributed to those present, and they go home. ("Government Gazette", 1887, No. 89).

The accession to the throne of the new emir was accompanied by a series of festivities arranged for the people, and the usual distribution of gifts, consisting of expensive robes, horses, etc., to the emir's close associates, clergy, troops and officials.

Emir Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan came to the throne of Bukhara with the broadest plans for reforms and transformations that he intended to introduce in the country of his ancestors. He was apparently still at that time under the influence of the impressions he made from his trip to Russia, and could not help but realize that the state and social structure of his fatherland was a complete anachronism among the European civilization that had swept over him from all sides.

The state of affairs in the khanate, at the time of the establishment of Seid-Abdul-Akhat on its throne, seemed really serious. The late Emir Mozafar-Eddin, despite his peculiar intelligence and rare insight, was a representative of the old, obsolete, Islamic hierarchical regime that stubbornly defended the country from any innovations in the spirit of the times. The spiritual life of the people was entirely guided by the fanatical clergy, who also took over the upbringing and education of youth and the judiciary, deciding all cases on the basis of the decrees of the Alkoran and Sharia. Carrying out any reforms through legislation was extremely difficult, since any new law, even the most insignificant, was at odds with the holy books of Islam, provoking a heated protest from the clergy and the conservative party in solidarity with him.

Along with this, the theft and covetousness of the administration were carried to the highest degree. Only those officials who did not want to take from the people did not take. There was almost no actual control over the actions of the administration, and it could not be successfully applied in practice, since the emir would have to choose the controlling persons from the same class of sepoys, closely united and inspired by one common idea, which was a properly organized and created a historically strong system of bribery, extortion and embezzlement.

Meanwhile, a number of wars waged during the first period of the reign of Mozafar-Eddin significantly undermined the economic well-being of the country. The Bukhara people became poorer every day, trade fell, and whole regions were emptied, being abandoned by residents who emigrated to the borders of Russian Turkestan, to Kashgaria, Avganistan, or simply abandoned their lands, moving to cities where they were the first pioneers of the people's proletariat emerging in the country. ...

Along with this, Bukhara became a stronghold for the emigration from Russian Turkestan of all harmful elements of society, in the form of fanatical clergy and dervism, who did not want to come to terms with the new order of things, as well as the remnants of the Bukhara and Kokand armies and khan officials, for whom the new order did not leave room ... All this rabble, having cleared Russian Turkestan, reached out to the sacred Bukhara, which hospitably opened its gates for him, at the same time depressing the country with the maintenance of thousands of unproductive and restless parasites.

The slave trade flourished in Bukhara, along with a system of all kinds of administrative and judicial abuses, arbitrariness, denunciations, torture and brutal executions.

The family of the late emir was at odds with each other, expecting only his death in order to start a whole series of intrigues and civil strife, which could only be prevented by the powerful influence of Russia, and the pearl of the Bukhara possessions Shakhrisyabz threatened to be deposited, openly expressing a desire to better transfer to Russian citizenship than to be subjected to devastating and oppressive regime.

Crushed, robbed and turned into some kind of beast of burden, the people murmured dully. Agriculture, industry and trade, which once brought colossal benefits, fell every day. Everyone was in a hurry to hide their wealth from the predatory gaze of the khan's officials, or moved to other countries, taking with them their wealth. Only the clergy and the administration in solidarity with him triumphed everywhere, being quite sure that in the person of Emir Mozafar-Eddin they have a powerful bulwark against the hated innovations imposed by Russian civilization.

This was the state of affairs in the country when the 28-year-old Seid-Abdul-Akhat Khan ascended the throne.

Undoubtedly, the position of the young emir, like the position of the whole country, was extremely serious. Seid-Abdul-Akhat could not help but realize that the powerful support of Russia was provided to him not with a platonic goal, and that, pursuing its civilizing task in the Far East, the northern colossus would demand from him a number of broad reforms and transformations in favor of the people and ordering economic and administrative situation of the country.

At the point diametrically opposed to these requirements stood the fanatical clergy and the conservative old Bukhara Uzbek party, which sought to consolidate the existing order of things and even dreamed of restoring the khanate within its former borders.

Numerous relatives of the emir, almost without exception, were hostile to him, dissatisfied with his rise in addition to his older brothers. The Hissar and Charjui beks secretly worried the people, spreading sensational rumors, and the former katy-tyur Abdul-Malik was expecting only a convenient opportunity to invade the country and raise the banner of rebellion against his younger brother, whom he considered a kidnapper of power.

For all that, the young emir with a firm hand takes the helm of the government and in a short time manages to restore relative order and tranquility in the country.

The first law, which he issues after his accession to the throne, was the law on the emancipation of slaves and on the abolition of slavery in the Bukhara dominions forever.

Without a doubt, this law, which returned freedom and human rights to tens of thousands of slaves, mainly from Persians, was an extremely bold measure in relation to the privileged classes of the khanate, who saw in it an act of constraining their age-old, Islamic rights and undermining economic well-being ( Slavery has existed in Transoxania since ancient times. It especially intensified since the beginning of the 17th century, when the slavery of the Shiites was officially sanctioned by the fatwa of Mullah Shemsetdin-Mahomet in Herat, during the reign of Sultan Hussein-Baikero, in 1611. ( Vambery: "Travel in Central Asia", St. Petersburg, 1865, p. 213; Veselovsky: "Russian slaves in the Central Asian khanates", Materials for the description of the Khiva campaign of 1873, vol. III, pp. 1-4)).

By this measure, Seyid-Abdul-Akhat created very important difficulties for himself, for a significant part of the Bukhara army and almost the entire staff of small court officials and palace servants consisted of slaves. Having received freedom, all these people hastened to return to their homeland, and in their place it was necessary to recruit unknown hired people, the maintenance of which caused new significant costs.

The next reform of the emir was a reduction in the staff of the Bukhara army, which he brought to a 13-thousand-strong ( The staff of the Bukhara army currently consists of 13 infantry battalions of 1,000 people each, 800 artillerymen with 155 guns, 2,000 irregular cavalry and one cavalry 4-hundredth regiment. The infantry is kept in a reduced composition, as a result of which the total number of the army does not exceed 13,000 people).

In 1886, Seid-Abdul-Akhat issued a decree on the destruction of zindans (underground bug prisons) throughout the khanate.

This was followed by the abolition of torture, and the use of the death penalty was limited to cases of extreme necessity.

In the fall of 1886, at the request and request of the emir, a Russian political agency was established in the city of Bukhara. Seid-Abdul-Akhat placed at the disposal of the agency one of the best state buildings in the city of Bukhara, and at his insistence, all the maintenance of the agency house, servants and the Cossack convoy before our mission moved to the embassy house, rebuilt in 1891, was made from the khan's treasury. Apparently, the emir was extremely pleased with the settlement in his capital of a representative of the imperial government, which greatly facilitated relations between Bukhara and Russia on political, commercial and other matters. The entry of our agent Mr. Charykov into the capital of the khanate was furnished with extraordinary pomp, and soon the best relations were established between him and the emir.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat, highly appreciating the patronage given to him by the sovereign emperor, has repeatedly stated that he considers the sovereign father of the Russian people his second father, and Russia his second fatherland. These words became the slogan of his domestic and foreign policy towards Russia, apparently quite sincere and cordial.

Soon after his accession to the throne, the emir issued a number of decrees with the aim of raising public morality. Opium use, ours and kunara ( The use of these narcotic-hypnotic substances is widely used in Central Asia and especially in Bukhara. The effects of opium are well known. As for ours and kunar, they produce a sensation equivalent to hashish. These harmful substances have found distribution in Central Asia since ancient times. Already in 1091, the famous Old Man of the Mountain (Ghassan-ben-Ali), the founder of the Assassin dynasty in the Rudbar mountains, Lebanon and Syria, used them as an auxiliary means to achieve his political goals. Subsequently, the dervishty spread these substances throughout Turkestan. ( Marco Polo, pp. 97-100)) was strictly prohibited, as well as public dances of bachey, obscene pantomimes, and so on. The severity of laws punishing the sale of wives, bribery, extortion, and so on was doubled. The emir tried with all his might to wean officials and other officials from extortion from the people and extortion, mercilessly replacing them from their posts and punishing the guilty.

In pursuit of this latter task, he changed the system of zakaket collection, and in order to encourage trade, he significantly lowered customs duties on the import and export of goods.

At the same time, the emir makes an attempt to emancipate a woman in his country, setting an example for this by arranging several holidays in his palace, to which senior officers and officials of the capital were invited along with their wives. At the same time, he simplifies the shy court etiquette, trying to change it in relation to what he saw in St. Petersburg and Moscow during his coronation trip. However, both of these measures are met with a heated protest from the clergy and the courtiers surrounding the emir, causing sensational rumors among the people, which force Seid-Abdul-Akhat to abandon further attempts in this direction.

At present, as we have heard, the emir is busy with the project of constructing a grandiose irrigation canal from the Amu Darya, with the aim of irrigating the barren steppes of the northwestern part of the khanate. These works, according to the estimates of the engineers who carried out the survey, will cost up to 6,000,000 rubles, but their benefits for the people will be colossal, since water in Central Asia is everything. The emir makes the opening of these works dependent on his trip to Petersburg, which, according to rumors, he intends to undertake in a short time.

We are far from thinking of writing a laudatory eulogy on the activities of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat. The period of his khanate's reign is still so short that it is difficult to draw up any general description of him. We leave this task to time, expressing only the hope that the young emir will not stop in his future activities at the first steps towards improving the economic, social and administrative system of the vast and rich nature of the country entrusted to his care.

But, along with this, we cannot but pay tribute to those good seeds that, under the given circumstances, have already been thrown by the hand of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat Khan into the stalled soil of the country.

The vast majority of our society is convinced that the Bukhara emirs, like all Central Asian rulers in general, are the personification of omnipotence relative to the peoples subordinate to their power, that they only need to want everything to be done by their subjects immediately, unquestioningly, as if by beckon magic wand. In fact, this is far from the case. There is hardly any other constitution in the world that would hinder the legislative activity of sovereigns so much as the constitution that is the Koran and Sharia. Being free in life, death, property of individuals, in their foreign policy and in all private events, Eastern rulers sometimes find themselves completely powerless to legislatively change the most insignificant condition of the social and state mechanism, the existence of which is due to the Koran and Sharia. These two books constitute the whole essence of life, the entire code of Central Asian Islam. They exhaust the rules of public and private life, public education, the main features of the financial system, legal proceedings, rules of property ownership, in a word, the whole life of a Muslim, which actually consists of endless repetition, from generation to generation, from century to century, of millennial rules, bequeathed to him by the Arabian prophet. The history of the East presents us with numerous examples of the fall of not only individual rulers, but also of entire dynasties who decided to start an open struggle against the established Islamic hierarchical regime.

The powerful clergy stands fully armed to protect the people's life from any innovations outside this legislative circle, and the power of any Muslim ruler is only as long as it is in solidarity with this class and does not contradict canonical Muslim law.

Apparently, we also adhere to this idea, granting in our Central Asian possessions to the indigenous population the autonomy of public education, the people's court, and creating legislation adapted to the Sharia and the folk customs following from it.

Another no less powerful engine of folk life in Central Asia and especially in Bukhara is custom. He is almost as strong as the law. The people themselves stand guard over him. Undoubtedly, all this has outlived its time and does not fit at all with the modern situation surrounding the Bukhara possessions. But the dark masses are far from being aware of the real state of affairs, and the emir, despite his seeming unlimited power, not only has to reckon with all this in his activities as the ruler of the country, but also subordinate his personal life to the situation and those conditions that command him Koran, dictates Sharia and indicates folk custom.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan was born in Kermin in 1857, when his late father Mozafar-Eddin ruled the bekstvo as heir to the throne.

The emir spent his childhood and the first years of his youth at his father's court. He received the usual upbringing that is given to the Bukharian princes: in addition to literacy, he was taught the Persian and Arabic languages, forced to memorize the Koran and Sharia, introduced to some samples of oriental literature, on which the course of study was completed. At the age of thirteen, his father had already married him to one of his nieces, who to this day is considered the eldest wife of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat. However, the prince's tutor, Khamet-Maksul, managed to instill in his pet a tendency towards scientific pursuits. The Emir is extremely fond of literature and especially poetry. He is considered a great connoisseur of oriental poets and is said to be a good poet himself. He knows only a few words in Russian, but from newspapers and magazines he usually translates everything that concerns politics, news from the highest court, the Bukhara Khanate, and in particular himself.

At the age of 18, Mozafar-Eddin appointed him bek in Kermine ( The city and district of Kermine are located 80 miles from Bukhara by railroad. A few versts further the Nur-Atta mountains begin. This district has long been the lot of the Bukhara heirs), where the emir lived until his father's death, away from business and politics, using only the rights of an ordinary bek. Controlling the bekstvo, he managed to declare himself as a capable, active, just and kind ruler. The population loved him for his simplicity, piety, availability and friendly treatment. Living in Kermin, the emir led the simplest way of life: he usually got up at sunrise, did business all day, and in his free time he trained the troops, read, or worked on palace or city buildings, sometimes not hesitating to take an ax and a crowbar with his own hands, so that take a direct part in the construction being carried out. His favorite pastime was trips to the neighboring Nur-Attinsky mountains, from where he usually returned at the head of a whole carriage of arb loaded with stone for city buildings.

The emir's predominant passion was love for sports and horses. He was considered and is still considered one of the best riders in the khanate. Living in Kermine, he always took a direct part in all kok-storms ( Kok-stormi, like baiga, consists of an equestrian game, during which the riders taking part in it at full gallop snatch a dead goat from each other's hands. The winner is the one who has time to gallop away from his comrades and take away the remnants of the torn prey from the competition field) arranged by Uzbeks in the vicinity of this city.

It is known with what ardor the Central Asians indulge in this favorite game, sometimes leading them to complete frenzy and oblivion of everything around them. It quite often comes to murder, but the custom, which turns into law, does not allow the relatives of the murdered person to demand retribution if the victim found death in a kok-storm. Even the emirs themselves, taking part in this game, do not take offense if someone pushes them, or even knocks them off their horses in the heat of a fight.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat was considered at one time one of the most dexterous and courageous lovers of kok-storm, but this did not save him from a dangerous fall from his horse, the consequences of which he, as they say, is still experiencing, as a result of which he does not allow himself more to take a direct part in the equestrian lists, limiting themselves only to the role of an observer.

The home life of Abdul-Akhat, when he was a bek in Kermin, was distinguished by its modesty and simplicity. He did not drink wine at all, did not smoke, and was content with the usual modest food. His harem consisted of only two of his legal wives.

The trip of the young prince to St. Petersburg and Moscow in 1883 made a deep impression on him.

The gracious treatment of the emperor and the august family with him deeply sunk into the soul of the young Uzbek, and the cultural life of Russian society inspired him with a burning desire to transfer everything he saw to the soil of his native country.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat still recalls his stay in Russia as the best time of his life, and loves to talk about it at every opportunity.

All this created immense popularity for him, and the people looked forward to the moment when the reins of government would pass from the elderly Mozafar-Eddin into the hands of his young heir, who had promised so much in the future. The sensational rumors about harem and other excesses that Seyid-Abdul-Akhat allegedly allowed himself in his private life, which had become the subject of public talk and popular displeasure, seemed all the more incredible that soon after the accession of the emir into society and even the press.

We will allow ourselves to doubt, however, the fairness of most of this kind of news and explain them, on the one hand, by the intrigues of conservative elements hostile to the emir, who are trying with all their might to undermine his charm among the people, and on the other hand, by the inclination of the Bukharian people themselves to politicking, all kinds of gossip, courts and gossip, the subject of which is always their emir, and then the people closest to him. This trait in the Tajik people is so strong that even the bloody terror, through which the emir's ancestors ruled the country, could not keep the talkative inhabitants of sacred Bukhara from interfering in the family and private life of their rulers. The suspicious and ferocious Nasr-Ullah, who brought the police system of espionage in the country to the highest degree, chopped off the heads of his subjects by dozens, caught in hostile and disapproving comments about his personality. But this only fanned the flames, which he tried to extinguish, and the extremely cowardly and timid in all other cases of life, the Tajik boldly appeared at the place of the execution that had just been committed in order to loudly express his censure to the emir for his actions.

Without a doubt, the relatively soft and humane way of action of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat, completely ignoring the sensational rumors about his personality, left wide scope for all kinds of hostile rumors about him spread by those interested in cooling popular sympathy for him, why such sort of rumors, and we treat with extreme caution.

Another unsympathetic character trait of the emir is considered to be his extreme stinginess and the extraordinary extortions he allows from the people. But in this respect, too, the center of gravity lies, in our opinion, mainly in the people themselves. The general statistical figures of government fees in the khanate, in proportion to the number of people in the population, are striking in their insignificance ( The total amount collected from the population for the maintenance of the central administration, the courtyard of the emir, the army and the higher clergy does not exceed 3,500,000 rubles a year. The population figure of the khanate is not exactly determined, but it is in any case at least one and a half million souls). If, in fact, these fees reach large amounts, then this is mainly due to extortion by the administration, which is a properly organized gang of bribe-takers. This administration comes from the same people. It is a product of his selfish motives, and in this respect, all the measures of the emir, which tend to eliminate bribery and extortion in the country, are still palliatives.

Emir Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan is slightly above average height, strong and strong constitution. He is unquestionably one of the most handsome men in the khanate. Correct, proportionally thin features of the face, framed by a pitch-black beard, matte-transparent skin color, the correct oval of deep eyes with a touch of dreaminess, black as agate, do not resemble anything Uzbek in it and are an ancient example of an aristocratic Tajik type ... Beautiful white teeth, small hand and foot, soft and pleasant timbre of voice and graceful simplicity of manners complement the pretty portrait of the ruler of sacred Bukhara.

Currently, the emir is 35 years old, but he looks much younger.

The Emir, apparently, realizes that nature did not offend him with her gifts. He is busy with his appearance, always tries to dress to his face, and in a conversation with new faces, he is apparently interested in the impression that his appearance will make on the visitor.

The usual clothing of Seid-Abdul-Akhat consists of the national Tajik costume, that is, of beshmet, a silk robe and the same chambras tucked into soft leather ichigi. A skullcap embroidered with silk is worn on the head, and a white turban is also worn on top of the skullcap when exiting the palace and during prayer. On ceremonial occasions, the emir wears a military uniform, consisting of a cloth double-breasted uniform embroidered in gold to the knees, the same leggings for release, with sockets at the bottom, covered with short fur, and boots with European-style spurs. Over the ceremonial uniform, thick epaulettes and a wide belt showered with precious stones are put on, to which a crooked Khorosan saber in an expensive sheath is fastened.

With this attire, which makes up the full dress uniform of the emir, he wears all his insignia, namely: a ribbon and the Order of the White Eagle showered with diamonds, granted to him by the Emperor in 1886, the same Order of St. Stanislav 1st degree, received by him earlier, when he was at the coronation. The "Rising Star of Sacred Bukhara" sprinkled with huge diamonds, constituting the order of his house ( The Order of the Rising Star of Sacred Bukhara was established by the Emir Mozafar-Eddin in 1881-1882. It has five degrees and only the military and foreigners complain to the Emir. In addition, on the officers and soldiers of the Bukhara army, we saw some kind of order insignia of a different type, issued to them by the emir for special merits.), the emir usually wears next to the White Eagle and then some order signs decorated with precious stones, apparently Turkish or Persian. The emir's headdress, with this form, is a white cashmere, or Indian muslin, a lush turban ( The turban depicts a shroud, or cover, which every Muslim should have on his head, as a reminder of death. The Koran defines the length of the turban at 7 arshins, but Muslim piety increases it to 14, 28 and even 42).

In this European-Asian dress, sitting on his usual throne, consisting of a carved wooden chair with a low back of native work, among carpets and all kinds of oriental ornaments, Seid-Abdul-Akhat Khan is a type of Central Asian ruler of the modern, transitional, formation.

On less solemn official occasions, the emir puts on a colored velvet uniform, with Russian general's shoulder straps, with orders, but without a ribbon.

According to general reviews, Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan is by nature just, kind and kind-hearted, but suspicious, quick-tempered and stubborn. Regarding the administration officials around him, he sometimes shows extreme exactingness, reaching the point of pedantry: he interferes in everything, enters into all the little things of governing the country and, in the words of the Bukharians, wants to command and dispose of everyone, from kush-run to the last nuker. In particular, the displeasure of lazy and immobile Asians is that the emir, waking up usually at sunrise, immediately gets down to business and demands that all officials of the administration be by that time already in the places designated for them. Noticing some kind of abuse or omission, he harshly disposes of the guilty and, in fits of hot temper, sometimes with his own hand dealt with the violators of the decrees issued by him. With all this, the emir is by no means cruel, not vindictive, friendly and affectionate with the people and in general with those whom he considers to be impeccably fulfilling their duties.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan spends in his capital no more than six months. In winter, he usually leaves for several months, to Shakhrizabz and Karshi, where the climate is much more moderate than in Bukhara, and he spends June and July in Kermin ( These annual trips of Bukhara emirs around their country have acquired traditional significance over time. In all likelihood, they borrow their historical origin from the era of the Genghisids, who used to spend different periods of the year in different provinces of their empire. ( Marco Polo, p. 208)), who especially loves both his homeland and his former destiny. On these trips, he is usually accompanied by a large retinue and a significant convoy, but the emir's family and the highest officials of the administration remain in Bukhara. Returning to the capital, the emir rarely occupies a large palace on the Registan, but lives, for the most part, in the country castle of Shir-Badan, equipped with all the amenities and comforts of European life.

But wherever the emir lives, the mode of his life is always the same. Getting up at sunrise, he devotes a few minutes to his toilet, then makes a short prayer and goes into the reception room, where breakfast awaits him and the dignitaries and courtiers who have already gathered by that time, with reports.

Sitting on a sofa, in front of which a small table is placed, the emir listens in turn to the reports of the assembled officials. During this time, he is served breakfast, the menu of which consists of eight dishes daily. Having chosen one or two dishes, he orders to serve the rest to those present. After that, tea is served. After listening to the reports, the emir receives petitioners and deals with court cases. From 11 to 2 hours he rests; at 2 o'clock he dines, after which he again accepts petitioners and examines grave cases. Having finished this, he looks through the reports of the beks and, in general, all the papers received during the day. Before sunset, he performs namaz and for the third time accepts everyone who has something to do with him. At 8-9 o'clock in the evening, he retires to the inner chambers of the palace, where he dines and indulges in harem entertainment.

Once a week, on Fridays, at about 12 noon, the emir goes, with great solemnity, to pray at the main cathedral mosque of the city where he is. He is usually accompanied by all the high dignitaries and a brilliant retinue. Udai are riding ahead, with long wands in their hands, which invoke the blessing of God on the head of their master. The treasurers of the emir, who distribute alms to the beggars, go right there.

The Emir always makes these trips on horseback.

In general, Seid-Abdul-Akhat does not like carriages and rarely uses them.

Incidentally, driving in Bukhara court carriages is done in a completely different way than in our country. The goats usually remain unoccupied, and the coachmen are placed on horseback, harnessed in pairs in 1, 2 and 3 pairs. On each pair, one rider is placed, controlling his own and handy horse with the help of a bridle.

In warm and dry weather, the emir makes more or less long horseback walks through the streets, visits baiga, kok-buri and horse races.

Occasionally this monotonous passing of time is disturbed by the emir's trips to visit the highest dignitaries of the khanate, always made with great pomp. This honor, highly valued by the Bukharians, usually costs them very dearly, for, according to the established ancient custom, a dignitary who has been honored with such an honor must present to the emir at least 9 bakchi robes, 9 horses in full dress and 9 bags of silver coins of different values ​​( It has long been rooted in the Turkic people to bring any business to the number 9. This use of the number 9 originated from the first 9 Mongol khans, from Mongol Khan to Il-khan (Abul-Gazi, p. 12)); in addition, to present and treat the entire retinue of the emir, and sprinkle his path from the palace to the gate of the visited dwelling with silver coins (tenga 20 kopecks), and from the gate to the entrance to the house with golden tills (a golden Bukhara tilla costs 6 rubles) ( This ancient custom has been established in Bukhara since the time of the Chinggisids. Without a doubt, in the present state of affairs, he represents one of the evils that Seyid-Abdul-Akhat should have done away with long ago.).

The rich double these gifts, sometimes triple, ripping off the money spent from the people at the opportunity.

A visit to the emir, in addition to refreshments, is associated with the device of a tomashi, on which bachi dance to the sounds of native music, acrobats and magicians show their art, and wandering poets and writers read their works.

The cuisine of Seyid Abdul Ahat Khan consists exclusively of Asian dishes, among which Palau takes the first place. He does not consume wine at all and does not smoke. In food he observes great moderation, adhering to the belief that this is the best way to maintain health.

Having fallen ill, the emir uses the advice of native doctors, and we have not heard that he ever turned to the advice of a Russian doctor living in Bukhara.

The harem life of the emir is a secret even for people close to him, and it can only be judged by rumors. In the east, it is generally indecent to talk about women, about the family life of this or that person, so it is absolutely impossible to thoroughly investigate the family life of the ruler of Bukhara even by talking about it with those close to Seid-Abdul-Akhat Khan ( According to the rules of Islam, it is indecent to talk about someone's wife, and therefore metaphors are used in the East to express the idea of ​​marriage. So, a Turk in society calls his wife a harem, a Persian - an expression that means a house, a household, a Turkmen - a tent, and a resident of Central Asia - balashak (children). Vambery: A Journey Through Central Asia, Appendix I, p. 51). As for the so-called "bazaar" rumors, they should not at all be given serious importance.

Nevertheless, it is known that the new emir, during his seven-year reign, managed to acquire a significant harem. From time to time, he arranges holidays for his wives in it, allows them to walk in the vicinity of the capital and in the mountains, in closed native carriages, visit relatives, and several times a year opens bazaars inside the palace where they can buy the items they need.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat had only five sons, of whom only two survived at the present time: Seid-Mir-Alem - 13 years old and Seid-Mir-Hussein - 9 years old. The eldest son of the emir, Seid-Mir-Abdullah, was to become the heir to the Bukhara Khanate. The emir had already intended to send him to Russia in order to give him a European education, but in 1889 he lost this son, along with two younger ones, who died from diphtheria or epidemic paint fever.

Now the 13-year-old Seid-Mir-Alem is considered the heir of Abdul-Akhat, whom the emir intends to take to Russia, where he will leave until the end of the course in one of the higher educational institutions.

Bukharians tell miracles about the emir's colossal riches, which are in cash, jewelry, gold and silver utensils, and so on.

According to them, the cash capital of the emir alone reaches 100 million rubles. But this, no doubt, is fiction. The Emir's fortune hardly exceeds 12-15 million. As for his treasures, they are hardly as significant as they think. Bukhara is a country of gifts and, without a doubt, if the emirs of only one Mangyt dynasty decided to preserve all the precious objects sent to them at the same time as a gift by Russian sovereigns, Turkish sultans, Persian and other neighboring rulers, and over the past 25 years - by Turkestan governors-general, then this, together with the offerings of their subjects and crown jewels, would amount to a huge figure when translated into money. Meanwhile, we know that the ancestors of the emir up to Mozafar-Eddin inclusively used to preserve from these values ​​only those items that were of historical importance or were needed in their household use. The rest, not wanting to sell and at the same time finding it unnecessary to store in their basement storerooms, they poured into coin. This kind of praiseworthy scrupulousness was, however, the reason for the barbaric extermination of the mass of precious silver and gold items, which were brought in and sent as gifts to emirs from Russia and other countries. The stock of precious stones in the treasury of the emir is also hardly significant. We know that Seyid-Abdul-Akhat quite often buys diamonds and pearls for gifts to his wives, which he probably would not have done if the Bukharians' assurances that whole boxes of both are stored in the storerooms of the Registan Palace were true ...

For all that, the personal fortune of Seyid-Abdul-Akhat, consisting in the lands, capital and valuables belonging to him, is, of course, relatively huge. And since, according to the general opinion, the emir is extremely calculating and far from living out all his income, then, without a doubt, over time his wealth will reach a truly colossal figure.

Having mentioned the gifts above, we consider it necessary to find out their historical origin in the Bukhara Khanate and in the east in general.

The law of Mohammed commands every Muslim to receive a guest with honor, whoever he is, to treat him, to give him the opportunity to rest if he is a traveler, and when letting go, take care of his clothes and horse. As a result, since the time of the establishment of Islam, it has become a custom in the country that the Bukharian emirs generously endowed all travelers and, in general, all visitors visiting them. The subject of the gift was usually a horse in full dress, a complete set of clothes and several pieces of various fabrics of native work. More significant persons received several horses, several sets of clothes, etc.

In turn, the emirs did not disdain the gifts that foreign and their visiting visitors brought them, and accepted them.

With the passage of time, this custom of mutual gifting became, on the one hand, a synonym for the emir's friendship and disposition towards the visitor, and on the other, a sign of attention and respect for him.

Subsequently, it became a custom, when ambassadors were sent from Bukhara to allied and friendly sovereigns, to also send gifts with them. This, of course, caused reciprocity.

Seyid-Abdul-Akhat adheres to this ancient custom, generously gifting all those newly introduced to his court.

We have already mentioned above that the emir is the head of the khanate, but limited by canonical Muslim law, that is, the Koran and Sharia.

Atalik should be his closest assistant in managing the khanate. This post, however, has not been replaced since the time of Nasr-Ullah, who for the last time appointed Daniar, the ruler of Shahrizabz, as atalik.

The Emir's closest assistant is currently 40-year-old kush-begi Sha-Mirza. The position of kush-begi, in terms of its internal significance in the Bukhara Khanate, can be equated to the position of vice-chancellor. In addition, she is associated with the posts of commandant of the arch, the palace on the Registan, the governor of the city of Bukhara, the keeper of the state seal and the treasury of the emir. This last duty Seid-Abdul-Akhat-khan transferred, however, to another person, entrusting, in return, Sha-Mirza with the management of customs duties in the capital.

Sha-Mirza is a Persian by birth. As a child, he was captured by the Turkmens, who sold him into slavery to Mozafar-Eddin, under whom he was a servant. When Seid-Abdul-Akhat was resettled in Kermin, the late emir appointed Sha-Mirza to him as treasurer, and then as a bek in Khatyrchi. Abdul-Akhat transferred him from there as a bek to Shakhrizabz, and after the death of Mulla-Mehmed-Biya, in 1889, he appointed him to the post of kush-bei.

Sha-Mirza has the handsome appearance of a typical Persian, is extremely talkative, simple and cheerful. The era of his life is a trip to St. Petersburg in 1888 at the head of the embassy, ​​who was instructed to lay down before the sovereign emperor the emir's gratitude for leading the Trans-Caspian railway through his possession. To this minute, he recalls with the liveliest enthusiasm about everything he saw in Russia, about the gracious reception of the emperor, reverently showing all his new acquaintances the rich saber and order signs of St. Stanislav of the 1st degree, of which he is extremely proud.

Kush-bei always lives in the Registan Palace, where there is a separate house and courtyard to accommodate this dignitary with all his family, children and household members. The peculiarity of his position is that, according to the laws of the country, during the absence of the emir from Bukhara, he has no right to leave the palace and lives there without a break until he returns to the capital of his sovereign.

The Emir values ​​Sha-Mirza for his honesty and loyalty, being completely at peace for the management of the capital during his absences from there.

The second dignitary in the khanate after Sha-Mirza is the young Astanakul-parvanachi, acting as the chief zyaketchiy (something like a minister of finance) in the Bukhara Khanate. This young and capable dignitary is an emerging type of Bukharian of the modern formation, which has developed under the influence of attitudes towards Russian civilization.

He does not enjoy, as they say, the personal sympathies of the emir, but Seyid-Abdul-Akhat, appreciating the service of his aged grandfather and father, and also under the influence of the sympathies of the Russian authorities towards him, justly gives him a significant share of influence in the affairs of the khanate.

The next most influential persons at the Emir's court are: the head of the artillery of the Bukhara army Topchi-Bashi-Mulla-Mahmud, the adviser to the Emir Durbin-biy and the head of the Shir-Badan garrison Khal-Murad-Bek.

All these persons have, so to speak, only local significance, for the emir himself is at the head of the army and administration, directly managing everything through direct relations with the beks (governors of the provinces), with the chiefs of individual units of the troops, and for foreign policy - with the Turkestan general - the governor, with a political agent in Bukhara and with neighboring rulers.

Only in relation to church affairs, the emir does nothing besides Sheikh-ul-Islam and Khoja-Kalyan, who are representatives of the highest spiritual authority in the country.

Under the person of the emir, there is a council of clergy, civilians and military officials, which he gathers to discuss any proposed important reform. According to the custom of the country, he cannot undertake anything decisive without a preliminary discussion by this council of the proposed reform.

We will not tire the reader's attention with a detailed listing of all the ranks and positions of the complex Bukhara administration and will point out only the most outstanding ones.

Of these, in terms of the spiritual aspect, the most important are: Sheikh-ul-Islam, Khoja-Kalyan, Nakib and Rais.

All these persons necessarily come from the class of the Seids and Khoja ( All the descendants of the first four caliphs, the successors of Mohammed: Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman and Ali, married to the beloved daughter of the Prophet Fatima, are called Seyids. The title of Khodja is borne by the descendants of Mohammed from his other daughters. In the Turkestan Territory, it is also customary to call all those Muslims who made a pilgrimage to Mecca to worship the tomb of Mohammed as Khoja. The rest of the Bukhara people are divided into two classes: sepoys - employees and fukara - non-employees). They are the closest advisers and assistants to the emir in court matters, are in charge of church affairs, sit on the khan's council, and generally enjoy broad rights and great influence. Khoja-kalyan is the only person, upon meeting with whom the emir kisses and who has the right to enter him unbelted. Rais is the guardian of public morality and the observance by the faithful of the external rules of Muslim rituals.

The highest representatives of the civil administration are considered to be kush-begi, the main zyaketchy and beks are the governors of the regions. For special merits, they are sometimes given the title of sofa-run (something like the title of state secretary), parvanachi, inaks and biys.

There are also such persons who bear only these titles, without occupying certain positions and only being at the court and under the person of the emir.

Topchi-bashi is considered the senior person in the army of the emir, followed by chin-datha (Bukhara general) and toxaba (colonel); the rank of mirahur is equal to the rank of captain.

The Emir's court staff consists of civilians and military personnel. Among the first are considered the most important udays (masters of ceremonies) and mehrem (chamberlains). Adjutants of the emir are listed in the ranks of mirachurs and sometimes biys.

Of this last category of persons, the most favored by the emir is the respectable and representative elder of the Udaygi Yakhshi-bek, who descended from the Arab conquerors; Nasr-Ullah-biy, Uzbek, former educator and mentor of the Emir's brother Seid-Mir-Mansur; the young and beautiful mirahur-bashi Yunus-Mohammed, in charge of the stables and carriages of the emir; Mirahur Mirza-Jalal and the Persian toxaba Abdul-Kadyr, the commander of the Khan's horse convoy. The latter two are usually appointed by the emir as envoys to deliver especially important letters and gifts to the Turkestan governor-generals.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat is extremely firm in his sympathies and attitudes towards people. Opal at his court is generally a rare thing, and in this respect he by no means imitates his capricious, cruel and despotic ancestors, each individual outburst of anger of which brought on the guilty complete disgrace, confiscation of property, and sometimes death. Until now, it was not heard that Seid-Abdul-Akhat removed from office or imposed a penalty on employees and courtiers for anything other than abuse of service, bribery or general crimes provided for by the Muslim code.

For all that, the strength of the habit of outward servility and servility in the Bukhara people is so great that we can hardly find another court in the east, except perhaps the Persian one, where the personality of the ruler would enjoy outward worship to the extent that the personality of the emir uses in Bukhara. ... At the sight of his ruler, every Bukharanian, no matter how high he may be in the public or official hierarchy, literally turns into nothing. This trait of servility is most inherent in the highest court and administrative spheres, while the clergy and common people express, in relation to the emir, more independence and self-esteem.

Bukhara lives almost exclusively with its own inner, original life. Therefore, her external relations are by no means difficult. They consist mainly of relations with the Turkestan governor-general, who, in international, commercial and political affairs, is the main intermediary between the emir and our central government. The political agency in Bukhara aims to protect on the spot our political and commercial interests in the khanate, and is also an observer body in relation to the Russian citizens living in Bukhara.

Seid-Abdul-Akhat, realizing the importance of such local representation for the country, uses it as an advisory resource in all the most important issues of not only foreign but also domestic policy. Of course, this does not constitute a mistake in the rule of the young emir, for in the person of our political agent in Bukhara, P.M. Lessar, he finds not only the personification of a direct, honest and open way of Russia's actions towards the small state it protects, but also a highly educated person. having the opportunity to bring significant benefits to the country with his extensive scientific and practical knowledge, specialized in the soil of Central Asia.

Twice a year, in winter and early summer, greetings are exchanged between the emir and the Turkestan governor-general through small embassies. This exchange of embassies is coupled with the usual exchange of gifts in the east.

In emergency cases, the emir sends embassies to the highest court, as was the last time in 1888, on the occasion of the opening of the Trans-Caspian railway.

P. Shubinsky.

(Continued in the next book).

History

Background

In the Horde period, the khans of the Golden Horde were the supreme rulers of the Crimea, but their governors, the emir, exercised direct control. The first formally recognized ruler in Crimea is Oran-Timur, Batu's nephew, who received this region from Mengu-Timur. The main city of the Crimean Yurt was the city of Kyrym (modern Old Crimea), also known as Solkhat. This name then spread gradually to the entire peninsula. The second center of Crimea was the valley adjacent to the Kyrk-Er and Bakhchisarai.

The multinational population of Crimea then consisted mainly of the Kypchaks who lived in the steppe and foothill part of the peninsula, whose state was defeated by the Mongols, Greeks, Goths, Alans and Armenians, who lived mainly in cities and mountain villages. The Crimean nobility was mainly of mixed Kypchak-Horde origin.

The Horde rule, although it had positive aspects, was generally burdensome for the Crimean population. In particular, the rulers of the Golden Horde repeatedly staged punitive campaigns in the Crimea, when the local population refused to pay tribute. Nogai's campaign in 1299 is known, as a result of which a number of Crimean cities suffered. Therefore, separatist tendencies began to manifest themselves soon after the establishment of the Horde power.

There are legends unconfirmed by Crimean sources that in the XIV century Crimea was allegedly repeatedly ravaged by the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duke of Lithuania Olgerd defeated the Crimean Tatar army in 1363 near the mouth of the Dnieper, and then allegedly invaded the Crimea, devastated Chersonesos and seized all the valuable church items here. A similar legend exists about his successor named Vitovt, who in 1397 allegedly reached Kaffa in the Crimean campaign and again destroyed Chersonesos. Vitovt in Crimean history is also known for the fact that during the Horde Troubles at the end of the XIV, he provided refuge in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to a significant number of Tatars and Karaites, whose descendants now live in Lithuania and the Grodno region of Belarus. In 1399, Vitovt, who came to the aid of Tokhtamysh, was defeated by Emir Timur-Kutluk on the banks of the Vorskla and made peace with Edigey.

Gaining independence

Establishment of dependence on the Ottoman state

In the spring of 1482, the Tsar of Moscow Ivan III, through his ambassador to the Crimea, turned to the Crimean Khan Mengli I Giray with a request to arrange a campaign in the Polish lands "to the places of Kiev." Mengli Giray took Kiev by storm, ravaged and severely destroyed the city. Of the rich booty, the khan sent to Ivan III in gratitude a golden chalice and a diskos from the Kiev Sophia Cathedral. In 1474, the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III concluded an alliance with this khan, which lasted until his death. Ivan III patronized trade, for this purpose he maintained especially relations with Kaffa and Azov.

Wars with Muscovy and the Commonwealth in the early period

From the end of the 15th century, the Crimean Khanate made constant raids on Muscovy and Poland. Crimean Tatars and Nogai mastered the tactics of raids to perfection, choosing a path along the watersheds. The main of their routes to Moscow was the Muravsky Way, which went from Perekop to Tula between the upper reaches of the rivers of two basins, the Dnieper and the Northern Donets. Deeper into the border area for 100-200 kilometers, the Tatars turned back and, deploying wide wings from the main detachment, were engaged in robbery and capture of slaves. The capture of captives - the yasyr - and the slave trade were an important part of the khanate's economy. The captives were sold to Turkey, the Middle East and even European countries. The Crimean city of Kafa was the main slave market. According to some researchers, over three million people, mostly Ukrainians, Poles and Russians, have been sold in the Crimean slave markets in two centuries. Every year Moscow gathered up to 65 thousand warriors in the spring, so that they would carry the border service on the banks of the Oka until late autumn. To defend the country, fortified defensive lines were used, consisting of a chain of forts and cities, notches and rubble. In the southeast, the oldest of these lines ran along the Oka from Nizhny Novgorod to Serpukhov, from here it turned south to Tula and continued to Kozelsk. The second line, built under Ivan the Terrible, ran from the city of Alatyr through Shatsk to Oryol, continued to Novgorod-Seversky and turned towards Putivl. Under Tsar Fyodor, a third line arose, passing through the cities of Livny, Yelets, Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod. The initial population of these cities consisted of Cossacks, archers and other servicemen. A large number of Cossacks and service people were part of the sentry and village services, which watched the movement of the Crimeans and Nogai in the steppe.

In the Crimea itself, the Tatars left a little yasyr. According to the old Crimean custom, slaves were released into freedmen after 5-6 years of captivity - there is a number of evidences from Russian and Ukrainian documents about returnees from behind Perekop, who “worked out”. Some of those released into the wild preferred to stay in the Crimea. There is a well-known case described by the Ukrainian historian Dmitry Yavornytsky when the ataman of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, Ivan Sirko, who attacked the Crimea in 1675, seized a huge booty, including about seven thousand Christian prisoners and freedmen. The ataman asked them whether they would like to go with the Cossacks to their homeland or return to the Crimea. Three thousand expressed a desire to stay and Sirko ordered to interrupt them. Those who changed their faith in slavery were released immediately, since Sharia prohibits keeping a Muslim in captivity. According to the Russian historian Valery Vozgrin, slavery in Crimea almost completely disappeared already in the 16th-17th centuries. Most of the captives captured during attacks on northern neighbors (their peak in the 16th century) were sold to Turkey, where slave labor was widely used mainly in galleys and construction work.

The last khans and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire

After the withdrawal of Russian troops, a widespread uprising took place in the Crimea. A Turkish landing has landed in Alushta; Russian resident in Crimea Veselitsky was captured by Khan Shahin and handed over to the Turkish commander-in-chief. There were attacks on Russian troops in Alushta, Yalta and other places. The Crimeans elected Devlet IV as Khan. At this time, the text of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhiyskiy treaty was received from Constantinople. But even now the Crimeans did not want to accept independence and cede the indicated cities in Crimea to the Russians, and Porta considered it necessary to enter into new negotiations with Russia. Dolgorukov's successor, Prince Prozorovsky, negotiated with the khan in the most conciliatory tone, but the Murzas and ordinary Crimeans did not hide their sympathy for the Ottoman Empire. Shahin Gerai had few supporters. The Russian party in Crimea was small. But in the Kuban he was proclaimed a khan, and in 1776 he finally became the khan of the Crimea and entered Bakhchisarai. The people swore allegiance to him.

Only now Shahin turned to the Sultan as a caliph, for a blessing letter, and Porta recognized him as a khan, on condition that the Russian troops left the Crimea. Meanwhile, in 1782 a new uprising began in the Crimea, and Shahin was forced to flee to Yenikal, and from there to the Kuban. Bahadir II Giray was elected to the khans, but he was not recognized by Russia. In 1783, Russian troops entered the Crimea without warning. Soon Shahin Giray abdicated the throne. He was asked to choose a city in Russia for residence and the amount was released for his move with a small retinue and maintenance. He lived first in Voronezh, and then in Kaluga, from where, at his request and with the consent of the Port, he was released to Turkey and settled on the island of Rhodes, where he was deprived of his life.

There were "small" and "big" sofas, which played a very important role in the life of the state.

A council was called "Small Divan" if a narrow circle of nobility took part in it, solving issues requiring urgent and specific decisions.

The “Big Sofa” is a meeting of “the whole earth”, when in general all the Murzas and representatives of the “best” black people took part in it. Traditionally, the karachei retained the right to authorize the appointment of khans from the Gerai clan by the sultan, which was expressed in the rite of placing them on the throne in Bakhchisarai.

In the state structure of Crimea, the Golden Horde and Ottoman structures of state power were largely used. Most often, the highest government positions were held by the sons, brothers of the khan or other persons of noble birth.

The first official after the khan was the kalga-sultan. The khan's younger brother or his other relative was appointed to this position. Kalga ruled the eastern part of the peninsula, the left wing of the khan's army, and administered the state in the event of the death of the khan until a new one was appointed to the throne. He was also the commander-in-chief, if the khan did not personally go to war. The second position - nureddin - was also held by a member of the khan's family. He was the manager of the western part of the peninsula, chairman of small and local courts, and commanded the smaller corps of the right wing on campaigns.

The mufti is the head of the Muslim clergy of the Crimea, the interpreter of laws, who has the right to remove judges - kadis, if they judged incorrectly.

The Kaymakans - in the late period (end of the 18th century), governing the regions of the khanate. Or-bey - the head of the fortress of Or-Kapy (Perekop). Most often, this position was occupied by members of the khan's surname, or a member of the Shirin surname. He guarded the borders and watched the Nogai hordes outside the Crimea. The posts of qadi, vizier and other ministers are similar to those in the Ottoman state.

In addition to the above, there were two important female positions: ana-beim (analogue of the Ottoman post of valid), which was occupied by the mother or sister of the khan and ulu-beim (ulu-sultani), the eldest wife of the ruling khan. In terms of importance and role in the state, they had a rank next to nureddin.

An important phenomenon in the state life of Crimea was the very strong independence of the noble Beys' clans, which in some way brought Crimea closer to the Commonwealth. Beys ruled over their possessions (beyliks) as semi-independent states, they themselves administered the courts and had their own militia. Beys regularly took part in riots and conspiracies, both against the khan and among themselves, and often wrote denunciations against the khans who did not please them to the Ottoman government in Istanbul.

Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Topic: "Features of the social and political life of the Crimean Khanate."

Date: "___" ____________ 20__ Class:6.

Lesson№ 7.

Goals: determine the social and political life of the Crimean Khanate; know the structure of the Crimean Khanate.

Equipment: map of Crimea.

Lesson type : Combined.

During the classes

I. Organizational moment.

II. Updating the basic knowledge of students.

1. When was the Crimean Khanate formed?

2. How did the process of the Tatars sinking to the ground?

3. What cave cities of Crimea, can you name?

4. Tell us about the conquests of the Crimea by the Mongol-Tatars.

Plan

1. The social ladder of the Crimean Khanate.

2. State - politicaldevice of the Crimean Khanate.

III . Moving to a new topic.

A characteristic feature of nomadic, in particular Tatar, feudalism was that relations between feudal lords and peoples dependent on them for a long time existed under the outer shell of clan relations.

IV ... Learning new material.

Back in the 17th and even in the 18th century, the Tatars, both Crimean and Nogai, were divided into tribes, divided into clans. At the head of the birth werebeys - the former Tatar nobility, who concentrated in their hands huge masses of cattle and pastures, captured or granted to them by the khans. Large yurts -destinies ( bailey ) of these clans, which became their patrimonial possessions, turned into small feudal principalities, almost independent of the khan, with their own administration and court, with their own militia.

One step lower on the social ladder were the vassals of the beys and khans - the murzas (Tatar nobility). A special group was made up of the Muslim clergy. Among the dependent part of the population, one can distinguish the ulus Tatars, the dependent local population, and slaves stood at the lowest level.

SOCIAL LADDER OF THE CRIMEAN KHANATE

KHAN

KARACH-BEI

MUFTY (clergy)

MURZA

DEPENDENT TATARS

DEPENDENT NETATARS

SLAVERS

Thus, the tribal organization of the Tatars was only a shell of relations typical of nomadic feudalism. Nominally, the Tatar clans with their beys and murzas were in vassal dependence on the khans, they were obliged to deploy an army during the period of military campaigns, but in fact, the highest Tatar nobility was the master in the Crimean Khanate. The domination of the Beys and Murzas was a characteristic feature of the political system of the Crimean Khanate.

The main princes and murzas of Crimea belonged to a few specific clans. The oldest of them settled in Crimea long ago; they were already known in the 13th century. Which of them ranked first in the XIV century, there is no single answer to this. The oldest ones include, first of all, the Yashlavskys (Suleshev), Shirins, Baryns, Argyns, Kipchaks.

In 1515, the Grand Duke of All Russia Vasily III insisted that the names of Shirin, Baryn, Argyn, Kipchak, that is, princes of the main clans, be allocated for the presentation of commemorations (gifts). The princes of these four clans, as you know, were called "Karachi". The Karachi Institute was a common phenomenon of Tatar life.

The first prince in the Crimean Khanate was in position close to the tsar, that is, to the khan.

The first prince also received the right to certain income, the commemoration had to be sent with the following calculation: two parts to the khan (king), and one part to the first prince.

The Grand Duke, in his position as a courtier, approached the chosen, court princes.

As you know, the first among the princes of the Crimean Khanate were the Shirinsky princes. Moreover, the princes of this clan occupied a leading position not only in the Crimea, but also in other Tatar uluses. The main nest from where the family of these princes spread was the Crimea.

The Shirins' possessions in Crimea extended from Perekop to Kerch. Solkhat - Old Crimea - was the center of the Shirins' possessions.

As a military force, the Shirinskys were one thing, they acted under a common banner. The independent Shirin princes, both under Mengli-Girey and under his successors, often took a hostile position towards the khan. "But from Shirina, sir, the tsar does not live smoothly," wrote the Moscow ambassador in 1491.

The possessions of the Mansurovs covered the Yevpatoria steppes. Beylik of Argynskikh beys was located in the region of Kaffa and Sudak. Beylik Yashlavskikh occupied the space between Kyrk-Or (Chufut-Kale) and the Alma River.

In their yurts-beiliks, the Tatar feudal lords possessed, judging by the khan's labels (letters of gratitude), certain privileges, they performed judgment and reprisals against their fellow tribesmen.

Beys and Murzas severely limited the power of the Khan: the heads of the most powerful clans, the Karachi, made up the Divan (Council) of the Khan, which was the highest state body of the Crimean Khanate, where issues of domestic and foreign policy were resolved. The sofa was also the highest court. The congress of the khan's vassals could be complete and incomplete, and this did not matter for its eligibility. But the absence of important princes and, above all, the clan aristocracy (Karach-beys) could paralyze the implementation of the Divan's decisions.

Thus, without the Council (Divan), the khans could not do anything, the Russian ambassadors also reported about this: "... a khan without a yurt cannot do any great thing, which should be between states,". The princes not only influenced the decisions of the khan, but also the elections of the khans, and even repeatedly overthrew them. Particularly distinguished were the Shirinsky beys, who more than once decided the fate of the khan's throne. In favor of the Beys and Murzas, tithes went from all the cattle that were in the personal property of the Tatars, and from all the booty captured during the predatory raids, which were organized and led by the feudal aristocracy, which also received proceeds from the sale of captives.

The main type of service of the serving nobility was military service, in the khan's guard. The Horde can also be regarded as a well-known military unit, headed by the Horde princes. Numerous uhlans commanded the khan's cavalry detachments (the old Mongolian term was still applied to them - the right-hand uhlan and the left-hand uhlan).

The Crimean khans have always been representatives of the Gireiev clan. During the existence of the Crimean Khanate, according to V.D.Smirnov, 44 khans visited the throne, but they ruled 56 times. This means that one and the same khan was either removed from the throne for some kind of offense, then again placed on the throne. So, Men-gli-Girey I, Kaplan-Girey I were enthroned three times, and Selim-Girey turned out to be a "record holder": he was enthroned four times.

In addition to the khan, there were six high ranks of the state dignity: kalga, nuraddin, orbey and three seraskir or nogai general.

Kalga Sultan - the first person after the khan, the governor of the state. In the event of the death of the khan, the reins of government rightfully passed to him until the arrival of a successor. If the khan did not want or could not take part in the campaign, then the kalga assumed command of the troops. The residence of the Kalgi Sultan was in the city not far from Bakhchisarai, it was called Ak-Mosque.

Nuraddin Sultan - the second person. In relation to the kalga, he was the same as the kalga in relation to the khan. During the absence of the khan and kalga, he assumed command of the army. Nuraddin had his vizier, his divan effendi and his qadi. But he did not sit in the Divan. He lived in Bakhchisarai and retired from the court only if he was given any assignment. On campaigns, he commanded small corps. He was usually a prince of blood.

A more modest position was occupied byorbey andseraskirs ... These officials, in contrast to the kalgi-sultan, were appointed by the khan himself. One of the most important persons in the hierarchy of the Crimean Khanate was the Mufti of the Crimea, or kadiesker. He lived in Bakhchisarai, was the head of the clergy and interpreter of the law in all controversial or important cases. He could remove the cadi if they were wrong.

The hierarchy of the Crimean Khanate can be schematically represented as follows.

V ... Consolidation of the studied material.

1. Tell us about the tribal organization of the Crimean Tatars.

2. What role did the institution of "Karach-beys" play in the Crimean Khanate?

3. What was the meaning and function of the Sofa?

4. Name the highest government posts. Describe their role in the political structure of the Crimean Khanate (kalga-sultan, nuraddin-sultan, orbei and seraskirs, the mufti of the Crimea - kadiesker).

VI ... Summarizing.

Homework : synopsis.

But most of all, the khan, of course, cared about his own benefits. The Circassians, seeing the weakening of the power of the Crimean khans, began to refuse to pay them the "error tribute" by slaves. Meanwhile, another source of the khan's income - robberies and raids on Christian neighbors - was drying up due to the changed circumstances. Kaplan-Gerai, we have seen, has already paid for his excessively predatory plans against the Circassians; but this did not stop his successor from continuing what his predecessor had begun. At the beginning of 1132 (1720), he asked Porte for permission to raid the Circassians, which was given to him. The khan, together with a permit, was granted 8000 gurusha from the sultan under the name of "expendable" - "kharjlyk", and an order was given to join the Tatar khan army with auxiliary forces from the Ottoman troops located within the Crimea. Khan, having received the authority to manage all Circassian affairs at his discretion, invaded Kabarda with a large army and spent about two years there. In a short Turkish essay on "Crimean history" and Govordz it is said that Seadet-Geray was captured during this campaign and after his return from captivity was deposed; while in other sources there is not a word about the captivity of the khan. A comparatively more detailed story about this campaign of Seadet-Giray-khan is found in the "Brief History", although it does not quite agree with other sources. Sayyid-Muhammad-Riza, for example, says that the khan, upon his return to the capital, sent his son Salih-Geray to rescue the rebellious Bakhty-Geray from his refuge and place him in the Rumelian regions. But Salih's campaign was unsuccessful, and then the khan decided to move on his own; but also without any success and only in vain lost precious time: this was followed by unrest and turmoil in the Crimea itself, which entailed the overthrow of the khan, which Riza talks about in a flowery, verbose manner. In the end, the khan, seeing the total treason around him, left everything to the will of God, and he went to Porto, where he was renounced; Khanate was offered "with some conditions" to Kaplan-Gerai, brought to Port, but he refused, and in 1137 (1724 - 1725) was made Khan Mengly-Gerai-khan II.

Seyid-Muhammad-Riza calls the letter sent by the rebels to Seadet-Giray-khan "uncommon", and the slander they sent with a deputation in Porto "obscene and illiterate." In fact, this slander of the Crimeans can rather serve as a proof of their impudent arbitrariness than an exposure of the khan's abuse of power. The motives of their dissatisfaction with Seadet-Gerai are seemingly too weak to serve as a sufficient basis for his overthrow. But every century and every nation has its own views on the moral obligations of a person in general and a ruler in particular. The historian Halim-Giray characterizes Seadet-Giray as follows: “He was famous for his generosity and mercy, but he was censured for his lack of courage and bravery. He was addicted to hunting and spent most of his time traveling across the steppes and meadows, doing, under the pretext of hunting, catching in the arms of gazelle-eyed beauties. In the early years of his youth, he stood out from among his peers for his beautiful appearance and statuesque figure and, like a tsar's standard, stood tall among the people, and in the end, due to the obesity and massiveness of his body, as rumor was running, he could neither walk nor move. " This means that Seadet-Gerai-khan was a sybarite, which only teased the carnivorous appetite of the Tatar nobles, without giving them, however, the means to satisfy this appetite. This was his whole guilt before them.

The dignitaries of the Sublime Port conferred on more than one secret what to do in this case. Crimea needed a khan who, according to Seyid-Muhammad-Riza, could "extinguish the flames of unrest that had flared up with the power of power and justice." There were two suitable candidates for the khanate - the retired Khan Kaplan-Gerai and his younger brother Mengly Geray-Sultan, who at one time was a kalga. At the beginning of 1137 (October 1724), the supreme vizier Ibrahim Pasha summoned them both to a council in the vicinity of Istanbul about measures to end the Crimean troubles. The great vizier and capudan Mustafa Pasha himself came to this council secretly, under the pretext of hunting. The Gerai brothers also kept a strict incognito. Mengly-Giray captivated the great vizier with his sweet speech and was recommended to the padishah as a khans. At the end of Muharrem (mid-October), he was solemnly brought into the capital and, with the observance of well-known ceremonies, was promoted to khans. Other historians say that Kaplan-Gerai himself refused the khanate offered to him now, because he was already old, and he did not want to "stain the clothes of his integrity in the blood of the faithful." As for the secrecy with which the negotiations on the appointment of the new khan were conducted, then, presumably, it was necessary in view of the presence of the Crimean deputation in Istanbul, from which for the time being it was necessary to hide the considerations of the Porta.

Mengly-Gerai Khan II (1137 - 1143; 1724 - 1730) really had, as it turned out, a whole plan in his head about bringing obstinate rebels into obedience: it was not without reason that the great vizier liked his speeches. Seeing that nothing could be done with them either with the help of his khan's authority or open military force, the new khan took the path of cunning and deceit. In order to divert at first the eyes of the main leaders of the rebels, he approved them as if nothing had happened in their previous posts - Abdu-s-Samad in the post of kada-esker, Kemal-agu in the rank of first minister and Safa-Gerai in the rank of kalgi , having sent letters about this in front of himself to the Crimea, and then he appeared himself. Pretending to be affectionate towards his opponents and indifferent to the people to whom he was disposed in his soul, Mengly-Gerai Khan scouted and recognized enemies and waited for an opportune moment to deal with them. Such a moment soon came in the form of a war that began at Porta with Persia. According to the sultan's firman, the khan had to send an army of ten thousand on a campaign against Persia. The khan sent a detachment of six thousand Tatars under the command of the Kalga Safa-Gerai, assigning such persons as Pursuk-Ali and Sultan-Ali-Murza to him, and in this way removed the troublemakers and instigators of unrest from the Crimea. He sent another equally dangerous person - Mustafa, who was in the position of silakhdar (squire) at Kemal-aga, to Circassia. With this dexterous maneuver, the khan managed to separate the rallied rebels and deal with them piece by piece. In the month of Zi-l-kade of 1137 (July - August 1725), the entire Tatar mob crossed the Bosphorus to the Anatolian side, received the usual gifts from the Turks and moved on to their destination.

In this case, attention is drawn to the fact that Porta, who had always been angry with the Crimean khans, if they did not personally lead their army, and looked askance at such a deviation from their primordial duty, did not even notice the khan's deviation from the established order. Changing circumstances forced her to provide more freedom of action to her vassal, if only he could keep the restless horde in subjection, which now often became a burden to her. Moreover, this freedom should have been given to Mengly-Geray, because he entered the khanate with an independent program of pacification of the region, and not at all as a simple executor of the instructions given to him by the Sultan, as reported by some historians.

Following the principle of divide et impera, Mengly-Giray II, having sent one part of the restless heads abroad, began to consider ways to finally tame those who remained at home. Mainly he wanted to tackle Hadji-Jan Timur-murza, who, according to the Ottoman historian Chelebi-zade-effendi, had been headstrong for forty years already, disobeying either the khan's power or the orders of the Porte and inflicting all kinds of oppression on his compatriots. To this end, the khan made a council of Kara-Kadir-Shah-murza, Murtaz-murza, Abu-s-Suud-effendi and other emirs and ulema who belonged to a party hostile to the formidable Jan-Timur. They decided that it was necessary to put an end to him, and even threatened that if the khan did not commit the proposed reprisal, they would have to leave the Crimea and from there already fight their enemy. Dzhan-Timur, having learned through his detainees about the danger threatening him, wrote a denunciation, accusing Kadir-Shah and Murtaz-Murza of rebellious plans. Khan sent him a shortcut, inviting him to Bakche-Saray and asking him to be pacified. At the same time, he invited the Kharatuk, Salgyr ayans and other nobles, called kapy-kulu, to the capital. At the meeting that took place in the khan's palace, Merdan-Hadji-Ali-aga, the sworn enemy of Dzhan-Timur, made a speech in which he proved all the incongruity of the actions of the Shirin murzas and the need to decisively curb them by force of arms, for which he proposed to the venerable members of the meeting, especially those who were among the kapa-khalkas (life guards), to demonstrate loyalty to the khan. The eloquence of the old minister had such a convincing effect on those present that they immediately swore an oath to follow his proposal. The meeting was also attended by the adherents and comrades of Dzhan-Timur - Kemal-aga, Er-murza, the son of Porsuk-Aliagi Osman, Kemal's brother Osman and others from among the kapa-kulu. Foreseeing the possibility of their escape, the khan began to think about how to block their path. In the month of Zi-l-Kadeh of 1138 (July 1726), Kadir-Shah and Jan-Timur with their armed adherents stood on both sides of Bakche-Saray. Khan ordered an ambush of selected archers so that they would capture and immediately kill the rebels when they arrived at the sofa at the invitation. But Dzhan Timur, through spies and frivolous people, privy to the secret, learned about the trap that was being prepared for him and immediately fled; other like-minded people followed him. Kadir-Shakh-murza with his accomplices rushed after him. The Khan, counting on the possibility of capturing them at the Dnieper or Azov crossing, did not give his consent to an open battle in the narrow Bakche-Saray valley, so that innocent people would not get it in this dump; but then, nevertheless, nourishing the desire to exterminate the opponents, he sent Merdan-Haji-Ali-aga and Salih-Murza, but they delayed. Dzhan-Timur crossed the Kazandib ferry and passed under the Azov fortress thanks to the assistance of the Azov janissaries.

“Take history away from the people - and in a generation it will turn into a crowd, and in a generation it can be ruled like a herd”

Paul J. Goebbels.

Bukhara city, its gates, neighborhoods, mosques, schools. The school founded by Tsarina Catherine. Their purpose is to be a breeding ground for fanaticism, not scholarship. Bazaars. The police system is stricter than anywhere else in Asia. Bukhara Khanate. Residents: Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Arabs, Mervtsy, Persians, Indians, Jews. Control. Various officials. Political division. Army. Essay on the history of Bukhara.

As I was told, in order to go around Bukhara, it will take a whole day, but in fact it turned out that in the circumference of Bukhara it takes no more than four miles. Although its surroundings are well cultivated, in this respect Khiva is far superior to Bukhara.
There are 11 gates in the city: Darvaza-Imam, Darvaza-Mazar, Darvaza-Samarkand, Darvaza-Oglan, Darvaza-Talipach, Darvaza-Shirgiran, Darvaza-Karakel, Darvaza-Sheikh-Jelal, Darvaza-Namazgakh, Darvaza-Salakhan, Darvaza-Karshi ...
It is divided into two main parts: Deruni-Shahr (inner city) and Beruni-Shahr (outer city) and into various quarters, of which the most significant are the mahalla Juybar, Khiaban, Mirekan, Malkushan, Sabungiran.
The reader has already formed an idea of ​​the public buildings and squares of the city from the previous chapter, but nevertheless we will try to present our notes on this matter.

Bukhara history.

The founder of Bukhara is Afrasiab, the great Turanian warrior. The early history is replaced by various fables, and we can only conclude that the Turkic hordes from ancient times were a thunderstorm in those places, the Persian population of which was separated from their Iranian brothers already in the time of the Pishdadids.
The first thread of this story begins with the Arab occupation, and we can only regret that the brave adventurers left no other information than those that are scattered in Tarihi Tabari and some other Arab sources. Islam could not take root so easily in Maverannahr (the country between the Oxus and Yaxart rivers) as in other countries, and the Arabs had to constantly repeat the conversion as soon as they returned to the cities after a long absence.

Before the conquest of Bukhara and Samarkand by Genghis Khan (1220), as well as the significant cities of Merv (Merv-i Shah-i Jikhan, i.e. Merv, the king of the world), Karshi (Nakhsheb) and Balkh (Umm-ul-Bilad, i.e. the mother of the board, and Timur, the lame conqueror of the world from Shakhrisabz (Green City), wished to make Samarkgorodov) belonged to Persia, despite the fact that the province of Khorasan, as it was then called, was issued from Baghdad with a special firmman about investiture.
With the invasion of the Mongols, the Persian element was completely ousted by the Turkic one, the Uzbeks everywhere seized the reins and the capital of all Asia. But his plans also died with him, and the history of the khanate itself begins with the house of Sheibani, whose founder Abulkhair Khan broke the power of the Timurids in their own states. His grandson Sheibani Muhammad Khan expanded the borders of Bukhara from Khujand to Herat, but when he wanted to seize Mashhad, he was defeated by Shah Ismail and died in battle in 916 (1510).
One of his most capable successors was Abdullah Khan (born in 1544). He re-conquered Badakhshan, Herat and Mashhad, and due to his concern for the development of culture and trade, he deserves to be placed next to the great ruler of Persia, Shah Abbas II. During his reign, there were caravanserais and beautiful bridges on the roads of Bukhara, and cisterns in the deserts; all the ruins of this kind of structures bear his name.
His son Abd al-Mumin did not stay on the throne for long, he was killed (1004 (1595)). After the invasion of the Persian leader Tyokol, who devastated everything in his path, the last descendants of the Sheibanids soon died. the main contenders who contested the throne were Wali Muhammad Khan, a distant relative of Sheibani on the sideline, and Baki Muhammad.
After Baki Muhammad fell in a battle near Samarkand in 1025 (1616), Vali Muhammad Khan founded his dynasty, which, as they say, existed before Abu-l-Faiz Khan, who pleaded with Nadir Shah for peace (1740 .). During this period, Imam Quli Khan and Nasir Muhammad Khan (1650) stood out more than other rulers. Their generous support for the Ishan class largely contributed to the fact that religious fanaticism in Bukhara and even throughout Turkestan has risen to a level that it has not reached anywhere and never in the entire history of Islam.
Abu-l-Faiz Khan and his son were treacherously killed by their vizier Rahim Khan. After the death of the assassin, who continued to independently govern the state as a vizier, Daniyal-biy seized power, followed by the emirs Shah Murad, Said Khan and Nasrullah Khan.
Since the history of the last three rulers has already been outlined by Malcolm, Burns and Khanykov, and we could add little new, we will no longer follow the events of this era, but rather talk better in the next chapter about the wars waged by Bukhara and Kokand in the last three decades.

Bukhara mosques.

Bukhara residents say that there are 360 ​​large and small mosques in their hometown, so a pious Muslim can go to a new mosque every day for entertainment. I was able to find barely half of the named number, of which only deserve mention:
1) Masjidi-Kalyan, built by Timur and restored by Abdullah Khan. Here the emir, in front of a large crowd of people, performs Friday prayer,
2) Masjidi-Divanbegi, which was ordered to be built in 1029 (1629) by a certain Nasr, divanbegi (state secretary) of the Emir Imam Kuli Khan, together with the pond of the same name and a madrasah,
3) Mirekan,
4) Masjidi-Mogak, underground, where, according to legend, some say, the first Muslims gathered, according to others - the last fire worshipers. The first version seems to me more correct, because, firstly, fire worshipers could find a suitable place outside the city in the open air, and secondly, many Kufic writings testify to their Islamic origin.

Madrasah (school) of Bukhara.

Bukhara residents also like to boast of a variety of madrasahs and, again, call their favorite number - 360, although there are no more than 80 of them. The most famous are:
1) the Kukeltash madrasah, built in 1426, has 150 hujras, and each costs 100 - 120 tills. (After the madrasah is built, the khujras are distributed free of charge, but later they can be purchased only for a certain price.) Students of the first grade have an annual income of 5 tills;
2) Mirarab madrasah, built in 1529, it contains 100 hujras, each cost 80-90 tills and gives 7 tills of income;
3) Kosh Madrasah of Abdullah Khan, built in 1572, it also has about 100 hujras, but they are cheaper than in previous madrasahs;
4) Madrasah Juybar, built in 1582 by the grandson of the great scientist and ascetic of the same name. It receives the richest content, since each hujra gives 25 tillas of income, but there are few people in it, because it stands on the outskirts of the city;
5) Tursinjan madrasah, where each hujra has 5 toils of income annually;
6) Madrasah Ernazar, which Empress Catherine ordered to establish through her envoy, it has 60 hujras, and each gives an income of 3 tills.
In general, it was the schools of Bukhara and Samarkand that were the reason for the prevailing idea of ​​the extraordinary scholarship of the higher schools of Central Asia, which for a long time existed not only in the countries of Islam, but even here, in Europe. A superficial observer could easily see the willingness to donate in the construction of this kind of establishment as a sign of high motivation.
Unfortunately, blind bigotry is at the heart of all these incentives; both in the Middle Ages and now in these schools, apart from the principles of logic (mantics) and philosophy (hikmet), only the Koran and questions of religion are studied. (Sometimes it happens that some people want to do poetry or history, but they have to do it in secret, because it is considered shameful to waste time on such trifles.)
I was told that the total number of students is five thousand. They flock here not only from all parts of Central Asia, but also from India, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Russia and China. The poorest receive an annual stipend from the emir, because thanks to madrassas and strict observance of Islam, Bukhara has such a powerful influence on all neighboring countries.

Bazaars of Bukhara.

You will not find such bazaars here as in the main cities of Persia. Only a few of them have vaults and are built of stone, the largest covered with wood or reed mats placed on long poles.
There are several bazaars:
Tim-i Abdullah Khan, built on the Persian model by the ruler bearing the same name after his return from Mashhad (1582);
Restei-suzengeran, which sells sewing supplies; Restei Sarrafan, where the money changers and booksellers are stationed;
Restei-Sergeran - goldsmiths; Restei-Chilingeran - the place of locksmiths;
Restei-Attari - spice merchants;
Restei-Kannadi-sugar and sweets merchants;
Restei-Chai-furushi-tea merchants;
Restei-Chitfurushi, Bazari-Latta, where the linen merchants are located;
Timche-Daraifurushi, where grocers stand, etc. Each bazaar has its own headman, who is responsible to the emir for order and prices. In addition to the bazaars, there are about 30 other small caravanserais, which partly serve as warehouses for storing goods, partly are used as housing for visitors.

Bukhara police.

Bukhara has the strictest police of all Asian cities known to us. During the day, the rais in person travels around bazaars and public places, or dispatches there numerous police officers and spies, and about two hours after sunset, no one else dares to appear on the street.
A neighbor cannot visit a neighbor, and the patient is forced to die because there is no medicine, since the emir gave permission to arrest even himself if the mirshabs (night watchmen) meet him on the street at a prohibited time.

Bukhara Khanate.

Residents of the Bukhara Khanate. At present, the Khanate borders in the east with the Kokand Khanate and the cities of Badakhshan, in the south, along the Oxus, with the Kerki and Chardzhou districts lying on its other bank, in the west and in the north, the border is formed by the Great Desert.
The boundaries cannot be considered established, and it is impossible to determine the number of inhabitants. It is no exaggeration to name the figure of 2.5 million. The inhabitants are divided into sedentary and nomads, and by nationality - into Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kirghiz, Arabs, Mervtsy, Persians, Indians and Jews.
1. Uzbeks. They consist of the same 32 tribes that we listed in the section about Khiva, but they differ markedly from their fellow tribesmen in Khorezm both in face and character. Bukharian Uzbeks lived in closer contact with Tajiks than Khivans with Sarts, and at the same time lost many features of the national type and the modest innocence characteristic of Uzbeks. The Uzbeks are the dominant people in the khanate, since the emir himself is also an Uzbek from the Mangyt tribe, and therefore they constitute the country's armed forces, although senior officers very rarely leave their ranks.
2. Tajiks, indigenous people of all cities of Central Asia; there are most of them here, so Bukhara is the only place where a Tajik is proud of his nationality. He considers the borders of his former homeland, ancient Khorasan, (Chor in ancient Persian means "sun", son - "region", Chorasan thus means "sunny country", i.e. East.) In the east of Khotan (in China ), in the west - the Caspian Sea, in the north - Khujand, in the south - India.
3. Kyrgyz,(Kir means "field", giz or ges is the root of the verb gismek, that is, "to wander", "to wander." and is applied as a general name to all peoples living in a similar way.
The word "Kyrgyz", of course, is also used as a designation for a tribe, but only for a subgroup of Kazakhs living in Kokand in the vicinity of Khazreti-Turkestan.) Or Kazakhs, as they call themselves.
There are very few of them in the Bukhara Khanate, nevertheless, taking this opportunity, we will present our modest notes about this people, the largest in numbers and the most remarkable in Central Asia for the originality of nomadic life.
During my wanderings, I often met separate groups of Kyrgyz wagons, but when I tried to find out about their number from the residents, they always laughed at my question and answered: "First, count the grains of sand in the desert, then you can count us, Kyrgyz."
It is also impossible to determine the boundaries of their residence. We know that they live in the Great Desert, lying between Siberia, China, Turkestan and the Caspian Sea, and this area, as well as their social conditions, sufficiently prove how wrong it is to transfer the Kirghiz to either Russian or Chinese domination. Russia, China, Kokand, Bukhara or Khiva give orders from the Kirghiz only as long as their officers, expelled to collect taxes, live among the nomads. The Kyrgyz view tax collection as a gigantic foray to which they should be grateful that collectors are content with a tenth or some other part.
Since the revolutions that have taken place in the world for centuries, and perhaps millennia, had a very insignificant effect on the Kyrgyz, this people, which we met only in small groups, can find a true picture of those mores and customs that characterized the Turanian peoples in ancient times and which are a bizarre mixture of virtue and cruelty.
The strong craving of all these peoples for music and poetry is striking, but the greatest impression is made by their aristocratic pride. If two Kirghiz meet, then the first question they ask each other is: "Eti atang kimdir?" "Who are your seven fathers (ancestors)?" The one who is asked, even a child over the age of eight, always knows the exact answer, otherwise he will be considered extremely ill-mannered and undeveloped.
In terms of courage, the Kyrgyz are far behind the Uzbeks, and especially the Turkmens; and their Islam has a more shaky foundation than that of the last two peoples. Usually only wealthy bai hire a mullah in the cities, who, for a certain salary paid by sheep, horses and camels, takes the place of a teacher, priest and secretary.

For us Europeans, the Kyrgyz, even if contacts with them were frequent, are always an amazing phenomenon. Before us appear people who every day, in the scorching heat or in deep snow, wander for several hours with all their belongings, looking for a new refuge, again for only a few hours; these are people who have never heard of the existence of bread, all their food consists only of milk and meat.
Kirghiz considers city dwellers and all other people living in the same place to be sick or crazy, and pity all those who are not Mongolian. According to his aesthetic concepts, the Mongolian race is the highest manifestation of beauty, since God, pushing forward the facial bones, made its representatives look like a horse, and the horse in the eyes of the Kirghiz is the crown of creation.
4. Arabs... These are the descendants of those warriors who, under Kuteiba, during the third caliph, participated in the conquest of Turkestan and subsequently settled there. However, apart from their facial features, they have retained little from their brothers living in the Hejaz and Iraq. Only a few, I have found, speak Arabic. Their number, according to rumors, reaches 60 thousand. Most of them are residents of the vicinity of Vardanzi and Wafkend.
5. Mervtsy... These are the descendants of those 40 thousand Persians whom Emir Saidkhan about 1810, after the conquest of Merv with the help of the Saryks, resettled to Bukhara. By their origin, in fact, these are the Turks from Azerbaijan and Karabakh, whom Nadir Shah brought from their old homeland to Merv.
6. Persians. Some of them are slaves, and some are those who, having redeemed themselves, remained to live in Bukhara, where, despite all sorts of religious oppression, since they can only secretly perform the rituals of the Shiite sect, they willingly engage in trade or crafts, because life here is cheaper. and it is easier to make money than in their homeland.
Persians, far superior in intelligence to the inhabitants of Central Asia, usually ascend from their slave position to the highest officials; there is almost not a single provincial governor, in whom certain posts would not be occupied by the Persians, who were previously his slaves and remained loyal to him; Persians are also teeming with the emir's entourage, and the first dignitaries of the khanate belong to this nation.
In Bukhara, Persians are considered people who communicated more with frangi and better comprehended their devilish mindset. However, the emir Muzaffar al-Din would have had a hard time if Persia decided to threaten him with an invasion, as it has already happened, because he would hardly have achieved much with the army, where the commandants of the garrisons were Shakhurkh Khan and Muhammad Hasan Khan, and the topchubashi (chiefs of artillery) - Beinel-bek, Mehdi-bek and Leshker-bek; all five are Persians.
7. Hindus... True, there are only about 500 of them; they live scattered, without families, in the capital and in the provinces, and in some amazing way control the entire money turnover in their hands.
There is not a single bazaar in any village, wherever a Hindu usurer appears with his sack. Showing the deepest obedience, like an Armenian in Turkey, he terribly robbed an Uzbek, and since the pious Qadi mostly has common affairs with a Vishnu worshiper, he often becomes his victim.
8. Jews. There are about 10 thousand of them in the khanate. Basically they live in Bukhara, Samarkand and Karshi and are more engaged in crafts than trade. By their origin, these are Persian Jews, namely from the first captivity.
They moved here 150 years ago from Qazvin and Merv and live in the greatest oppression, despised by all. They dare not go beyond the threshold when they come to a faithful, but if he comes to see a Jew, then the Jew hastily leaves his own home and stands at the door. In the city of Bukhara, they annually pay 2 thousand tillya jizya (tribute).
This amount is provided by the head of the community; at the same time, he receives two light slaps in the face for the entire community, prescribed by the Koran as a sign of obedience. Having heard about the privileges granted to Jews in Turkey, some of them left for Damascus and other parts of Syria, but this happened in deep secrecy, since in the usual case, the desire to emigrate is punishable by confiscation of property or death.
It is surprising that they maintain a postal connection through the hajj who leave Turkestan for Mecca every year; my companions also brought several letters and all of them were delivered to the addressees.

Administration of the Bukhara Khanate.

The form of government in Bukhara has retained very few ancient Persian or Arab features, since the Turkic-Mongolian element predominates. The state structure based on a hierarchical system is of a military nature; the emir is at the pinnacle of power as generalissimo, ruler and religious head.
The military and civilian authorities are subdivided into the following groups: a) katta-sipahi, i.e. senior officials, b) orta-sipakhi, i.e. middle officials and c) ashagi-sipahs (sabits).
In the first two groups, in accordance with the rules, only Urukdars should be accepted, i.e. representatives of noble families, since they enter their office by label, i.e. written order, and billigu, (Label and billig are ancient Türkic words. The first means "letter", "scripture"; root jer, Hungarian ir, Turkish jas.
The second means "sign", in Hungarian belyeg.) I.e. sign; but for a long time these positions have also been conferred on the Persians, who were formerly slaves. The following list lists all the ranks, in the order they follow from the emir and down.
kapa-sipahi ...
1) Atalik
2) divanbegi (secretary of state)
3) parvanachi, more correctly farmanachi or farmanchi, bearer of the khan's decree orta-sipakhi ...
4) tokhsaba, actually tugsahibi, i.e. "carrying, like a banner, tug" (ponytail)
5) different
6) mirahur (equestrian) ashagi-sipahi (sabits) ...
7) chukhragasi, actually chekhreagasi, i.e. "face", because during public audiences he stands opposite the emir
8) mirza-bashi (senior clerk)
9) yasaulbegi and karagulbegi
10) yuzbashi
11) Punjabashi
12) onbashi
In addition to those listed, we should also mention those who are included in the court staff of the emir. Here the top is made up of kushbegi (vizier), mehter, dostorkhonchi (head waiter) and zekatchi (tax collector). Zakatchi acts simultaneously as the minister of finance and the emir's major domo.
This is followed by mehremy (personal servants), the number of which increases or decreases depending on the circumstances; they are also sent as emergency commissioners in the provinces. Any subject who is dissatisfied with the governor's decision can turn to the emir, after which a mehrem is appointed to him, who becomes, as it were, his lawyer and travels with him to his province; he investigates the matter and presents it to the emir for a final decision.
In addition, there are also odachi (gatekeeper or master of ceremonies), bakaul (food master) and salamgazi, who, during public processions, replies to the greeting instead of the emir: "Be aleikum es selam".
however, these posts and ranks exist only nominally under the current emir, since he is an enemy of pomp and left many posts unoccupied.

Political division of the Bukhara Khanate.

The political division of the khanate, as in Khiva, corresponds to the number of large cities. Currently Bukhara consists of the following districts (the order of their listing depends on their size and number of inhabitants):
1) Karakel,
2) Bukhara,
3) Karshi,
4) Samarkand,
5) Kerki,
6) Hisar,
7) Miyancal or Kermine,
8) Katta-Kurgan,
9) Chardzhou,
10) Jizzakh,
11) Ura-Tyube,
12) Shakhrisyabz;
the latter is equal in size to Samarkand, but due to its constant enmity with the emir, it can only partially be ranked among the khanate. The governors, who are divanbegi or parvanachi by their rank, receive a certain share of the income of the province they govern, but in exceptional cases must give it up. Tohsaba, mirza-bashi, yasaulbegi and several mirahurs and chokhragasis are directly subordinate to each governor.

Armed forces of the Bukhara Khanate.

The permanent army of the khanate consists of 40 thousand horsemen, but it can be increased to 60 thousand. The largest contingent is supplied by Karshi and Bukhara; people from Karshi are especially famous for their bravery, they told me * * in Bukhara.
However, I found these data to be very exaggerated, because the emir, during the campaign against Kokand, when his army consisted of at most 30 thousand people, had to support auxiliary troops, paying them a considerable salary, which the avaricious Muzaffar ad-Din, of course, did not would do if the above number was correct. The salary paid only in wartime is 20 tenge (16 shillings) per month, for which the rider is obliged to support himself and the horse.
Besides, half of the booty belongs to the warriors. However, it is in fact incomprehensible why, with such a significant number of subjects, the emir would not collect a larger army, and it is also strange why he does not take auxiliary troops from 50 thousand Ersari, but prefers to go to the Teke and even keeps the saryks in service, paying them 4 thousand till annually.

Roads in the Bukhara Khanate and its environs.

1. From Bukhara to Herat.
Bukhara - Khoshrabat 3 tasha, Meimene - Kaisar 4 tasha, Khoshrabat - Tekender 5, Kaisar Naryn 6, Tekender - Church 5, Naryn - Chichaktu 6, Churchi - Karakhindi 5, Chichaktu - Kale-Veli 6, Karakhindi - Kerki 7, Kale- Veli - Murghab 4, Kerki - Seyid (well) 8, Murgab - Derbend 3, Derbend - Kalayi-Nau 8, Seyid-Andkhoy 10, Kalayi-Nau-Sarcheshme 9, Andkhoy - Batkak 5, Sarcheshme - Herat 6, Batkak - Meimene 8. A total of 08 tashes. This distance can be traveled on horseback in 20 - 25 days.
2. From Bukhara to Merv.
You need to get through Chardzhou, from this city through the desert there are three different roads
a) through Rafatak, on the way there is a well, the length of the road is 45 farsahs;
b) through Uchaji; on the way there are 2 wells, the length is 40 farsakhs;
c) through Yolkuyu, this is an eastern road with a length of 50 farsakhs.
3. From Bukhara to Samarkand (usual road).
Bukhara - Mazar 5 tashey, Mir - Katta-Kurgan 5, Mazar - Kermiye 6, Katta-Kurgan - Daula 6, Kermine - Mir 6, Daula - Samarkand 4, 32 tasha in total.
On carts, usually laden, it is necessary to travel along this road for 6 days; on a good horse, this distance can be covered in 3 days, and couriers travel in only 2 days.
4. From Samarkand to Kerki.
Samarkand - Robati-hauz 3 tasha, Karshi - Faizabad 2 tasha, Robati-hauz - Nayman 6, Faizabad - Sangzulak 6, Nayman - Shurkutuk 4, Sangzulak - Kerki 6, Shurkutuk - Karshi 5. There are 32 tasha in total.
5. From Samarkand to Kokand via Khojent.
Samarkand - Yangi-Kurgan 3 tasha, Hay - Khojent 4 tasha, Yangi-Kurgan - Jizzak 4, Khojent - Karakchikum 4, Jizzak - Zamin 5, Karakchikum - Mehrem 2, Zamin-Jam 4, Mehrem - Besharyk 5, Jam - Sabat 4 , Besharyk Kokand 5, Sabat - Oratepe 2. There are 46 tashey in total. Oratepe - Hay 4.
It takes 8 days to travel along this road in a carriage, but you can also shorten the path, as is usually the case for the most part, getting from Oratepe directly to Mehrem in 8 hours and winning 6 tashes.
6. From Samarkand to Tashkent and the Russian border:
Samarkand - Yangi-Kurgan 3 tasha, Chinaz - Zengi-Ata 4 tasha, Yangi-Kurgan - Jizzak 4, Zengi-Ata - Tashkent 6, Jizzak - Chinaz 16. There are 33 tasha in total.
From here, another 5 days drive to Kale-Rakhim, where the first Russian fort and the extreme Cossack outpost are located.