FROM KHIVA To KUNGRAT AND BACK.
The young Mollah from Kungrat, who had joined our caravan in order
to reach Samarkand, was planning to go and take leave of his native
town and kindred whilst we were staying at Khiva; and great was his
joy when he learned that I was desirous of accompanying him thither,
partly from a wish to make a begging tour and collect all I could,
and partly for the sake of escaping the uncomfortable crowding in
hot, sultry Khiva. In his delight he promised me mountains of gold,
describing everything in the most glowing colours, to sustain me in
my resolve. I needed, however, no urging, too glad to meet with such
an opportunity; and two days after I was actually on my way to Yengi
Urgendj, from whence I hoped to reach the Oxus, where a half-laden
vessel was ready to take us on board for a moderate fare.
The journey from Khiva to Kungrat is chiefly made by water in the
summer, and down the river at high water it never lasts longer than
five days; that is, during the very heat of summer, when the river
has reached its greatest height, owing to the melting of the snow
on the Hindukush and the tops of the Bedakhshan mountains. In the
autumn and spring, at low water, the voyage lasts longer, and in
winter it is entirely interrupted, the Oxus being in many parts,
although not wholly, covered with ice.
The traveller can take ship, if so inclined, from the very walls
of Khiva, that is, on the canal Hazreti Pehlivan, but not without
making a great _détour_, since its mouth is to the south, near
Hezaresp, instead of being to the north. The same objection applies
to the second canal, Gazavat, which is at a considerable distance
from the town, and flows rather eastward than northward. For this
reason the traveller prefers to go to Yengi Urgendj, the first
manufacturing and commercial city in the Khanat, and then on to
Akhun Baba, the tomb of a saint, with a few scattered havlis
(farmsteads) near it, which is situated on the banks of the Oxus,
and is the first stage on the road. The distance is about eighteen
English miles, in a well cultivated and tolerably populous district,
the road leading through fields, gardens and meadows. Here are
found the finest mulberry trees in the greatest abundance, and
consequently the cultivation of silk is extremely flourishing; in
fact, this part of the country justly deserves to be called one of
the most beautiful in the whole Khanat.
The heat was so fierce and intolerable on the banks of the Oxus,
that I could not help expressing some uneasiness to the boatmen, but
they comforted me by saying, that down stream this evil would be
remedied, by putting up a _Peshekhane_ (mosquito net), which would
not be in their way, the boat being steered only at either end.
The mosquito net was at once put up; it had the shape of a canopy,
and was to protect us in the day time from the sun, at night from
the dangerous mosquitoes; and the necessary fatiha (blessings) on
starting having been pronounced, we pushed off in company of four
boatmen and two other passengers.
The voyage was at first very monotonous. The two men, one at the
upper end and one at the lower end of the boat, kept steering it to
those parts of the river where the water was yellowish and turbid,
the current being here the strongest, as they explained to us. The
rudders consisted of long poles, flattened at the end, and the two
steersmen generally remained seated down at their work, unless
special care and attention were required. They were relieved about
every two hours, when, less fatigued by their labour than scorched
by the sun, they would join us in our sheltered retreat, stretch
themselves out at full length, to our great annoyance, and soon be
heard snoring in chorus, until they had to return to their task. Of
our two fellow-travellers, happily only one was very loquacious;
and whenever my Tartar friend explained to me this or that point of
interest, he would interrupt him with his copious emendations, and
thus satisfy my curiosity by a full and detailed commentary.
The banks of the Oxus present few features especially worthy of
interest, although far more than Boutenieff notices in his travels,
who, in his mission in 1858, took the same route from Kungrat to
Yengi Urgendj, up stream. On the right bank, opposite the place
where we embarked, is seen the great ruin, Shahbaz Veli (the sacred
hero), which is said to have been a strong fortress in ancient
times, and which was destroyed by the Kalmucks. In the history of
Khiva these people are regarded as the great destroyers of the
Khanat; and although it is true that at the time of their invasion
under Djengiz, the then flourishing Kharezm suffered terribly at
their hands, yet it is an exaggeration to assert, as tradition
does, that all the ruins are the sole work of their lust for
devastation. Farther on I met with another extensive ruin with the
remains of stone buildings, called Gaur Kaleszi (the fortress of
the Gaurs). Under the term "Gaur," I first understood the Gebers or
fire-worshippers, but soon I learned to my great astonishment, that
by this name are designated, throughout Central Asia, the Armenians
or rather the Nestorians, who possessed here large colonies,
extending from the Sea of Aral far into China, in pre-Islamitic
times down to the decline of the Mongol dominion.
On the right bank extends for more than three leagues, from the
above-mentioned ruins down to the water's edge, a somewhat dense
forest (togay), called Khitabegi. The trees are not particularly
high, but the sun is nevertheless unable to penetrate and dry up
the marshes fed by the Oxus. Only in very few places is the forest
inhabited, and that by the Karakalpak tribe, who rear cattle. The
left bank is the really inhabited part; here the chain of Havlis
is scarcely interrupted, and here and there villages of some size
are seen lying close to the water, such as the Œzbeg village
Tashkale, which is situated on a high bank, and the smaller village
of Vezir, near which the canal Kilidjbay discharges, or rather forms
a basin, previous to losing itself beyond Yilali in the sand.
To make tea, prepare palau, and either listen to or tell sacred
legends, was the alternate occupation of the day. Sometimes it
happened that all my companions, the steersmen alone excepted, fell
fast asleep, producing a pause, which was to me a most pleasant
change; and as I fixed my eyes upon the yellow, turbid waters of the
ancient Oxus, my imagination loved to revert to the clear mirror
of many a European river, whose waters are ploughed by hundreds
of ships, and whose verdant, smiling banks, are full of life and
activity. What a gigantic contrast!
The Oxus is the typical representative of the country it
traverses,--wild and unruly in its course, like the temperament of
the Central Asiatics. Its shallows are as little marked as the good
and bad qualities in the Turkoman; daily it makes for itself new
channels similar to the nomad, whose restless spirit, wearied of
staying long in one spot, is ever craving for novelty and change.
Early the second day we passed the town of Görlen at a short
distance from the shore. The proper landing place is a village near,
called Ishimdji, and opposite to it on the right bank is situated
the fort Rehimberdi Beg, which I mention merely because here begins
the mountain chain of Oveis Karayne, extending from south-east to
north.[12] At first sight it bears much resemblance, as well in
height as in its formation, to the Great Balkan in the desert,
between Khiva and Astrabad; but on a nearer approach its larger
circumference soon becomes apparent, and the luxuriant vegetation
and the woods with which several of its heights are clothed, present
a scene of agreeable surprise. On one of them is said to be the tomb
of Oveis Karayne, a celebrated place of pilgrimage in Khiva, and
in the distance we discovered several buildings, which Rehimberdi
Beg had erected for the convenience of the devotees. Further on is
the Munadjat daghi (mount of devotion), which is pointed out as
the resting place of a holy lady, called Amberene (Mother Ambra).
Holy women are not often met with in Sunnitic Islamism; there are,
however, a few of them in Central Asia, which may be taken as a
fresh proof that Islamism does not treat the fair sex with such
unnatural harshness as people in Europe are apt to imagine. As to
my lady Amberene, tradition tells us that, a Zuleikha in beauty,
a Fatima in virtue, she was hated and afterwards expelled by her
husband, solely because she professed the Mohammedan religion,
of which he was an arch-enemy. Driven from her princely abode in
Urgendj, she was obliged to take refuge in this wild spot, and
would have died of starvation but for a hind which appeared daily
at the entrance of her cave, waiting to be milked, and then again
disappeared. Who, in hearing this tale, is not reminded of the story
of Genoveva? The Parisians in those days were not better than the
Œzbegs of to-day; nor can we fail to be struck with the identity
that exists in fables of social and religious life, among nations
living widely separated from each other.
[12] Oveis Karayne is the name of a faithful follower of Mohammed,
who out of love to the Prophet had all his teeth knocked out, the
latter having lost two of his front teeth in the battle at Ohud,
through a blow from the enemy's weapon. After Mohammed's death he
even intended to found an Order, with this self-mutilation as a
condition of membership; but his efforts proved unsuccessful. The
assertion, that he came to Khiva and died there, belongs rather to
the region of fiction.
After leaving Görlen we went on for about four hours down stream,
and came to Yengï yap, an insignificant hamlet, surrounded by earth
walls, and about one hour and a half distant from the river. Two
hours later we reached the district of Khitayi, which begins where
the Yumalak, a conical hill, rises close to the left bank. On the
right the Oveis mountains approach nearer and nearer to the Oxus,
and soon we passed the prominent peak Yampuk, crowned with the ruins
of an old castle. Opposite Yumalak the mountain chain, Sheik Djeli,
which runs from east to west, forms a very narrow channel (here
called kisnak), much narrower than the Iron Gates on the Danube,
and often dangerous to navigation from the force and rapidity of
the current. The waters here roar, as if the Oxus, that unruly son
of the desert, were angry at being so imprisoned between the rocks.
The narrowest part is, however, very short; on the left bank the
mountains terminate abruptly, while on the right bank the high lands
gradually slope, and after having passed Tama, which lies on the
left, the country is everywhere flat. With the mountains disappeared
every romantic feature along the banks of the Oxus. After a voyage
of two days our eyes and imagination were fully satisfied, and
although the morning and evening hours had their charms, yet the
heat became intolerable in the day-time, and the mosquitoes and
flies at night--insects, in comparison with which the Golumbacz on
the Lower Danube are harmless and insignificant as butterflies. As
soon as the sun began to set, every one crept carefully under the
mosquito-net, made, of course, of linen, the air under which had
become so thoroughly poisoned by my fellow-travellers, that I felt
keenly not to be able to exchange it for the purer air outside.
Towards evening we reached the district of Mangit, which has a town
of the same name, about two hours' distance from the river, but not
visible from the boat on account of a small wood which intervenes.
Here we remained for some time moored along the bank, and having
comfortably cooked our dinner in the open air, instead of on the
narrow hearth in the boat, we continued our voyage. We reached
Basuyap, after another hour's journey, at night, much to the regret
of my friend, who had been anxious to pay a visit with me to a
very celebrated _Nogaï Ishan_, who resided there, in order to ask
his advice and blessing on the journey he had undertaken. These
_Nogaï_, who fled hither to escape the Russian authorities or the
conscription, are in Central Asia regarded as martyrs to freedom and
Islamism, and revered as such; but I have frequently met among them
the most consummate rascals, and thought that they had probably run
away from a fully merited chastisement.
Early in the morning we passed Kiptchak, which is the second stage
on the journey, and lies on both sides of the Oxus. At this place
a rock rises from the water, which, extending across the river,
narrows the channel by more than half its width, and renders the
navigation so extremely dangerous, that it is never attempted,
except at broad daylight. At low water some of the points are
visible, and it is no uncommon thing to see children, a foot deep in
water, clambering upon them.
Kiptchak itself is a place of considerable importance, inhabited by
an Œzbeg tribe of the same name, and possesses several mosques
and colleges. Of the latter, the college situated on the right
bank of the river was founded by Khodja Niaz, and is deservedly
celebrated for its rich endowments. Not far from this building,
which stands separately, is seen the ruin Tchilpik, on a hill rising
close to the water. Tradition asserts that in ancient times it was a
strong castle, and the residence of a Princess, who, having fallen
in love with one of her father's slaves, and dreading the anger of
her offended parent, fled hither for refuge with her lover. In order
to obtain water, they were obliged to pierce the hill downwards to
the river, and the subterranean passage exists at the present day.
From Kiptshak up the stream begins the forest already mentioned,
which extends with few interruptions along the right bank of the
river to some distance beyond Kungrat. I could not see from the boat
how far its breadth stretched eastward, but I have been assured that
it is from eight to ten hours' journey. Its approach from the river
is intercepted by bogs and morasses, which render it only in a few
places accessible. In the less thickly-wooded parts graze numberless
herds of cattle, the property of the Karakalpaks, who find abundance
of game in the forest, but sometimes suffer greatly from the
numerous wild beasts, especially panthers, tigers, and lions, which
infest that district. From here to Görlen the stream has so many
shallows, that we were incessantly striking aground. The left bank
rises to an elevated plateau, which extends far in a north-westerly
direction, and is called Yilankir (the field of serpents) by the
natives. On the western frontier of the desert it forms a declivity
as steep as the Kaflankir, or the whole table-land of Ustyurt. The
population of this region consists of Jomut-Turkomans and Tchaudors;
the former lead a nomadic life near the river, and in the country
round Porsu and Yilali; the latter inhabit the skirts of the desert
and the several oases of the Ustyurt. Both tribes, as may well
be imagined, live in constant feud with each other,--a condition
as much to their disadvantage, as it is to the advantage of the
Œzbegs, the immediate neighbourhood of a strong and united nomad
people proving always most dangerous to the dwellers in settled
habitations.
On the evening of the third day we stopped at Khodja Ili,[13] a town
about two hours' distance from the river. Most of the inhabitants
derive their origin from Khodja, and they are not a little proud of
comparing their ancestry with that of the other Œzbegs. The whole
district is thickly populated, and the left bank forms as far as
Nöks[14] an uninterrupted chain of wood and cultivated land. Here
is one of the most dangerous places in the Oxus, a waterfall, which
at the time of our voyage rushed down from the height of three feet
with the swiftness of an arrow and with a tremendous noise, which
is heard at the distance of more than a league. The natives call
it Kazankitken, _i.e._, the spot where the cauldrons went to the
bottom, since a vessel laden with these utensils is said to have
been lost here. Full fifteen minutes before reaching the waterfall
the boats are brought close to the shore, and carefully towed along.
From here down the stream the river has formed by inundations very
considerable lakes, which communicate with one another by small
natural canals, which seldom dry up entirely. The largest are:
Kuyruklu Köl and Sari Tchöngül. The former is said to extend for
several days' journey far towards the north-east; the latter is
smaller in circumference, but much deeper.
[13] Khodja Ili.--The people of the Khodja, or descendants of the
prophets, a considerable number of whom inhabit this part of the
country. They have as much a purely Œzbeg physiognomy, as the
numerous Seids in Persia bear the stamp of an Iranic origin. The
former, however, enjoy considerably more privileges.
[14] In the map to my "Travels in Central Asia," Nöks has by mistake
been confounded with Khodja Ili; the former also is full an hour
farther from Kungrat than is there stated.
We passed Nöks on the fourth day. Even on the left bank we saw
cultivation gradually decreasing as we advanced; the river on both
sides is bordered with forests, and forms half-way to Kungrat a
broad and rather deep canal, called Ogüzkitken, which takes a
south-westerly direction and falls into the lake Shorkatchi. Efforts
have been made to cut off the latter from the large stream by
raising dykes, but in vain, and the immense extent of water renders
the navigation here exceedingly troublesome. The forest terminates
at the tomb of a saint, called Afakkhodja, and the district of
Kungrat begins, covered, as far as the eye can reach, with gardens,
fields and "havlis." The town itself did not become visible until
the evening of the fifth day, after we had passed the run of a
fortress built by the rebel Törebeg at the time of Mehemmed Emin,
and a whirlpool near it.
Our stay in this most northerly town of the Khanat of Khiva was
of very short duration, since my young companion, having lost his
parents a year before, was not long in taking leave of the relative
who dwelt here, and himself urged a speedy return. The town has
a far more miserable appearance than those in the south, and is
chiefly known for its large fairs, to which the nomads of the
neighbourhood resort, offering for sale large quantities of cattle,
butter, carpets of felt, camels' hair and wool. A brisk trade is
also carried on in fish, especially dried fish, which are brought
from the sea of Aral, and sent afterwards from here all over the
Khanat. I must mention as a very remarkable fact, that I met here
with two Russians, who had turned Mahometans, and lived in the full
enjoyment of a comfortable dwelling-house, a flourishing farmstead,
and a numerous family. They were prisoners of the Perowsky Army, and
received their liberty from Mehemmed Emin Khan, under the condition
that they would adopt Islamism. One of them has been presented with
a Persian slave: the dark-brown daughter of Iran and the fair-haired
son of the north live very happily together, and although the latter
has several times had the opportunity of returning to his native
home, he has not been able to form the resolution of quitting his
adopted fatherland on the banks of the Oxus.
In conclusion, I will state the scanty information I gathered here
about the further course of the Oxus from Kungrat to its embouchure
in the Sea of Aral. At two hours' distance from this town, going
down stream, the river divides into two great arms, which are little
distinguished from each other. The right one, which keeps the name
of Amu Derya, reaches the lake first, but in consequence of its
many ramifications it is too shallow, and at low water extremely
difficult to navigate. The left arm, which bears the name of Tarlik
(the strait)[15] is narrow, but of a certain depth throughout,
and is little used, simply on account of the great circuit it
makes on its way to the lake. The traffic on the Lower Oxus is
inconsiderable, and not to be compared with that which enlivens
the river between Tchihardjuy and Kungrat, where it forms the
principal commercial highway between Bokhara and Khiva. In autumn
it is chiefly fishing which takes the Œzbegs to the sea, and the
trade in dried sea-fish is in all three Khanats an important one.
It has become an almost indispensable article to the inhabitants
of the steppes, from their being too parsimonious to feed on meat,
in spite of their wealth in cattle, and therefore preferring, as
they do, dried fish as its substitute. In the spring, on the other
hand, it is the wild geese, large numbers of which are found around
the several mouths of the river, which tempt all those who are fond
of shooting to the shores of the Sea of Aral. At this season of the
year also most pilgrimages take place, undertaken by pious Œzbegs
to the tomb of Tokmak Baba, which is situated upon an island of the
same name, near these outlets. This saint is revered as the patron
of fishermen, and rests under a small mausoleum, in the inner cell
of which have been carefully preserved through remote ages his
clothes and cooking utensils, among which a cauldron is an object
of peculiar veneration. I was told, that even the Russians very
rarely land on this island, although access to it has been greatly
facilitated by steam-vessels, and that in case they do visit it,
they never touch these relics,--as if moved by involuntary feelings
of respect.
[15] Not Taldyk, as Admiral Butakoff called it in his treatise,
read on the 11th of March, 1867, before the Geographical Society in
London, nor can I agree with him about the two extreme arms of the
Delta, of which he calls the eastern Yenghi, and the western Laudan.
It is possible that it may have been so formerly, in consequence of
the frequent changes of the water-course; but at present this is
no longer the case I learned from the most authentic source, that
the name of Laudan is given only to the dry bed of the Oxus, which,
beginning at Kiptchak, runs in a westerly direction past Köhne
Urgendj. Butakoff designates the middle branch by the name of Ulkun,
and here I must remark, that this word meaning "great," is always
added to the name of the chief stream. Ulkun, more correctly Ulken,
is consequently identical with my Amu Derya.
In surveying the whole course of this remarkable river, from
its source on the Ser-i-kul (beginning of the sea) down to its
embouchure, we perceive firstly, that it is not, as Burnes asserts,
navigable throughout its entire length, but on the contrary, that
only from Kerki, or rather from Tchihardjuy down stream can it be
used for large and small craft. Upwards from these towns we meet
nothing but rafts, carrying fuel and timber, in which the slopes of
the Bedakhshan mountains abound, and supplying the scantily wooded
plains, but seldom used by families emigrating to the Lower Oxus.
Between Hezaresp and Eltchig, a part of the river which forms one
stage on the way to Bokhara, larger boats already are used from
and to Khiva, which carry goods and victuals; but the greatest
traffic is undoubtedly on that part of the river, which flows in
the Khanat of Khiva, where the river, with its many towns along
its banks, affords a favourite and cheap means, up as well as down
stream, for the transport of large freight, and is used among the
poorer classes even for personal inter-communication. Secondly, it
appears to me (I abstain from making any assertion, not possessing
sufficient knowledge on the subject), that the Oxus has scarcely
the capabilities of becoming the powerful artery for traffic and
communication in Central Asia, which politicians, when speaking of
the future of Turkestan, confidently expect. It never can become
of the same importance as the Yaxartes, whose waters at this very
moment are ploughed by Russian steamers, a conjecture sufficiently
warranted by the fact, that the Russians entered Turkestan with
their flotilla of the Sea of Aral, not by the Oxus, but by the
Yaxartes, a river far less favourable to their plans of occupation.
It has been urged, that the uninhabited shores of this last-named
river are of greater importance to the Court of St. Petersburg;
but this is a worthless argument, and rests solely on our want of
geographical knowledge with respect to Central Asia.
With steamers on the Oxus, the Russians would not only have been
able to keep the Khanat of Khiva in check, to garrison the fortress
of Kungrat, Kiptshak and Hezaresp, but they would have had the power
of introducing with the greatest ease a strong _corps d'armée_
by Karakul into Bokhara, and thus into the very heart of Central
Asia, had not the extraordinary physical difficulties of this
route rendered such a scheme impracticable. Moreover, of this the
Russians themselves became sufficiently convinced, when making their
very first appearance in Central Asia. Apart from the waterfall
at Khodja Ili, the dangerous cliffs near Kiptchak and the Kisnak
near Yampuk, the Oxus offers perhaps the greatest difficulties to
navigation in its numerous sandbanks, which in some parts extend
for many miles, and at the same time undergo such rapid changes
in consequence of the large quantity of sand the stream carries
along with it, that it is quite impossible to take observations,
and even the most experienced steersman can do no more than guess
the navigable channel by the colour, but can never indicate it with
confidence or certainty. Thirdly, to regulate this stream, which
at the beginning of the spring, and during the latter part of the
autumn, is almost two-thirds smaller than in summer, would be of
the greatest disadvantage to the inhabitants, since its numerous
arms and canals not only are necessary for the cultivation of their
fields, but supply with drinking water even the most distant parts
of the country, to say nothing of the rapid current rendering such
an undertaking extremely difficult. If the Khan of Khiva wanted to
declare war against some rebellious part of his country, he would
first of all cut off the canals and aqueducts, a stroke of policy
which would be felt most severely; and a government, which were to
shut the sluices in order to increase the water in the bed of the
Oxus, would commit an act equivalent to a declaration of hostilities
against the whole country at once.
Not only has the Oxus extremely rapid currents, but it continually
deviates from its original channel. These deviations in the lower
part of the river begin after its bend near Hezaresp, and are far
more numerous than is generally supposed. Upon enquiring of the
inhabitants about them, they reckoned up more than eight on each
side, and although they may have included in this estimate former
canals, nevertheless its irregularity must be admitted. Taking this
view, there is very little difficulty in agreeing with Sir Henry
Rawlinson, who founded his assertion on a very valuable Persian
manuscript, that in former times the Sea of Aral had no existence
whatever.
The journey from Kungrat to Khiva is generally made by land, since
it requires from eighteen to twenty days up stream. The transport
of freight is made by water. There are three roads by land; 1,
by Köhne Urgends, which is called the summer route, and avoids
the lakes, outlets and arms of the Oxus, which at that season of
the year are full to overflowing. This route is the longest, 56
farsakh[16] in length; 2, by Khodja Ili, a distance of 40 farsakh,
which the traveller prefers in the winter, all the waters being
frozen; and 3, the road on the right bank of the Oxus by Shurakhan,
which makes several _détours_, and runs through a great many
sand-steppes.
[16] Farsakh (_i. e._, παρασάγγης), a Persian league, about
18,000 feet in length.
Our return journey had to be made with all possible speed, but
nevertheless we were obliged to take the long road by Köhne Urgendj.
We had the good fortune to join a party of travellers, of whom some
were going to Köhne Urgendj, others to Khiva. All were capitally
mounted, and even the horses placed at our disposal "lillah" (out of
pious benevolence) were young, vigorous animals, and, as we carried
no luggage except a few biscuits with a small store of provisions
for our journey, we rode briskly along in spite of the heat, which
even in the early morning made itself felt. Leaving the gate of
the town behind us, we rode across the well-cultivated district
of Kungrat, keeping always a north-westerly direction, and then
crossing a barren tract of country, came to a large stagnant water,
called _Atyolu_, which is marked out as the first stage, and is 7
farsakh long. A bridge leads over a narrow part of it, and here the
road diverges in two parts, the one of which skirts a low mountain,
called Kazak Orge, and, crossing the great plateau of Ustyurt, goes
to Orenburg; the other leads to Köhne Urgendj. We took the latter
route, and passing through forests and sandy tracts, now and then
came in sight of some ruin on either side of the road, of which
two were pointed out as being worthy of notice;--Karagömbez (black
dome), near which a salt is found as clear and white as crystal,
and the finest in the Khanat, and Barsakilmez (he who goes does not
return), a dangerous spot, inhabited even at the present day by evil
spirits, and where many, who went there from curiosity, have lost
their lives.
After a long ride of five hours we reached the second station,
called _Kabilbeg Havli_. It is an isolated farmstead, but, in
accordance with an old custom of the proprietors, we were received
and treated with great hospitality, and remembering that we had the
prospect of a long ride of eight hours from here to the next stage,
_Kiziltchagalan_, our kind host had not forgotten to provide us at
breakfast with meat and bread. It was still dark when we started.
Our companions were examining their weapons with the utmost care,
which made me fear that we might perhaps have to pass some hostile
tribe of the Turkomans; but they removed my uneasiness on this
point, cautioning me at the same time that we should have to travel
the whole day long in a thick forest, in which there were many
lions, panthers and wild boars, which sometimes have been known to
attack the traveller. They added, that although they never reached
the place of danger till broad daylight, yet they invariably moved
forward with the greatest circumspection, and, above all put great
confidence in their horses, which no sooner prick up their ears, or
begin to snort, than each and all seize their weapons. It is well
known that lions and panthers in a climate like that of Central Asia
are far less dangerous than their brethren in India and Africa, and
therefore I did not share the fears of my young Tartar companion;
on the contrary, I rather longed for adventure and the excitement
of the chase. The Œzbeg, however, like a true Asiatic, possesses
an excitable imagination; there was neither trace nor sound to
indicate that we were near the abode of the king of animals, and we
saw nothing but some herds of wild boars, who with a loud crash made
their way through the thick underwood, and an immense, nay, fabulous
number of Guinea-fowl and pheasants, of which we made rich spoil for
our evening halt. These birds are in this part of the country of a
much finer flavour than in Mazendran, the Œzbegs also understand
far better than the Persians to dress and cook them. Emerging
from the forest, we soon came in sight of the fortified place
Kiziltshagalan, which is inhabited by Œzbegs. We arrived there
in good time, and the following morning continued our road across a
district inhabited by Yomuts.
Köhne Urgendj is considered the fourth station, although the journey
thither does not occupy above three hours. This ancient metropolis
of far-famed Kharezm, in Central Asia, is the poorest of all those
cities in Asia which have shared the same fate, and however much
its former splendour is extolled in word and writing, I could not
help feeling at the sight of its still existing ruins, that it had
been the centre of no higher than Tartar civilisation. The town of
the present day is small, dirty and insignificant, although it must
have been much larger in former times, to judge from the ruins that
lie scattered outside the wall. These ruins are not older than the
Islamitic era, and date from the reign of Shahi Kharezmian, an epoch
of a higher culture. The most remarkable object here is the mosque
of Törebeg Khanim (not Khan), of which I have already made mention
in my "Travels," and which is larger and more splendid than Hazreti
Pehlivan. The latter, nevertheless, has been considered hitherto
the finest monument in Khiva, and it must be admitted that with its
works in Kashi (glazed tiles), in which throughout the yellow colour
predominates, it is not inferior to any architectural monument
of the same kind in Turkestan. Further is seen the mausoleums of
Sheikh Sheref with a high azure dome, of Piriyar, the father of the
very celebrated Pehlivan, and of Sheikh Nedshm ed-din Kübera. The
latter has of late been restored from decay by the liberality of
Mehemmed Emin Khan. I was told that there are in the neighbourhood
several towers and walls built of stone, such as Puldshoydu (money
destroyed) which is distant three hours' journey. Whenever a storm
ploughs up the sand-hills there, coins and vessels of gold and
silver are discovered, and people who take the trouble of sifting
the sand, find frequently their labour amply requited. There is
also the Aysanem, or double kiosk of Aysanem and Shahsanem, the
famous pair of lovers, whose romantic fate forms the subject of a
collection of songs frequently sung by the native minstrels. The
name appears to be a stereotyped name for any two isolated ruins,
since there are Shahsanems to be found in other parts of Khiva and
Bokhara, as well as in the neighbourhood of Herat, and everywhere
the same legends are recorded of them with few variations.
At Köhne Urgendj the road divides, both branches running at a small
distance from each other. The one less frequented runs by Porsu
and Yilali, and is taken by people who travel in large parties;
the proximity of the marauding tribes of the Tshaudors and Yomut
Turkomans, rendering the road, at least as far as Tashhauz,
very insecure. The second road, nearer the Oxus, runs with few
interruptions along its banks, a tract of country strewn with
farmsteads (Havlis), villages and hamlets. This road is generally
taken in summer, although it is the longer of the two, and also
more troublesome on account of the many ditches and canals for
irrigation. Whereas, a caravan must keep together as far as Tashhauz
on the former road, travellers on the latter may part company as
early as at Kiptchak, and each continue his way separately.