C H A P T E R L X I .
THE K H IV A N OASIS A N D IT S HISTORY.
My informants.— Dimensions of the khanate : its soil, geology, and
botany.— Khivan melons, and efforts to introduce them into England.—
Khivan fauna, inhabitants, revenue, and foreign relations.
— Kharezm under the Arabs.—Conquests of Jinghis Khan and
Tamerlane.—The Uzbeg khans, and commencement of intercourse
with RussiaS-Raids of Cossacks, and expedition of Cherkassky.S|
Khivan enslavement of Cossacks.— Kazak khans.—Perovsky’s
expedition and English mediation.— Shakespear’ s conduct of
Russian slaves.— Russian capture of Khiva.
I W A S greatly favoured, both in Petro-Alexandrovsk
and Khiva, in being brought into contact with
men such as the Russian Governor, Captain Mirba-
daleff, and the Divan-beggi. Both the Captain and
Divan-beggi kindly permitted me to put them through
my list of questions, so that, thanks to Mr. Sevier’s
usual patience and theirs, I gained a good deal of
information at first hand concerning native life in
Central Asian towns, which, after all, is much of one
pattern, whether at Samarkand, Bokhara, or Khiva.
Not that I placed much reliance upon Matmurad’s
judgment in matters of opinion, or anything requiring
abstract calculation, for his answer to my first question
as to the length o f Khiva from north to south showed
that he knew nothing about figures. He replied 100
tashes, or 530 miles, which was nearly three times too
much. The breadth, including the desert, he gave as
from 300 to 400 miles, which was nearer, but the
inhabited part west of the Amu as 50 miles. As an
illustration how unaccustomed the Khivans are to
tabulating information, I heard at Petro that the
Emperor had desired of the Khan certain statistics
respecting the khanate, which the latter was willing to
supply, but he utterly failed in the attempt. A calculation
more to the point was that of the late Major
Wood, who estimated the Khivan area, fertilized by the
waters of the Oxus, at a million and a half of acres an
area, that is to say, rather less than that of the county of
Lincoln, or about half the size of Yorkshire. T h e soil
o f the oasis is of loess, or stiff, sandy clay, with strips
and patches of sand. Black mould is seldom seen, but
earth is frequently found impregnated with salt. The
oasis is generally level. The cliffs and sand-hillocks,
which I described coming down the left bank of
the Amu, surround the valley of Pitniak in a broad
curve, but five miles lower, the sand-hills approach the
river again, and accompany it as far as Sheikh-aryk,
and then quit it finally, to turn westward and surround
the Khivan oasis.
T he geological formation of the khanate is principally
red sandstone on the south, gradually changing
northwards into a firm clay. They work no metals,
but have salt and sulphur sufficient for home consumption.
The best salt is found in the north. T hey have
building stone, but it is too expensive, Matmurad
said, at Khiva, to build a whole house of it, for though
sufficient might be quarried without cost, it would have
to be conveyed all the way from Pitniak, or I suppose
beyond, since he spoke of the distance as 130 miles.