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SAMARKAND
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SAMARKAND , a See also:province of See also:Russian See also:Turkestan, formerly Zarafshan or Zerafshan. It is the See also:ancient See also:Sogdiana and was known as Sughd to the Moslems of the See also:middle ages. It has on the N. and N.E. the province of Syr-darya, on the E. See also:Ferghana, on the W. See also:Bokhara and on the S. the khanates of See also:Hissar, See also:Karateghin and Darvaz. Its See also:area is 26,627 sq. m. It is very hilly in the S.; where it is intersected by ranges belonging to the Alai See also:system. The Hissar range is the See also:water-parting between the Zarafshan and the upper tributaries of the Amu-darya; another high range, the Zarafshan, runs between the two parallel See also:rivers, the Zarafshan and its tributary, the Yagnob; while a third range, often called the Turkestan See also:chain, stretches W. to E. parallel to the Zarafshan, on its N. See also:bank. It is very probable that the three ranges referred to really possess a much more complicated See also:character than is supposed. All three ranges are See also:snow-clad, and their highest peaks reach altitudes of 18,500 ft. in the W. and 22,000 ft. in the E., while the passes over them, which are difficult as a See also:rule, See also:lie at altitudes of 12,000 ft. Several Alpine lakes, such as Iskander-kul, 7000 ft. high, have been found under the precipitous peaks. The Alpine See also:zone extends as far N. as the 40th parallel, beyond which the province is See also:steppe-See also:land, broken by only one range of mountains, the Nuratyn-tau, also known as Sanzar and Malguzar in the S.E. and as Kara-tau in the N.W. This treeless range stretches 16o m. N.W., has a width of about 35 M. and reaches altitudes of 7000 ft. It is pierced, in the Sanzar See also:gorge, or Tamer-See also:lane's See also:Gate, by the railway leading from Samarkand to See also:Tashkent. 14 Translated in Bibliotheca sacra (1906), p. 385, &c. The other mountains in the province are well wooded, and it is SAMARKAND, a See also:city of Russian Central See also:Asia, anciently estimated that nearly 4,500,000 acres are under forests. The Maracanda, the See also:capital of Sogdiana, then the See also:residence of the N.W. portion is occupied by the See also:Famine Steppe—which probably Moslem Samanid See also:dynasty, and subsequently the capital of the might be irrigated—and by the See also:desert of Kyzyl-See also:kum. The Mongol See also:prince Tamerlane, is now See also:chief See also:town of the province of Famine or Hungry Steppe (not to be confounded with another the same name. It lies 220 M. by See also:rail S.W. of Tashkent, and 156 desert of the same name, the See also:Bek-pak-dala, to the W. of See also:Lake m. E. of Bokhara, in 390 39' N. and 66° 45' E., 2260 ft. above the See also:Balkash) occupies nearly 5,000,000 acres, covered with See also:loess-like See also:sea, in the fertile valley of the Zarafshan, at the point where it See also:clay. In the See also:spring the steppe offers See also:good pasture-grounds for issues from the W. spurs of the Tian-shan before entering the the See also:Kirghiz, but the grass withers as summer advances. Nearly See also:steppes of Bokhara. The Zarafshan now flows 5 M. N. of the 1,500,000 acres might, however, be irrigated and rendered city. In 1897 the See also:population numbered 40,000 in the native available for the cultivation of See also:cotton; indeed a beginning has city, and 15,000 in the new Russian town, inclusive of the been made in that direction. The Kyzyl-kum .Steppe, 88,000 military (8o% Russians). The See also:total population was 58,194 in sq. m., is crossed by rocky hills, reaching an See also:altitude of 3500 ft., 1900, and of these only 23,194 were See also:women.
and consists in See also:part of saline See also:clays, patches of See also:prairie land and Maracanda, a See also:great city, was destroyed by See also: Destroyed and pillaged by that Atraphaxis and other steppe bushes; occasionally Stipa grass chieftain, its population was reduced to one-See also:quarter of what it is seen on the slopes of the sandhills, while Artemisic and Tamarix had been. When Timur made it his residence (in 1369) the bushes grow on the more compact sands. Water can only be inhabitants numbered 150,000. The magnificent buildings of obtained from See also:wells, sometimes 140 ft. deep. A few Kirghiz are the successors of Timur, which still remain, testify to its former the See also:sole inhabitants, and they are only found in the more hilly See also:wealth. But at the beginning of the 18th See also:century it is parts. reported to have been almost without inhabitants. It See also:fell under The chief See also:river is the Zarafshan, which, under the name of See also:Chinese dominion, and subsequently under that of the See also:amir of See also:Mach, rises in the Zarav See also:glacier in the Kok-su See also:mountain See also:group. Bokhara. But no follower of See also:Islam enters it without feeling See also:Navigation is only possible by rafts, from Penjikent downwards. that he is on See also:holy ground; although the venerated mosques and The river is heavily See also:drawn upon for See also:irrigation; and to this beautiful colleges are falling into ruins, its See also:influence as a seat of it probably owes its name (" See also:gold-spreading ") rather than to the learning has vanished, and its very See also:soil is profaned by infidels. gold which is found in small quantities in its sands. Over 8o It was not without a desperate struggle that the Mahommedans See also:main canals (ariks) water 1200 sq. m. in Samarkand, while permitted the Russians to take their holy city. 164o sq. m. are watered in Bokhara by means of over 40 main The See also:present city is quadrangular and is enclosed by a See also:low canals. Beyond Lake Kara-kul it is lost in the sands, before See also:wall 9 M. See also:long. The citadel is in the AV., and to the W. of this reaching the Amu-darya to which it was formerly tributary. the Russians have laid out since 1871 a new town, with broad The N.E. of the province is watered by the Syr-darya. One of the streets and boulevards radiating from the citadel. lakes, the Tuz-kaneh (40 M. from See also:Jizakh) yields about 1300 tons The central part of Samarkand is the Righistan—a square of See also:salt annually. fenced in by the three madrasahs (colleges) of Ulug-beg, Shir-See also:dar The See also:average temperature for the See also:year is 55'4° F, at Samarkand, and Tilla-kari; in its architectural symmetry and beauty this is and 58° at See also:Khojent and Jizakh; but the average temperature rivalled only by some of the squares of certain See also:Italian cities. for the See also:winter is only 340, and frosts of 4° and 11° have been An immense See also:doorway decorates the front of each of these large experienced at Samarkand and Khojent respectively; on the See also:quadrilateral buildings. A high and deep-pointed See also:porch, reaching other See also:hand, the average temperature for See also:July is 79° at Samarkand almost to the See also:top of the lofty See also:facade, is flanked on each See also:side by a and 85° at Khojent and Jizakh. The total precipitation (includ- broad quadrilateral See also:pillar of the same height. Two See also:fine columns, See also:ing snow in winter) is only 6.4 in. at Khojent,12 in. at Samarkand profusely decorated, in turn flank these broad pillars. On each and 24 in. at Jizakh. The hilly tracts have a healthy See also:climate, side of the high doorway are two See also:lower archways connecting it but See also:malaria and mosquitoes prevail in the lower regions. with two elegant towers, narrowing towards the top and slightly The estimated population in 1906 was 1,090,400. The Uxbegs inclined. The whole of the facade and also the interior courts See also:form two-thirds of the population, and after them the Kirghiz are profusely decorated with enamelled tiles, whose See also:colours—and Tajiks (27%) are the most numerous; See also:Jews, See also:Tatars, See also:blue, See also:green, See also:pink and See also:golden, but chiefly See also:turquoise-blue—are Afghans and See also:Hindus are also met with. wrought into the most fascinating designs, in striking See also:harmony In 1898 nearly 1,000,000 acres were irrigated, and about with the whole and with each part of the See also:building. Over the 800,000 acres partly irrigated. The chief crops are See also:wheat, See also:rice interior are bulbed or See also:melon-like domes, perhaps too heavy for and See also:barley. See also:Sorghum, See also:millet, See also:Indian See also:corn, peas, lentils, haricots, the facade. The most renowned of these three madrasahs is See also:flax, See also:hemp, See also:poppy, See also:lucerne, See also:madder, See also:tobacco, melons and that of Ulug-beg, built in 1434 by a See also:grandson of Timur. It is mushrooms are also grown. Two crops are often taken from the smaller than the others, but it was to its school of See also:mathematics same piece of land in one See also:season. Cotton is extensively grown, and See also:astronomy that Samarkand owed its renown in the 15th and 21,000 acres are under vineyards. Sericulture prospers, century. especially in the Khojent See also:district. Live-stock breeding is the A winding See also:street, See also:running N.E. from the Righistan, leads to a chief occupation of the Kirghiz. See also:Weaving, See also:saddlery, See also:boot- much larger square in which are the See also:college of Bibikhanum on making, tanneries, oil See also:works and See also:metal works exist in many the W., the See also:graves of Timur's wives on the S. and a See also:bazaar on the villages and towns, while the See also:nomad Kirghiz excel in making E. The college was erected in 1388 by a Chinese wife of Timur. See also:felt goods and carpets. There are See also:glass works, cotton-cleaning To the N., outside the walls of Samarkand, but See also:close at hand, is works, See also:steam See also:flour See also:mills and distilleries. Some See also:coal, See also:sulphur, the Hazret Shah-Zindeh, the summer-See also:palace of Timur, and See also:ammonia and See also:gypsum are obtained. See also:Trade is considerable, the near this is the See also:grave of Shah-Zindeh, or, more precisely, Kasim chief exports being rice, raw cotton, raisins, dried See also:fruit, nuts, ibn Abbas, a See also:companion of Timur. This was a famous See also:shrine in See also:wine and See also:silk. The Central Asian railway crosses the province the 14th century (Ibn Batuta's Travels,iii. 52); it is believed that from Bokhara to Samarkand and Tashkent. The province is the See also:saint will one See also:day rise for the See also:defence of his See also:religion. The divided into four districts, the chief towns of which, with their Hazret Shah-Zindeh stands on a See also:terrace reached by See also:forty See also:marble populations in 1897, are: Samarkand (q.v), Jizakh (16,041), steps. The decoration of the interior halls is marvellous. Kati-See also:kurgan (10,083) and Khojent (30,076). Another street running S.W. from the Righistan leads to the Gur-Amir, the See also:tomb of Timur. This consists of a See also:chapel crowned with a See also:dome, enclosed by a wall and fronted by an archway. Time and earthquakes have greatly injured this fine building. The interior walls are covered with elegant turquoise arabesques and See also:inscriptions in gold. The citadel (reconstructed in 1882 and preceding years) is situated on a See also: There is a certain amount of See also:industry in metallic wares, See also:tallow and See also:soap, tanneries, See also:potteries, various tissues, See also:dyeing, See also:harness, boots and See also:silver and gold wares. The best harness, ornamented with turquoises, and the finer products of the See also:goldsmith's See also:art, are imported from Bokhara and See also:Afghanistan. The products of the See also:local potteries are very fine. The bazaars of Samarkand are more animated and kept with much greater cleanliness than those of Tashkent and Namangan. The trade is very brisk, the chief items being cotton, silk, wheat and rice, horses, asses, fruits and See also:cutlery. Wheat, rice and silk are exported chiefly to Bokhara; cotton to See also:Russia, via Tashkent. Silk wares and excellent fruits are imported from Bokhara, and See also:rock-salt from Hissar. (P. A. K.; J. T. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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