404 



KHIVA. 



tion of the Jews, they are all Soonnitc Mo- 

 hammedans, and therefore enemies of the 

 Shitte Fenians, of whom as many as 40,000 

 were held as slaves, the city of Khiva being 

 the great slave-mart of Independent Tartary. 

 Shawls and other fabrics for export are wm .-n 

 by the women. Caravans annually convey 

 agricultural produce, silk, cotton, etc., to Oren- 

 burg, Astrakhan, and Cabool, to be exchanged 

 for Russian and Western goods. The Khan is 

 despotic; his title is Taksir-Khan ; he recch CH 

 two tomans of tax annually from each family, 

 thereby a revenue of over $1,260,000 per 

 annum, in addition to the profits of traffic in 

 alaveii, and imports on caravans. His standing 

 army numbers from 16,000 to 80,000 horse- 

 men. The capital, Khiva, is situated on a canal 

 connected with the Amu, on a cultivated plain, 

 and has some mosques and several Moham- 

 medan schools, one founded in 1842 by Mc- 

 hemmed Emir Khan, with accommodations for 

 260 students. It is surrounded by walls, and 

 has a cidatel, in which the Khan resides. Its 

 population is from 18,000 to 20,000. The most 

 important of the other places are, New Ur- 

 gentsh, 28 miles northeast of Khiva, with about 

 20,000 inhabitant*, the chief seat of the in- 

 dustry; and Hasarnsp, 4fi miles east of Khiva, 

 celebrated for its cloths. Old Urgentsh, the 

 former capital of the khanate, is now a Tiling-. 

 with bnt few remains of its former splendor. 

 The present Khan of Khiva, Scid Mehemmed 

 Rakhim, is only twenty-six years old, and is 

 the tenth of his dynasty. 



As the negotiations between the Khan and 

 the Russian Government* led to no definite 

 result, the preparations fof a decisive <am- 

 paign were, in the first months of the year 

 1878, completed as rapidly os possible. The 

 expedition consisted of about 15,000 men, and 

 was placed under the supreme command of 

 General Kaufmann, the Governor-General of 

 Russian Toorkistnn. It advanced against Khiva 

 in three different directions: nn Orenburg 

 corps from the north, a Caucasian corps from 

 the Capstan Sea in the west, and a Toorkistim 

 corps from the east, each corps numbering 

 about 5,000 men. 



The Orenburg corps, which was command, d 

 by General Wercwkin. left Orenburg, Orsk, 

 and Tralsk, in the middle of February, and in 

 tli.' I.. Binning of April concentrated at Kin- 

 binsk, the military post at the upper Emba, n 

 rirer falling into the northern part of the 

 Caspian Sea, Marching southward from Fort 

 Embinsk, it arrived on April 18th (new style 

 80th) at Issen Tchagyl, a place situated at 

 the southern extremity of the Groat Harsznki 

 Desert, on the Tchernicher Hay (northw. 

 bank of the Sea of Aral. Here it halted for 

 several dayt. It was supplied with provisions 

 for eighty days. 



The Caucasian corps con--i~t.il of a division 

 from Krasnowo<Kk. under Colonel 



*~-n"ii- AJCKCAI. Crcuirjtou for IMS. article 



Markosor, who in 1872 had explored the conn- 

 try between the Caspian Sea and Khiva; ami 

 a second one, under Colonel Liunakin, which 

 -t.-irtcd from tlie peninsula of Mngjlhlak. 

 Colonel Markosov had several encounter* with 

 the Teke-Toorkomanni, whose territory he h:n! 

 to cross, and advanced through the ancimt. 

 dried-up channel of the Amu Darya (Oxoa) 

 over Buurudgi as far as Igdy, from where ho 

 was to nrarch over Dudur yr, which 



is only sixty \.IM> ii.m- verst=0.fiC mile) dis- 

 tant from Khiva. In Igdy he found ll at the 

 terrible heat and the waterless, sandy <!. 

 would place insurmountable obstacles in his 

 way, and he therefore returned to the Caspian 

 Sea. The division of Colonel I.amakin was 

 more successful. It left Kimlcrli Bay on April 

 14th (2f,th), reached on April l'.ith"(May ].-t) 

 Bish-nkty, where a redoubt was erected and a 

 parrison of two companies of inftuitry M.-,- 

 tioned, and on May 1st (13th) arrived at Ilte- 

 idshe. From there it was to have marched to 

 Aihiipir, at the southern extremity of the bay 

 of the same name (a southern, dried-tip elon- 

 gation of the Sea of Aral), but orders were 

 received by General Werewkin to form a junc- 

 tion with him at I'r^u, at the northern ex- 

 tremity of the Bay of Aihngir. Before they 

 reache'd I'rpu, they learned that General \\ i 

 rewkin had advanced from that place along 

 the cannl of Djana-Djnp upon Khungrad in 

 Khiva, where a part of the Khivan anny wns 

 stationed. Colonel Lamakin therefore followed 

 in forced marches the route taken by General 

 \\ , rewkin. The latter occupied Khnnprad on 

 May 2"th. routed the Khivans, and advanced 

 upon Khodjelli and Hew Vrpcntsh. At a small 

 distance from the Amu Darya a dense forest 

 extends from Khungrad to Khodjeili. Here 

 the Khivans on the 24th, and apain on the 

 26tb, made several attacks upon detached 

 portions of the Orenburg division ; hut every 

 time they were speedily routed. On May 26th 

 the connection between the troops of Colonel 

 Lamakin and General Werewkin was com- 

 pletely established. On May 27th Khodjeili 

 was occupied without any further resistance 

 on the part of the Khivan troops, who 1" 11 

 back to Khiva. After resting two days, the 

 Russinns advanced against the towns of Mangy t 

 and Kintjak. The advance upon Mangyt was 

 desperately disputed by the Khivan cavalry, 

 but without result. The town wan occupied, 

 and, as the inhabitants showed a hostile dis- 

 position, partly destroyed. The winter quar- 

 ters of the Toorkoman Gonuits near Mangyt 

 were burned down by order of General "\Vercw- 

 kin. During the march to Kitui, which was 

 made on the next day, the troops had again to 

 repulse several attacks of the Khivan cavalry, 

 which numbered about 10,000 men, but tl 

 inhabitants of Kitai, langi-Iaba, Gurlen, nnd 

 Kjntan, sent deputations to declare their sub- 

 mission. The failure of the Khivans to gain 

 the least advantage over the Russians made a 

 profound impression upon the Toorkomanian 



