HI 



TURKISTAN. 



TURKISTAN. 



030 



Yarkand River, which rung to the north of east, has its rise ; and 

 from the sources of the Yarkand and Amu rivers the country slopes 

 down on every side except to the south-east. The high ground north 

 of the Amu, at the mouth of the Kokcha, is at a greater distance than 

 that on its south, and does not rise so high. At Kurshi however, two 

 degrees farther north, Sir A. Burnes saw mountains covered with snow 

 in July about 150 miles to the west, which would be nearly hi the 

 meridian of the mouth of the Kokcha. Their summits must have 

 been about 18,000 feet above the sea; they continued in sight nearly 

 at the same distance for about seven hours, and appeared connected. 

 The Sir-Deria (Jaxartee) has its rise on the north side of the ridge of 

 hills extending westward from the north side of the Sir-i-Kol, opposite 

 Issar, which is about 70 miles S.W. from the lake. The Zer-Afshan, 

 which flows by Samarcand and Bokhara, is said to have its sources 

 not far distant from those of the Sir-Deria. From the latitude of 

 Kurshi (38* 52' N.) the high land seen by Burnes appears to stretch 

 to the north-east, to beyond the meridian of Samarcand (about 

 67 E.). North of the Zer-Afahan the high land appears to continue 

 as far west as the meridian of Bokhara (64 55' E.), and is visible to 

 the north of that town. About the meridian of 68J E., and the 

 parallel of 41' X., the Sir-Deria, which flows to that point in a 

 direction a little north of west from its source, turns to the north. 

 The high land comes nearly close up to the east bank of the river in 

 this part of its course, but does not appear to continue farther north 

 than the ridge which separates the lake called Isri-Kol from the 

 Bolkash Lake (about 42 N. lat). Yarkand and Kashgar, which appear 

 to have an extensive plain to the east, and are evidently on a much 

 lower level than the country to the west of them, may be assumed as 

 the eastern limit of the high table land of Pamir. From Kasbgar to 

 Kokand the road lies up the Ka.-h.-ar Kiver to its source, and through 

 the pass of the Terek to the valley of the Sir-Deria, A road leads in 

 winter from the Terek Pan to Sir-i-Kol in two or three days ; in 

 summer the road is (aid to be impassable on account of torrents fed 

 by the melted snow. The high table-land of Pamir slopes down on 

 the north towards Kokand. 



At the western bate of this enormous table-land is the broad valley 

 of the Oxus. At its eastern base is the plain which extends between 

 the high hud of Tibet on the south and the Thian-Shan on the north, 

 as far as Lake Nor ; and north of it is the comparatively low country 

 which slopes from the plains of Songaria westward to Lake Aral and 

 the Caspian. These three natural division* of Turkwtan will be 

 described in the order in which they are here enumerated. 



Under the designation Plain of the Oxus is embraced the level tract 

 extending from the bate of the mountains east of Kurshi (68* E. long.) 

 to the Caspian, and from the shores of the Aral to the south of lialkh. 

 From the junction of the river of Kunduz with the Amu-Deria the 

 latter river maintains a generally north-trout direction till it loses 

 iUelf in the sea or lake called Aral. Below the junction of the 

 Kunduz, the Amu receives no affluents of any magnitude. Wood 

 furded the Amu at Jan-Kila, a short way above its junction with the 

 Kokcha, [IUt>AKsiU5.] A man on foot could not have forded the 

 river here; and fewer than three horses abreast could with difficulty 

 stem the current. At the ferry between Balkh and Kunhi, Burnes 

 found the Amu about 800 yards acroM, with an average depth of 

 20 feet and a current of 3J miles an hour. At Charjui, on the road 

 from Bokhara to Hashed, he found the river 650 yards broad, and in 

 some places 25 and 29 feet deep. Kundux is 498 feet above the sea. 

 A barometrical levelling by Russian officers, in the winter of 1825, 

 gives the height of Lake Aral above the Caspian 117 feet. [ARAL; 

 CASPIAV.] From the banks of the Amu to the Elborz on the south- 

 west, and to the snowy mountains east of Kurshi on the east, extends 

 an immense plain, the elevation of which, towards its southern extre- 

 mity, is at Balkh 1718 feet above the level of the sea, and at Khulm, 

 Il:i7 feet. At Bokhara iU elevation is 1201 feet The northern 

 boundary of this plain is formed by a ridge of high broken ground 

 north of Bokhara, which extends from the eastern mountains to the 

 Amu above Khiva ; west of the Amu it is bounded to the north by 

 the Aral and by the abrupt termination of the Ust-Urt a high table- 

 land rising precipitously from the shores of the Aral and the Caspian, 

 to an average level of nearly 600 feet above the Utter, occupying the 

 whole breadth of 138 mile* between the seas, and extending south of 

 the southern termination of the Aral, almost to 41' N. Ut The 

 central plain maintains a considerable elevation from Sherrukhs to 

 the base of the Ust-Urt, and the maximum depression of the level of 

 the basin of the Caspian extends a very little way to the eastward. 



The wide tract extending from the shores of the Aral to the Caspian, 

 and the Russian and Chinese frontiers, is known as the Steppe of the 

 Kirghiz Tartars. From Onk to Uralsk the course of the Ural River 

 is nearly east and west, and sinks from S82 feet to about 200 feet 

 above the level of the sea. From Orsk to Ouriev, near the Caspian, 

 the Ural runs nearly south, and sinks to 140 feet above the sea at 

 Kalmukovab, and to nearly 82 feet at Uuriev. The steppe on the 

 south bunk of the Ural, between Onk and Uralsk, appears to rise 

 immediately to an average elevation of 500 to 800 feet. Mount 

 Airuk, -JJI miles 8.E. from Orenburg, ths highest summit of the 

 Mongoj.-ir Hills, rises 800 to 1000 feet above tho level of the steppe. 

 From this culminating point the ground slopes, still in a south-east 

 direction, gradually down to the level of the Aral, a distance of 300 



oioo. DIT. you iv. 



miles. To the south-west the ground sinks gradually to the level of 

 the Ust-Urt. The Emba (which flows south-west to the Caspian), the 

 Uil (which flows west till it is lost in the sands east of the Lower 

 Ural), the Khobda and llek (which flow to the north of west, and 

 after uniting their streams fall into the Ural midway between Uralsk 

 and Orenburg), and the Or (which flowing to the east of north, joins 

 the Ural at Orsk), all rise on the sides of Mount Airuk. The eastern, 

 base of the Mongojar range is washed by the Irghiz, which, rising in 

 an undulating plain south of the sources of the Tobol, nearly in 51 

 N. lat, flows to the south and loses itself iu a chain of lakes called 

 Ak-Sakal, about 60 miles north-east of the north-eastern corner of Lake 

 Aral From the sources of the Irghiz and Tobol, about 60 E. long., 

 to those of the Turghai, about 3 degrees to the eastward, there extends 

 a plain considerably elevated above tho level of the ocean, but con- 

 siderably depressed below the billy countries to the east and west of 

 it, covered with a multitude of salt-lakes, and sending its waters 

 southward to Lake Ak-Sakal, northward to the Tobol and Ishim, both 

 affluents of tho Irtish. The numerous streams which unite to form 

 the Turghai rise about 64 E. long., over a range of country extending 

 from about 49 to 52 N. lat., and converging into one main stream 

 flow westward to the Ulkiak, which coming from the north joins the 

 Irghiz near its termination in Ak-Sakal. The course of tho upper 

 rivulets of the Turghai appears to form the western termination of a 

 belt of high hind which extends in a north-western direction, parallel 

 to the course of the Irtish, between Ust-Bukhtarminsk and Omsk, 

 from the high lands between the Nor-Saisan and Tarbagatai, about 

 85 E. long., to the meridian of 64 E. From its outlyiug hills ou 

 the north, about 100 miles from the bonks of the Irtish, to its 

 southern base, this high land must have a horizontal breadth of nearly 

 180 miles. Its central ridges reach an estimated elevation of at least 

 5000 to 6000 feet above the sea. To the north it sends out the Isliiiu 

 (which joins the Irtish), the Nura (south-west of the Ishiui), tho 

 Selenta, Ulenta, Chanderli, and other rivers to the eastward, which 

 lose themselves in the steppe lakes before they reach the Irtish. To 

 the south this high land sends forth the Ainguz, the Jurgutu, and 

 some other rivers which fall into the Lake Balkash ou the Chinese 

 frontier; and the Sari-Su and the Kongur, which meet about 47" 

 N. lat, 67 E. long., and from their point of junction flow south-went 

 till they are lost in brackish lakes about 40 and 60 miles from the 

 Sir-Deria. The Tshui, which is believed to issue from Lake Issi-Kol, 

 at the northern base of the Thisn-Shan range, about 42 N. lat, 81" 

 E. long., flows in a north-west direction till it is lost iu a salt-lake a 

 little to the south of that which receives tho united streams of the 

 Kongur and Sari-Su. The hills south of Issi-Kol extend westward 

 from the meridian of that lake to the Sir-Deria, about 69 E. long. 

 The Sir-Deria flows at their southern base to Ca ' E. long., then turns 

 and flows past their termination to the north till it reaches within i\ 

 degree of latitude of the lakes in which the Tshui terminates ; hence 

 it bends away to the west and flows to Lake Aral in 61 K. long. The 

 apex of the delta of the Sir-Deria is not less than 5 degrees to the 

 east of tho shores of the Aral ; the most northerly branch joins that 

 lake not far from iU north-east angle, about 46" N. lat, and the most 

 southerly near its south-east angle, about 43J N. lat Tho moun- 

 tains which intervene between the upper valley of the Sir-Deria and 

 the valley of Samarcand, and the hills which extend from their 

 western termination to the Amu, form the extreme southern boundary 

 of the Kirghiz Steppe, between 42 and 43 N. lat Uiunboldt esti- 

 mates the elevation of Lake Ualkash as not more than 800 feet above 

 the ocean. The Aral is about 30 feet above the level of the Black Sea. 



The extensive range of country which lies east of the great elevation 

 of Pamir, has been called by recent geographers Chinese Turkiston 

 or Tartary. Tho Thian-Shau extends along its northern side, from 

 the junction of the range with Pamir to iU junction with the high 

 desert plain of the Gobi, and tho high laud of Tibet along its 

 southern side. Lop-Nor appears to form its eastern boundary. Kash- 

 gar and Yarkand stand ou a plain much depressed below the level 

 of the highlands to the north, south, and west of them, in 39 25' 

 N. Ut, 73 56' E. long. ; Y.irkand in 38 19' N. lat, 76 18' E. long. 

 A river flows past Kashgar, formed by two streams, one of which 

 comes from the pass of Karakoruin on the road to Ladak ; the other 

 from a range of hills at the east end of Sir-i-Kol. A river Hows past 

 Yarkand, formed by tho junction of two streams, one of which comeg 

 from the Terek Pass, on the road to Kokand ; tho other from a lake 

 on the high plain of Pamir, situated between the Terek Pass and 

 Sir-i-Kol. ifiki is situated among the hills at the base of tho Thian- 

 Shan, in 41 3' N. hit, 78' E. lone ; Khutan, at the ba-e of tho high 

 laud of Tibet, about 37 N. lat, 80 E. long. The rivers of Yarkand 

 and Kashgar unite about 40 N. lat, 80 E. long., and receive near 

 their junction rivers from Ushi and Khotan. The united stream (lows 

 eastward to the Lop-Nor (41 N. lat, 89 E. long.), receiving on tho 

 way affluents on its north bank from Kulchf (41 37' N. lat, 82 50' 

 E. long.), and from Kharashar (42' 10' N. lat, 87 10' K. long.). Tho 

 river formed by the union of the rivers of Khotan, Yarkand, Kash- 

 gar, and Ushi, flows close to the hills at the base of Thiau-Shan. 

 East of Khotan the country is represented as a sand-waste, and the samo 

 account is given of the country east of Lop-Nor. The country between 

 Lop-Nor and the upper Hoaug-ho attains to a considerable elevation. 



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