KHAMSIN 



3235 



KHIVA 



house, city hall, First National Bank building 

 and the two Martello Towers. Besides the 

 public and parochial schools, the city has a 

 library, Ruth Hargrove Institute (Methodist), 

 the Convent of Mary Immaculate and Holy 

 Name Academy; the last named was used as 

 a hospital for soldiers during the Spanish- 

 American War. 



Key West, locally known as the Island City, 

 was settled in 1822, and a city charter was 

 granted in 1832. Though unimportant for 

 many years, in 1890 it was the largest city in 

 the state; it now ranks fourth, after Jackson- 

 ville, Tampa, and Pensacola. During the Span- 

 ish-American War in 1898 Key West was the 

 harbor of the North Atlantic Squadron of the 

 United States navy. The name is derived from 

 the Spanish Cayo Hueso, meaning bone key, 

 or island. See FLORIDA, page 2216, for map of 

 Key West. A.H.MCI. 



KHAMSIN, kam' sin, or kam seen' , the name 

 of a hot wind which has its source in the Sa- 

 hara Desert and blows towards Egypt during 

 the spring months. It is called khamsin, the 

 Arab word for fifty, because it blows usually 

 for fifty days, filling the air with hot, stinging 

 sand. 



KHAN, kahn, or kan, a Persian word mean- 

 ing prince, is a title given to Oriental rulers 

 and commanders, particularly through Central 

 Asia. In some places it is joined to the sur- 

 name, and in others it indicates merely a man 

 of rank. It is first found in manuscripts of 

 A. D. 560. One of the most illustrious characters 

 who have borne the title is the celebrated 

 Genghis Khan (which see), the first conqueror 

 of the Mongols. 



KHARKOV, kahr'kawj, a city in Southern 

 Russia, capital of the government (province) 

 of Kharkov, situated about 420 miles southwest 

 of Moscow. It is built in a marshy district on 

 three small streams; two railroads and several 

 canals give it considerable commercial impor- 

 tance. It has large cigar and tobacco factories, 

 soap factories and a sugar-refining establish- 

 ment, and maintains a thriving trade in live 

 stock, which is carried on mainly at four fairs 

 every year. The city possesses a university, 

 a technical school, a theological academy, a 

 medical school and a number of secondary and 

 special schools. Population, 1912, 248,000. 



KHARTUM, or KHARTOUM, kahr loom' , 

 the capital of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and at 

 one time its most important town, is situated 

 on the left bank of the Blue Nile, near its 

 junction with the White Nile, and on the Cape- 



to-Cairo Railway. As the center of the great 

 caravan routes from the interior of Africa, 

 Khartum early became noted for its activity 

 in the slave trade, but to-day it carries on a 

 thriving trade in ivory, ostrich feathers, gums 

 and senna, which are exchanged for European 

 goods. In 1830 the city was made the seat 

 of the governor-general of the Egyptian Sudan, 

 and it, too, has shared the evil fortune of the 

 Sudan region. In 1885 Khartum was taken by 

 the Mahdi (which see), bent upon the crushing 

 of Turkish rule in the Sudan. The entire 

 British garrison was massacred, including their 

 commander, the heroic General Gordon. In 

 1898 the city was captured by Lord Kitchener's 

 forces, and the power of the Mahdi was broken. 

 Population in 1912, 32,180, including, in addi- 

 tion to the natives, the varied elements of 

 a characteristic Egyptian town. See GORDON, 

 CHARLES GEORGE. 



KHAYYAM, kiyahm', OMAR. See OMAR 

 KHAYYAM. 



KHEDIVE, kehdeev', the official title of the 

 ruler of Egypt. ' In 1867 it was conferred by 

 the sultan upon his subordinate, Ismail Pasha, 

 the viceroy of Egypt, and since then it has 

 become the recognized official title of the lat- 

 ter. The word is derived from the Persian 

 khidiv, meaning sovereign, which is a more 

 dignified title than the former one of vali, 

 viceroy. Until the War of the Nations the 

 khedive was a viceroy of the sultan of Turkey; 

 he is now dependent entirely on Great Britain, 

 as an English adviser is present at meetings of 

 the Egyptian Council and may veto any meas- 

 ure. 



KHIVA, ke'va, a small state in Asia which 

 pays tribute to Russia. It lies south of the 

 Aral Sea, 300 miles east of the Caspian, and 

 north of the Russian Transcaspian province. 

 Peter the Great in 1717 and Czar Nicholas I 

 in 1839 both attempted to make Khiva a part 

 of their country, and in 1873 its subjection was 

 accomplished. Though independent in name, 

 it is practically a vassal state. This little 

 country, which is ruled by a native khan, is 

 about 24,000 square miles in area and has a 

 population of 646,000. The principal commer- 

 cial products of the country are silk, cotton and 

 rugs. The rugs of Khiva are classed among 

 the so-called Turkish rugs and are of excel- 

 lent quality, although regarded as inferior to 

 Persian rugs. Khiva, the capital city, has 

 several large Mohammedan colleges and many 

 bazaars, or Oriental shops. It is fortified by 

 walls and earthworks. The Russian railroad 



