1/6 THROUGH ASIA 
During the summer there are about 150 yurts at 
Kashka-su. 
The Kirghiz who go up to the Pamirs from Osh and 
Andijan travel by way of the Talldik and Jipptik passes ; 
those who belong to Margelan and Kokand prefer the 
pass of Tenghiz-bai. This last is also the route which 
nowadays is chosen by the large number of Tajiks who 
travel on foot every summer to Fergana in search of 
work. The Alai valley is also an important link in the 
chain of communication which connects East Turkestan 
with Kara-teghin and Bokhara, and so with the pilgrim 
road to Mecca and Medina ; so that during the warmer 
months of the year many a trading-caravan and pilgrim- 
train passes up and down the valley. 
The portion of the Pamirs which belongs to Russia 
is divided between two volasts (arrondissements), em- 
bracing in all seven eminstvos (communes) : — 
1. The volast of the Pamirs consists of five eminstvos: 
Kara-kul with 131 inhabitants in October 1893, Murghab 
with 253, Rang-kul with 103, Ak-tash with 239, and 
Alichur with 256. 
2. The volast of Kuh-darah includes only two eminstvos, 
namely, Sarez with 95 inhabitants and Kuh-darah with 
155. The inhabitants of the volast of the Pamirs were 
almost exclusively Teit Kirghiz ; of Kuh-darah almost 
exclusively Tajiks. The total population, grouped by 
sex and age, embraced 320 men, 369 women, 342 boys, 
and 201 girls, a total of 1232. 
These statistics were given me by Captain Saitseff. 
His predecessor. Captain Kuznetsoff, took a census of 
the district under his authority in October 1892, with 
the following result: — a total of 1055 people — 255 men, 
307 women, 299 boys, and 194 girls. Captain Saitseff’s 
figures thus show an increase of 177 during the year. 
But the increase was partly due to immigration. The 
Kirghiz who dwelt on the other side of the Chinese and 
Afghan frontiers were attracted into Russian territory by 
the improved conditions of living, the result of the 
Russians’ wise and humane treatment of the native 
