228 Information regarding the Kirghiz Steppes and TurJcistan. [Aug. 
the large or U'lu-Irgiz. It must of course too be borne in mind that, 
although not mentioned, there may be another Irgiz, the name given to the 
upper part of the U'lu-Irgiz. “ And opposite those rivers of the Khvaliin- 
ski, or Caspian Sea, and in front of Mount Uruk are the sands of Arakum. 
and Barsuk-Kum.” In another part of the book (p. 73), it is said “And 
towards the Blue Sea, 280 versts from the river Irgiz, are the sands of 
Barsuk-Kum, across which the distance is 25 versts, the sands of Kara- 
Kum being 200 versts from the Blue Sea. The sands of Kara-Kum are 
250 versts long and 130 versts broad, and these three sands are adjacent to the 
shores of the Blue Sea,” which of the numerous sands in the southern part 
of the Kirghiz Steppe is called Arakum. Here of course there may be a slip 
of the pen, as in several manuscripts Arakum is designedly called Karakum. 
(vide note 2 of the “ Book of the Great Survey”). Now there are two known 
Karakums in the steppes, one more to the south of the Emba, where it enters 
the Caspian Sea, and the other in the angle formed by the lower portion of the 
Sir Darya and the north-east shore of lake Aral. But if we take into consi¬ 
deration the testimony above produced of Abul Ghazi about the existence 
of an Ara-Kum independent of Karakum, and if we note that the text of 
the “ Book of the Great Survey” shows there are three sands contiguous 
to lake Aral, whilst it speaks only of two, viz., Barsuk-Kum and Kara- 
Kum, and finally, when we really observe three separate steppes, viz „ the 
Greater Barsuk, the Lesser Barsuk and Karakum, we are brought to 
believe that for the sands of Arakum is meant either the Greater or the 
Lesser Barsuk, most probably the latter. And for this reason they, from 
their measurements, are more likely to resemble the Barsuk spoken of in 
the book. The Greater ’Barsuk is contiguous to the north-west shore of 
the Sea of Aral aud is distant from Chit-Irgiz (250 to 300 versts). It has 
a width of about 25 versts. The Lesser Barsuk, or as we will call it, the 
Arakum, is adjacent to the Bay of Perovski, is distant from Chit-Irgiz 
about 200 versts, and has a width of about 10 versts. Finally, the sands 
of Kara-Kum adjoin the Bay of Sara-Cheganak and therefore the state¬ 
ment regarding the distance between them and the sea is not comprehen¬ 
sible, and probably, is caused by an error in the manuscript. The sands of 
Kara-Kum extend in a direct line 225 versts from north to south, that 
is from lake Ak-Sakal-Barbito the natural boundary of Mailibasli on the 
Sir Darya, and they also stretch more than 100 versts to the eastward of 
the Sea of Aral. The width of the northern portion of the Kara-Kum 
sands is 200 versts. 
Turning then again to Mount Airuk and to the rivers which flow out 
of it, we read on page 09 “ Out of the same Mount Uruk flows the river 
Hem, and into this river, on the right bank, falls the river Temirsu. The 
river Hem, without descending to the Caspian Sea, a distance of 20 veists, 
