The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-06
THE LAND AND PEOPLE OF
KHTVA
Pr Hermann v.m1,e


By Hermann Yambery.
The small tract of country CORES
ponding to the lower course of the
Oxus, and whose turn it now is to lose
its independence through the southwark
encircling march of Russian columns,
is considerably the smallest and least
attractive of the various khanates which
in the aggregate make up Toorkistan
Situated opposite that bank of the Oxus,
at the point whence this river bends in
anorthwesterly direction toward the Sea
of Aral, the khanate of Khiva extends
lengthways barely two hundred geo.
graphical miles. Its greatest breadth
(near Kortchek) is only twenty-five geo.
graphical miles at the most. Consider
alton of this fact lends color to the say
ing that the real Khiva may be held to
extend only as far as the waters of the
Oxus can be directed, whether by can
alization natural or artificial
Inasmuch as the right bank of the
Oxus is higher than the left, and also
because of its admitting upon an I'M
claimed and uncultivated strip of land,
this part of Khiva only serves as pas
ture- ground for neighboring nomadic
tribes. When we speak of Khiva, there
fore, we must restrict our meaning to
signify the left band, where the extern
sion of the land and the measure of its
agricultural produce conform with no.
madic wants where life-sustaining irri-
CATION can be made to dominate over
the natural sandy expense. In the mid
die ages, Khiva, or CHarez711, as it was
then called, must have possessed a bet
ter system of irrigation than now for
not only was its population one-third
greater, but in pre-Islamitic times it
possessed q mental culture celebrated
throughout the East. That culture
caused the ancient pre-Islamitic Cha
rem to be landed through the whole
expanse of Iran. After this small strip
of territory, conterminous with the
lower Oxus, had been forcibly convert
ed to Mohammedanism, discord came
upon the land along with the new form
of religious belief The Tahirs had oc-
cupied Though a foreign dynasty) the
throne up to the end of the ninth CEN
tury They unfortunately on many oc-
casions, inspired by lust of possession
and of rule, had too frequently offered
up the country's welfare sacrifice to
their own plans. Under the Seldschu-
kids matters went still worse, and when
at length the Khivan princes began,
under support of the dominant faith, to
lent assistance to particular states, then
continuous wars brought the entire
country to n most deplorable condition.
Rough Mongolian hordes laid the terri
tory waste with fire and sword. Wreak-
ing destruction wherever they came,
| these barbarians wellnigh obliterated
Khiva from the list of Toorkoman do
minions. The restless and warlike life
| Al h l.
| followed up to recent times by their
descendants and representatives, the
| Usbegs. almost without intermission.
The wars which devastated Khiva
throughout this long period of time
were either extraneous, i. e., with Box
hara, with whose might Khiva was not
powerful enough to successfully cope,
or else were the result of civil strife
which prevailed at short intervals.
Whenever a cultured population be-
comes surrounded by whole hordes of
wild. adventurous nomadic tribes, there
can be no longer any reasonable hope of
peace and rest. The individual who
possesses neither house nor home is un-
Questionably more covetous that fixed
husbandman. The aim of such a one
is to make up for the deplivations press
ing upon him by laying violent hands
upon the property of his more favored
neighbor. Plumber, robbery, forcible
possession of whole districts, forthwith
become the rule of life-the order of
the day. Beginning with a simple raid
or exploit of cattle-lifting, the strife not
unfrequently went ON to the laying
waste of an entire district, and the dis
comforture of its settled population.
In this way it has come about that, dur
ing the last three centuries gone by,
Khiva has been the prey of Calmucks,
Cossacks, Karakalpaks, Tomutes, and
Usbegs representatives of each no
madic race having laid hands success
sively upon the throne 1t is only since
the beginning of the present century
that one and the same dynasty has sue
ceeded in maintaining anunbroken legal
succession. The members of this dyn-
asty are of true Usbeg origin, belong
ing to the tribe of Kungrat, the chief
princes of which have succeeded in ele-
waiting themselves into position of po-
litical Importance through the success
full repulse, by one, of Russian attack,
and through subiugation of the Toorko-
mans to obedience, thus Winning the
respect of Persia.
True mental culture is wholly nm
known to Khivan potentates of later
times, and similar remark applies to
every ruler of Central Asia. The his
tory of Khiva reflects the clinical con-
ditions of its dominant race. The pre-
sent Usbegs of Khiva are an honest,
plain, simple folk, that, so far as moral
qualities are concerned, resemble nc
others in Asia. As mixed race, cross
ed with modern Turanian elements,
1nI
may be Disseminated from every other
Central hsiatic population. Their com
plexion is extremely white, more par
ticularly that of the women, who Ga
certain allowance being made for the
almond-like set of their eyes, might
readily be taken for natives of Suabia.
The men are large-boned and sincwy,
fellows with large heads and broad fore
heads: fellows, moreover, whose beard
growth is nothing to boast of THEN
solid football aud heavy, rolling gait,
when passing on with eyes half-closed
and sleepy-looking, are bodily charac,
teristics which harInonize perfectly with
Khivan mental attributes. One has
only to glance at an Usbeg, clad il
native, uncouth dress, to feel at oncJ
assured that the eve rests upon nc
European, however uncultivated, but
some true Asiatic. The articles of that
uncouth dress are rs follows: VIZ, {
clumsy fur cap for the head, sort ot
thickly-wadded dressing gown coverlet
for the body; and, to protect the lower
extremities of his neither limbs, the
Khivan Usbeg reioices in boots, not
fitted to measure, but quilted out tc
majestic size with either straw, or if {
"swen, some few yards of calico
Further be pleased to understand, il
the Khivan gentleman's boots, sole an6
upper leather are all of one piece anG
now you have him
Heavy eyes, solid football, and lum
bering gait notwithstanding, 1 do moi
exactly find it in my heart to call the
Usbeg a lazy fellow. Gentle reader
student for the nounce of Usbeg me1
and manners, suppose you and | JUS