The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20

railway running from the Caspian uy way VI
Askabnd and Merry to Sanarkand and fash
kond, our author reports that thoro is only a
single track, and tho rolling stock is not Of the
newest make. Tho carriages havo corridors and
n wagon restaurant attached. Only thrco OK
press trains run q week. and these arc always
crowded with passengers. Tho Government Of
flcinls travel second class, tho merchants and
the better sort Of peasants third class, and the
great mass OF Turcomans, Khirghiz, and poor
Russian laborers fourth class, In carriages like
long cattle trucks, with fiat shelves running
along them, on which mon, women, and Children
lie huddlcd up with thor baggage. 1t seems
that tho face Of tho country changed as soon as
tho train had run through tho country OF tho
Tckkc Turcomans and had reached tho fcrtilo
strip OF land which borders the oxus, itsolf tho
frontier OF the protected state Of Bokhara. All
the land was thcnccforth under cultivation, OK.
cept for a short stretch OF sand hills near
Karahul. Evidently many changes have
taken place In Russian Turkcstan since
Schuyler described IL some twenty years ago.
There are now, we learn, two Dokharas, tho old
and tho new, and Mr.. Digham predicts that
Bokhara the Noble will soon become q ruin like
Morv, for all the existing activity centres In tho
nineteenth century mushroom town which hos
sprung up with the railway. Once Bokhara was
the most important OF the Central Asia Khan
AtCB, anu, although us pOlltlCNI pUWcT ms Nbh-
ished. 1t retains commercial Importance and is
still the real centre of In Turkestan.
although tho Husslaas nro trying to transfer the
trads of the capital to thoir own town, Samar-
kand. This thcy purpose to do by carrying off the
waters OF tho Oxus, which formerly made Box
harn 80 fruitful and beautiful, to Samarkand.
Bokhara Is still celebrated for its fruits. and we
arc told that its silks arc rarely excclled out of
China. Wares from Persia, Afghanistan, China
and Europe still come hero. and the silks and
fruits of Bokharn are sold in the markets of
Dolhi. Cabul and Mini Novgorod. The inhablt-
ants. Sarts or Bokhariotcs, speak a bastard Per
sian. but in religion they are pure Sunnis. and,
even now. look to tho Sultan in STEAMBOAT as
their Caliph. Tho Amir used always to got
an invcstiturc from Constantinople as "Reis-i-
Din" or Guardian OF Religion, but the Russian
protectorate has stopped that. Our traveller
drove into old Bokhara tho day after his arrival
and met on the way some of the dignitnrics rid
ing out on horses or donkeys. They were attired
in brilliant red or yellow striped silk robes;
they wore largo white turbans on their heads
and sat or Eorgcously embroidered saddle
cloths. Mr.. Bigham says that most of these
Bokharioto dignitaries were very handsome
men, and they were oil supcrbly mounted, tho
donkcys being pure white and as we'll bred
US the horses. The ud-battlenentcd wall is
- HtSeb - 6"to hh bOoA ASPoAAs
inside of which n guard of the Amir's soldiers
are lounging. The colors in the bazaars are
as splendidE{he brass pots and pans
glittercd In the sun. The blue-tiled domes of
the mosques and the green waters Of the marble
washing tanks caught the light and rivalled the
silks in their shifting hues. On all sides our
author saw, by the side of clear-cu. Per-
sian features. queer, ugly, Monaghan faces
which added to tho picturesqueness of
the scene. All the women wore blue
wells reaching TO the waists, thus leaving
their reputation OF being the loveliest women in
the world entirely safe. Standing on the steps
of the ark or palace. which was moatcd. Mr..
Bigham remarked just below him on the right a
wooden cage in which a huge striped tiger was
pacing up and down. The animal was the prop
erty OF the Amir, and had been cooped up there
for seven years. or the Amir's palace we are
merely told that it is a large stucco building. Law
ishly decorated inside with rough painting in
blue, green, and red.
A much more minute description is given OF
the historic and legendary city of Samarkand,
which for so many centuries was inaccessible to
That Samarkand is a very ancient
city is beyond dispute. According to Persian
Afrosiad. the mythical King of Turan,
was its founder. In historical times Alex
andcr conquered 1t, and its palace was tine
scene Of Clitus's murder. Subsequently it be-
came one Of the leading cities of the
dynasty. until n nomad tribe
called tho Quetchji seized the kingdom. In
500 A. ID. a HISTORIAN Bishop built q cathe-
dral here, and, two centuries later. the see be-
metropolitan. In $40. the Arabs con-
quered it. and introduced Islam. The two
fought for the mastery until the middle
OF the thirteenth century, when Christianity
and since then Samarkand has been
n centre of the purest Mohammedanism. For six
centuries its doctors of law have been renowned
for the severity of their tencts and the arrogance
Of their orthodoxy. To this day "Tawazon 1
Samarkandi" tthe humility of the Samar-
kandD is an ironicai proverb. Here rival
expounders of the Koran. the Ulemas
and the Muftis throngcd to split hairs over the
meaning Of obscure passages. Here Tamerlane
W as crowned and the great Baber; then a sue
ccssion Of Czbcg and Chagati Khans fought
over Samarkand for three centuries. and it
finally fell under the Russian yoke in 1864. it
is now tho head of one of the provinces of Tur-
kestan. The district has always been renowned
for its populous and fertile villages. Since the
annexation by Russia the city has been greatly
improved and beautiied 1t is now described as an
excellent example of a Russo Tartar town. There
are long avenues and paths planted with trees,
model barracks. a few shops and inns and native
baZaars. which are clean. The water OF the town
Is brought from the Zarafshan and the Oxus.
and the irrigation works arc admirable. The
Inhabitants consist mainly OF Sart Moslems
speaking Talk or Tartar Persian. They are
quiet, well-behaved. ugly people. good Sunnis,
and once had the reputation of being both merry
and literary.
Among the historical buildings the most inter
esting is the Cur Amir. built by Timur the
or Tamerlane, for his mausoleum. He
lies buried In q carved black marble sarcopha-
gus. side by side with his grandsons, Jehangir
and Uleg Beg. Tho tomb itself is neither mag
nihccnt nor beautiful, though its associations
make it impressive. On the other hand, the
Shah Zendeh is pronounced the most glorious
in Asia. 1t was built by Tamerlane in
honor of Zendeh. who converted Samarkand to
Islam. Tho colorcd tiles, tho mosaic. the gold
tracery and the wood carvings are described
as wonderful. Further on is the mosque of Bib
now a ruin. Bib was the laughter of
the Emperor OF China and Tanerlanc's favorite
wife. The mosque is said TO have been built
after her own design, and no doubt reproduced
tho glories of Pekin and Cambulu. The Registrar.