Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-04
AN ORIENTAL VENICE
Tashkend Intersected by Hun
dreds of Canals.
WATERED BY RIVER GURA
Houses Of the City Tinted in Cheer
full Colors.
STREETS ARE WELL KEPT
Bazaars as Well Arranged as Those
of Japan and Are Larger and
Better Than Those of Cairo.
STREETS ARE WELL KEPT
BY WILLIAM F. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

dpoul Il,OiUOU AT MS uedtH III 100 IL
included 1, 73S.OOO square miles in Europe,
4.G92,OOO square miles in Asia and popu-
lation of 100000. AT the present time
| it includes lilo. 436 square miles in
Europe. 6.451,S4 square miles in Asia, or
a total of S,5G2,2S3 square miles, and a
population of about 3J,OO0,OOO.
| The population of Russian Turkestan,
including all the possessions of the car
in central Asia, is believed to be about
twelve millions. The population Of the
city of Tashkend at the only census that
was ever taken was found to be 1900,
but it is probably nearer 10000 today. of
whom about 1900 are Russians, not in
Guiding soldiers
The Old City of Tashkend.'
The old city of Tashkend is the largest
of all the communities of Central Asia,
and no other presents so many interesting
features The walls are said to have
| been sixteen miles in length, but are pre-
| served only in spots. They were built Of
blocks of clay and then pIastered over,
| fifteen feet high, twenty-four feet thick at
| the base and about twelve feet thick at
| the top, where there was a narrow path
or platform protected by thinner walls so
| low that the soldiers could shoot over
| them. There were formerly twelve gates,
but most of them have been taken down.
| The city is divided into four parts
known as Shaikantaur, Bish-Agatche,
| koktchi, and SibZar, which were formerly
separate towns and gradually grew to-
| gether. Each, however, preserves its mu-
nicipal independence, and is governed by
an aksakal (meaning literally gray
beard or elder, and has it's own police
and separate municipal administration.
| The inhabitants are known as Sarts,
which was originally a term of contempt
for an effemlnate person, but has grown
| to mean the inhabitants of cities as dis
| tinguished from the horsemen of the
plains. The term, however. is now ap-
piled only to the inhabitants of the for
mer khanate at Samarkand to distinguish
| them from the people Of khiva, Bokhara
and other neghbors. They had the same
ancestors as the Germans and SlavonianS
and have occupied this country from a
time SO far back that no one can count
| the enturies or the generations
| Their language is similar to that Of
Bokhara and is called Uzbek, a term ap-
| piled to the descendants of ninety-tWo
clans or tribes in central Asia. but the
| dialects vary according to their contact
| nearer the Persian border use many Per-
| sian words, those who live near China
show the influence in their conversation
| and those who live down toward India
| have many terms and phrases in common
| There is a written language and limit
| ed literature. The gospels have been
| translated into UZbek.
The total Sart population, including
about seventy-f1ve thousand inha bitants Of
Samarkand and 10000 of Tashkend, Is
estimated at about six hundred thousand.
This includes many Jews, who drifted
here after the dispersion, and during the
places; many Persians who were orig
inally brought as slaves, Hindus, Arabs.
Armenians and large numbers of Tar
! tars. OF the 600, 900 probably not more
| than two-thirds are pure Sart.
An Eastern Venice.
The existence Of Tashkend, like that of
all these cities of Central Asia, is due
to the Sura river which comes down from
| the mountains of China and waters a
| large area of uncommonly fertile soil.
The water supply of Tashkend is the
most abundant in all Turkestan. The
mountains from which this water comes,
| called the Tchatkal, are only thirty miles
away, and contribute much to the beauty
of the landscape. Beyond Tashkend, to
| the eastward, there are no more deserts
! for several hundred miles until the great
desert of Cobb is reached.
The native city is intersected by hun
| dreds of canals and streams which water
beautiful gardens, and looking from a
height 1t would seem that ancient fash
kend was buried under foliage. More than
half the houses are concealed by the
boughs of trees, and in wandering about
the narrow, crooked streets we frequent
ly come to a rushing stream with trees
leaning over the waters. Funny old flour
mills are found everywhere with rude
wheels that are turned by the force of the
water. From the axles of these wheels
large wooden teeth project. and, as they
are turned, huge beams drop from one
tooth to another. This causes them to
teeter. and being swung on pivot in the
middle. the farther end, which Is Shod
with iron, keeps dropping necessarily into
square mortar and pulverizes the wheat
or other grain which has been placed
there.
Phenomenon of the Sura River.
The Syr Darya, or River Sir the
word darya means a stream of water),
was described by Strabo, the ancient
Greek geographer, as flowing into the
Caspian sea, which indicates that the
Sea of Aral was at that time a part of
the Caspian, as 1 described in a previous
letter. The river was called the Iaxar-
ties by the Greeks, and Alexander the
Great found it difficult to cross with his
army. 1t rises in China. in the mountains
of the Tian-Shan. at an elevation of H.
600 feet, and receives the waters OF many
mountain streams, fed from the glaciers
and snow banks. This Is. the cause of a
phenomenon not often noticed. The size
and rapdity of the stream are very much
evening than in the morning, the volume
of water being twice as much at those
hours, which is due to the melting SHOWS
under the hot sun during midday. After
leaving the mountains of China the Syr
wanders about the desert. furnishing life
and health and SuStenance for about
three millions of people and creating sew
eral important GASES in Ferghana and
the easternmost part of Turkestan. 1t is
perpetual, and, what is more important,
the volume of water is much greater in
the summer. when it is needed, than in
the winter, when people can get along
without much moisture. If every river
could be disciplined on that basis II
would save a great deal of anxiety and
pecuniary loss.
Houses Tinted in Cheerful Colors.
The houses of the natives of Tashkend,
like those of other cities in Turkestan, are
built of mud. and few Of them are COW
cred with plaster and washed with some
brilliant kalsomime. Pink and blue seem
to be favorite tints, but every shade you
can imagine is used, which gives q street
a cheerful and agreeable appearance The
roofs are made of poplar rafters over
laid with willow branches, entwined
closely together. They are then thatched
with reeds. alternating with layers of
CLAW and sod to thickness of fifteen or
eighteen inches The top layer soon be-
comes a garden sowed with seeds blown
about In the air, and Is embell shed with
peoples, wild geraniums and other flow
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