Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-02-09
Reds Add Color To
BORhd7a Spectrum

"Once more the red of revolution
Is to take a place among the rainbow
hues of the mud flower pot of Cen
trail Asia, If recent London dispatches
telling that the Russian Reds lave
taken the capital Of the khanate Of
Bokhara is true" according to a bull
letin from the National Geographic
Society.
"Bokhara. dusty and tawny In tone,
is nevertheless a colorful city because
inhabitants The women, clad in
somber tones and hiding their faces
behind horsehair wells which resem-
BILE window screening, avail them
selves of a protective celebration
which enables them to move like
shadows about the ancient city. But
the Bokhara male, be he Usbeg, Sart.
ors and tints Of the solar spectrum
in his costume.
"Bokhara is an important religious
center. 1t has S64 mosques. With
a practically unknown railway run
ming south to the Afghan frontier
its location in the midst of Central
Asia gives 1t a strategic Importance
that is little appreciated.
1.-The khanate of Bokhara has an
area about equal to thai of Utah. but
/ wit hfour times the population. Since
the outbreak of the war, its fortunes
have varied. Part of the time 1t has
been an independent khanate, show
ing its p~rerogative by taking up the
rails of the Trans-Caspian railway
which passed through it's territory
Several times 1t has been under the
control of the Bolshevik forces. The
Amir had a picturesque army of H.
900 soldiers, many of whom care
lessly lounged along the stone pas
sageway which leads up to the Ark,
or castle.
ION this incline, in front Of the
royal residence, formerly there was
enacted every Friday morning a GER
emory impressive in its dignity and
dazzling in It's color effects. Hun
dreds of solemn mullahs, clad In
bright silk robes of stick candy stripes
or gorgeous golden suns on purple
fields, belted with silver. and with
buckles as large as salad plates, gath
cred here in impressive rows, each
with a priceless prayer rug beneath
his feet.
"These were not the dashing types
:. which once made Mohammedanism
power from Mecca to Gibraltar, buf
: the ceremonialists whose religion IL
t a thing of dignity and prosperity
founded on trade rather than a life
in the saddle. In unison they bow
| low so that only broad backs can b,
: seen, but a moment later all are cree
with their SpotieSS Wnile turpalS In'
most prominent feature in a scene 81
colorful that only an Oriental 8
could harmonic 1t.
"Bokhara 10 enthusiastically unim
pressive, but nowhere are there NOR
attractive Oriental bazars. Bras
smiths vie with g~oldsmiths to adj
the CLINT Of glowing metal to the hal
H light of the covered souks and Their
the makers Of peculiar Bokhara cap
4, DISPLAY their brightly colored ware
the edges glistening with soft fur
from Siberia.
"In spite of the branch railwa,
which runs from Old 8okhara witt
It's mud walls to Kagan. Of New Box
hara on the Cenaral Asian line nue.
of the traffic in the dusty city Of tn
Usbegs still is borne on the backs Q
lazy footed, philosophic camel
calmly chewing away in spite Of tn
political changes which mean httl
in their nomad lives.
"Bokhara has given Its name
one of the loveliest of rugs, but thes
/ creations of the Turkoman looms ar
really produced farther west an
their main market Is Merv, whenc
another railway crawls south I
Kushka beyond the northern front1e
of Afghanistan. During the month
to come the Bokhara-Termez an
Mery-Kushka railways are likely I
attract more attention than the ia2
life of the Mosier city of Bokhari
where far mullahs drone out ceremt
NAL prayers in the Registrar, or publ
square. Bokhara Is second only
Baku. across the Caspian. as q Par
II turanian center and statesmen aroun
the world are wondsring what polit
cal plots are being Matched BESIDE
stagnant pools and in Its snaeoN
III $500