Khanate of Khiva

### Government

Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy under a Pahlavi Statist One Party Hereditary Military Dictatorship

### Establishment

1511 (original establishment)
1979 (reistablishment)

### Region

Central/South Asia

The **Khanate of Khiva** is a nation located Northeast of the Empire of Iran, east of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, south of the Russian Federation, west of the Emirate of Bukhara and North of the Kingdom of Afghanistan. The Khanate of Khiva is a puppet state of Iran that was established by Iran itself to be the homeland of the Turkmen people. The man installed on the throne of Khiva is Nader Jahanbani who is a retired Air Force General in service of the Shah.

## History

### Early History

The first Khanate of Khiva was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarezm in Central Asia from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid occupation by Nader Shah between 1740 and 1746. Centred in the irrigated plains of the lower Amu Darya, south of the Aral Sea, with the capital in the city of Khiva, the country was ruled by a Turco-Mongol tribe, the Khongirads, who came from Astrakhan. It covered present western Uzbekistan, southwestern Kazakhstan and much of Turkmenistan before Russian arrival at the second half of the 19th century.

In 1873, the Khanate of Khiva was much reduced in size and became a Russian protectorate. The other regional protectorate that lasted until the Revolution was the Emirate of Bukhara. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Khiva had a revolution too, and in 1920 the Khanate was replaced by the Khorezm People's Soviet Republic. In 1924, the area was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union and today is largely a part of Karakalpakstan, Xorazm Region in Uzbekistan, and Daşoguz Region of Turkmenistan.

### Second Khanate

The Khanate of Khiva was established after the Empire of Iran invaded the Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan regions of the Soviet Union in order to prevent the Soviets from having land borders with Afghanistan to make it easier for it and America to save Afghanistan from Soviet control. After the Soviet Afghan War, the Khanate of Khiva was established by Iran as a puppet state. The Shah had declared his Air Force Ace, Nader Jahanbani as the Khagan of Khiva, Nader was a good choice because he was a descendant of the Qajar Dynasty which is a Turkic Dynasty from the Bayat Tribe which is in Turkmenistan that claims descent from a certain Ka-An-Lo, through the daughter of Ka'an, a son of Genghis Khan just like the original dynasty of Khiva.

Nader Jahanbani has been crowned the Khagan of Khiva and has ruled the nation since its establishment all the way to the present. Khiva had fought with Iran against its enemies during World War III and during Iran's expansionist campaigns against India and their colonial ventures in the Indian Ocean. However Khagan Nader Jahanbani is an elderly man who is in his early 90s and retirement and abdication is in the question, especially if there are health issues that could make it impossible for him to do his duties and there are other problems such as the politics of Khiva being dominated by militaristic tribes loyal to Iran that are not popular with the population of the nation. These problems could lead to an era of instability that Khiva cannot afford to endure, especially with a warlike Russia looming in the North.

## Government

Khiva is ruled by a Khan who rules as a Ceremonial monarch who has the power and authority over the government and military and he plays a part in Ceremonial affairs of Khiva, such as religious affairs. The Khan has the right to dictate policies and create laws, however these policies and laws must be approved by the Khiva Majilis. Khiva's government other than the monarch is dominated by a majority of Turkic Nationalist Military officials who are loyal to the Khan and the country's master state. The Prime Minister of Khiva is a hereditary position held by the military family known as the Berdimuhamedow family and it has been that way since the creation of Khiva as a puppet state of Iran.

### Cabinet

* **Khagan of Khiva:** Nader Jahanbani (b. 1928)
* **Prime of Minister of Khiva:** Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (b. 1957)
* **Foreign Minister:** Raşit Meredow (b. 1960)
* **Finance and Economy Minister:** Muhammetgeldi Serdarov (b. 1980)
* **Industry Minister:** Shahym Abdrahamov (b. 1963)
* **Minister of Education:** Gurbangul Atayeva
* **Minister of Defense:** Army General Agageldi Mammetgeldiyev (b. 1946)
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Saeed Hajjarian (b. 1954)
* **Chief of Armed Forces Staff:** General Geldymukhammed Ashirmukhammedov (b. 1957)
* **Chief of Army:** Colonel General Yaylym Berdiyev (b. 1972)
* **Chief of Navy:** Lieutenant General Begench Gundogdyev (b. 1976)
* **Chief of the Air Force:** Colonel Serdar Berdimuhamedow (b. 1981)

## Military

The Military of Khiva consists of four factions, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Secret Police. The four factions of the Military are under command of the Ministry of Defense and National Security. Khiva's military has only fought 3 wars since gaining their independence with the aid from Imperial Iran, their war for independence, World War III and the Indo-Persian War and all were victories for Khiva due to the fact the factions are powered and fueled by the vast industrial economy of Khiva.

### Army

The Royal Army of Khiva is the army branch of the Armed Forces of Khiva. The ground forces include the 2nd, 3rd, 11th, and 22nd Motor Rifle Divisions as well as smaller units consisting of various types of troops. Direct operational control of the ground forces is carried out by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan.

### Navy

The Royal Navy of Khiva is the naval warfare branch of the armed forces of Khiva. They are a small navy that patrols the waters of Caspian Sea and they are even a extra muscle in helping Iran as their master state defend it's capital from any potential Russian Aggression.

### Air Force

The Royal Air Force of Khiva is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of Khiva. It was formed from former Soviet Air Forces units within that region of the Turkestan Military District. The Royal Khivan Air Force inherited some 300 Soviet aircraft driven by pilots trained by the Iranian Air Force and the legendary Monarch of Khiva himself, Nader Jahanbani who was the Chief of the Imperial Iranian Air Force and an expert Pilot of the Air Force himself.

## Economy

Khiva is a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated areas, and huge gas and oil resources. Due to this Khiva's main industries are natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles and food processing. Khiva exports gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles and cotton fiber as it imports machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs. Khiva's main trade partner is it's master state Iran who exports Khiva's required exports to Khiva in order to help them build war machines to defend Khiva from Russian aggression.

### Oil

Oil was known to exist in western Khiva as early as the 18th century. General Aleksey Kuropatkin reported in 1879 that the Cheleken Peninsula had as many as three thousand oil sources. Turkmen settlers in the 19th century extracted oil near the surface and shipped it to Astrakhan by ship and to Iran by camel caravan. Commercial oil drilling began in the 1890s. The oil extraction industry grew with the exploitation of the fields in Cheleken in 1909 (by Branobel) and in Balkanabat in the 1930s. Production leaped ahead with the discovery of the Gumdag field in 1948 and the Goturdepe field in 1959. By 1940 production had reached two million tons per year, by 1960 over four million tons, and by 1970 over 14 million tons. Oil production in 2019 was 9.8 million tons.

Oil wells are mainly found in the western lowlands. This area also produces associated natural gas. The main oilfields are Cheleken, Gonurdepe, Nebitdag, Gumdag, Barsagelmez, Guyujyk, Gyzylgum, Ordekli, Gogerendag, Gamyshlyja, Ekerem, Chekishler, Keymir, Ekizek, and Bugdayly. Oil is also produced from offshore wells in the Caspian Sea. Most oil is extracted by the Turkmenistan State Company (Concern) Türkmennebit from fields at Goturdepe, Balkanabat, and on the Cheleken Peninsula near the Caspian Sea, which have a combined estimated reserve of 700 million tons.

### Agriculture

Agriculture is a significant sector of the economy of Khiva, contributing 11.7% of the GDP and employing 40% of the workforce. However, only 4% of total land area is cultivated. Because of the arid climate, irrigation is necessary for nearly all cultivated land. The two most significant crops by area planted are wheat (761,300 hectares) and cotton (551,100 hectares). Citrus fruits, dates, figs, melons, pomegranates, olives, and sugarcane are grown in some parts of the country. Sesame and pistachios are also grown in smaller quantities.

Khiva's agriculture industry does not do so well, due in part to the environmental difficulties of irrigation in a desert environment. Cotton cultivation in Turkmenistan required a large amount of water to be diverted from the Amu Darya river and also introduced a great deal of fertilizer into the river. As a result, cotton cultivation in Turkmenistan is one of the factors causing the drying up of the Aral Sea. A second factor was the 2019 policy decision to halt exports of raw cotton in favor of exporting textiles and ready-made garments.

Animal husbandry is important, despite the arid climate, which presents difficulties in producing sufficient livestock feed. The largest subsector is sheep herding (usually of the Karakul breed) which are primarily raised for wool and skins. Poultry, cattle, goats, camels, and swine are also raised.

## Demographics

### Ethnic Groups

The majority ethnic groups of Khiva are the Turkmen and Uzbek peoples whom the country belongs to. Otherwise the minority groups are Iranians, Afghans, Kazakhs, Tatars, Karakalpaks and Kyrgyz people.

### Religion

The official religion of Khiva is Sunni Islam as it is the religion of the royal family and the majority Turkmen and Uzbek ethnic groups of Khiva. Other religions are Zoroastrianism and Shia Islam.

### Languages

The official languages of Khiva are Turkmen and Uzbek. Otherwise the minority ethnic groups speak Farsi, Pashto, Kazakh, Tatar, Karakalpak and Kyrgyz.

## Culture

### Turkmen

The Turkmen people have traditionally been nomads and equestrians, and even today after the fall of the USSR attempts to urbanize the Turkmens have not been very successful. They never really formed a coherent nation or ethnic group until they were forged into one by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. Rather they are divided into clans, and each clan has its own dialect and style of dress. Turkmens are famous for making *knotted Turkmen carpets*, often mistakenly called *Bukhara rugs* in the West. These are elaborate and colorful hand-knotted carpets, and these too help indicate the distinctions among the various Turkmen clans. Ethnic groups throughout the region build yurts, circular houses with dome roofs, made of a wooden frame covered in felt from the hides of sheep or other livestock. Horses are an essential ingredient of recreational activities in most of the region, in such games as horseback fighting, in which riders grapple to topple each other from their horses; horse racing.

Turkmen men wear traditional *telpek* hats, which are large black or white sheepskin hats resembling afros. Traditional dress for men consists of these high, shaggy sheepskin hats and red robes over white shirts. Women wear long sack-dresses over narrow trousers (the pants are trimmed with a band of embroidery at the ankle). Female headdresses usually consist of silver jewelry. Bracelets and brooches are set with semi-precious stones.

### Uzbeks

Uzbeks are said to have included 92 tribes in their orbit: Manghit, Qiyat, Qipchaq, Khitai, Qanghli, Keneges, Durman, Targhut, Shoran, Shirin, Tama, Bahrin, Girai, Aghrikur, Anghit, Barkut, Tubin, Tam, Ramdan, Matin, Busa, Yajqar, Qilwai, Dojar, Jaurat, Qurlaut, Mehdi, Kilaji, Sakhtiiyan, Qirq, Ming, Yuz, Saroi, Loqai, Qushchi, Kerait, Chaqmaq, Utarchi, Turcoman, Arlat, Kait, Qirghiz, Qalan, Uishun, Ormaq, Chubi, Lechi, Qari, Moghul, Hafiz dad Kaln, Belad Bustan, Quchi Qataghan, Barlas, Yabu, Jalair, Misit, Naiman, Samrjiq, Qarluq, Arghun, Oklan, Qalmaq, Fuladchi, Jaljat Uljin or Olchin, Chimbai, Tilabi, Machar or Majar, Ojinbai, Badai As, Kilchi, Ilaji, Jebergen, Botiyai, Timan, Yankuz, Tatar, Uighur, Baghlan or Baghan, Tanghut, Shagird, Pesha, Tushlub, Onk, Biyat, Ozjolaji, Josolaji, Tuwadiq, Ghariband Jit. For the semi-nomadic tribes of these khanates, belonging to the “92 tribes” meant in certain cases a privileged position and a higher socio-economic status. In certain cases, the term “92 Uzbek tribes” was used with a political meaning to legitimize the ruling Uzbek dynasties of the Manghyts and Mings.