Dawn over Samarkand

Literature on the Soviet period is rich with works praising the communist project in Central Asia. Dawn over Samarkand, 1943 Calcutta, by Joshua Kunitz is one of the prominent examples. It was first published in Great Britain in in 1936 and a year earlier in the U.S.

This particular 1943 edition – as we can read on the verso of the title page – was prepared specially for the 26^th anniversary of the November Revolution. It starts with a poem:

‘No clouds! In a clear sky I see
The sun. No night to dim bright day!
No Czar! Our soil’s forever free!
Well done, O Bolshevik!

Kar-Molli (a blind seventy-year old Turkoman bard)’

This anniversary edition has been supplemented by a postscript: Chapter XIX Unity thru self-determination and Chapter XX Moslems as fighting patriots. Chapter XIX uncritically elaborates on the positive role of the Constitution of 1936: ‘The progress made in the formation of the national states of the Soviet federation is evident from the fact that at the time of the formation of the U.S.S.R. (December 1922) there were 4 Union Republics, 10 Autonomous Republics and 14 Autonomous Regions. In 1937, however, on the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the Soviet State, the U.S.S.R. consisted of 11 Union Republics, 22 Autonomous Republics, 9 Autonomous Regions, and 10 National Areas.’

The extreme ideological leaning of the book seems to have escaped the attention of Foreign Affairs reviewers, who, in July 1935 edition summarized it simply as ‘An account of recent developments in the new republics of Central Asia under the Bolshevik régime.’

Khujand, 21st century

Batken, 21st century

Post office, Khujand, 21st century

Lt. Col. F.M. Bailey reports from the field

Central Asian states have been busy re-creating their historical imagery. The trend is to look much further back in history than the past ‘glory’ of the Soviet period. But – how the Soviets actually managed to establish themselves in Central Asia and how welcome were these developments? On the origins of the Basmachi movement : Lt. Col. F.M. Bailey reports from the field. The First World War in Central Asia.

Chapter IV Conditions in Tashkent: ‘South-east of here was a peasant rising in Semirechia, where the Government had about one thousand men engaged. South of this there was a serious Mohammedan rising in Ferghana, under a man named Irgash. They had been strongly reinforced when the Bolshevik Government has supressed the autonomous government at Kokhand in 1918. The directions of this movement had at times considerable success and large areas in Ferghana were under their control. But like many similar movements there was rivalry among the leaders who, one after another, fell. Irgash, the leader at the time I was in Turkestan, was killed in 1920. He was succeeded by Madamin Beg, who was treacherously murdered, when a guest at a meal, by his host.

At the time of our arrival Irgash was in command of about sixteen thousand men, among whom were White Russians and, it was rumoured, some Turkish officers. This movement was later taken on by various men in succession and developed into the Basmachi movement which survived up to present war in a latent form.’ Mission to Tashkent by F.M. Bailey, 1946, London

Kokand 1871

From Kokand: the journey across the Kokand Khanate I

Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko book's original title is: Iz Kokana: svedeniya o puteshestvii po Kokanskomu Khanstvu.  Its first edition appeared in 1871.

The book presents Fedchenko’s account of his journey to the Khanate of Kokand, an expedition he undertook after roaming through Turkestan in the late 1860s.  Let us start from his description of Khujand:

‘Khujand has drawn my attention. This is the city of important manufacturing: sericulture, cotton, dyeing and weaving. In addition, there are all the necessary conditions for the further development of these industries: good climate, hard-working and smart Tadjik population, easy access to coal, neighbouring rich Kokand and the location on the Syr-Darya river.

The Kokand Khanate was established in 1709 in the Ferghana Valley but the legend surrounding the history of its rulers dates much earlier back in history. The Kokand khans were said to have been the descendants of Babur who – in his journey from Samarkand to Afghanistan, had to live one of his new-born sons in Ferghana. The baby was raised by the local inhabitants and named Altun-Bishik (the Golden Cradle) after a richly decorated cradle he had been left in.

Syr Darya, 21st century

Khujand, 21st century

About the Images of Central Asia blog



Toktogul reservoir

Chai in Kochkor-Ata, Kyrgyzstan

The Images of Central Asia blog is an invitation to travel through the landscape of past and present Central Asia. The journey does not start at any particular point, nor does it have a final destination. It is meant to be the appreciation of Central Asia’s past and present through its images and historical travel and exploration literature.

Since the blog presents historic travel literature, most posts are concerned with Central Asian history. Their illustration with present-day photographs is to suggest neither that time stopped nor that little has changes. This juxtaposition of literary and photographic images is simply an approach to getting to know Central Asia a little bit more.  These are just images of past and present.




E010, Kyrgyzstan

‘Once you have become the companion of the road, it calls you and calls you again. (Stephen Graham,1916, Through Russian Central Asia, p.1)