Territory and population of the Central Asian states in the mid-19th century
In the mid-19th century there were three independent states in Central Asia: the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanates of Khiva and Kokand. The heart of the Emirate of Bukhara was the Zarafshan valley, with Bukhara and Samarkand; it was divided into 40 begliks (provinces) and had about 2 million people. The Khanate of Khiva lay on the lower Amu Darya toward the Caspian Sea; it was divided into 18 begliks and 2 noibliks and had over 800 thousand people. The Khanate of Kokand had split from Bukhara in the early 18th century and stretched across the Fergana valley and the lower Syr Darya; it had 15 begliks and about 3 million people. In all three states Uzbeks made up most of the population, living alongside Tajiks, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Turkmens, Kyrgyz and others. Uzbeks were mostly settled farmers, craftsmen and traders, while some other peoples lived mainly from herding. Remember that these figures are estimates, because no census was taken at that time.
“Place it on the map”: pupils stick city cards (Bukhara, Khiva, Kokand, Samarkand, Namangan, Urgench) onto the right state on a blank wall map.