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Tashkent, according to Mr. Schuyler's estimate, numbers 120,000 inhabitants, most of whom are Uzbeks, though there are some Tadjiks, and a number of Tartars, Kirghiz, Hindoos, and others. The Uzbeks are the descendants of the Turkish tribes who, at various times, immigrated to this part of Asia, both before and since the time of Tchinghiz Khan. Their name means "independent" or "free," from uz "self" and bek a "bek." They are said to be divided into ninety-two clans, and are readily distinguished from the Tadjiks, as well in appearance as in character.
The Tadjik is larger and fuller in person, with an ample black beard, and with an air of shrewdness and cunning. He is fickle, untruthful, lazy, cowardly, and boastful, and in every way morally corrupted. The Uzbek is taller and thinner, with a scanty beard, and a longer and more strongly marked face. He is simple in his manners and dress, while the Tadjik is devoted to his personal appearance, and fond of adorning himself. The Uzbeks look upon the Tadjiks with contempt, but, at the same time, they are dependent upon them. The Tadjiks treat the Uzbeks as fools and children of nature, and smilingly say that they have them entirely in their power. Intermarriages, however, are not uncommon. The Tadjik has none of the pride of race which the Uzbek possesses, and will rarely call himself by the name Tadjik. To illustrate the difference between the two, Mr. Schuyher quotes the popular story of Shirin and Ferhat:
"There was once a queen, Shirin Hatun, of great beauty, who lived on the farther side of the Syr Darya. She had two wooers, one a Tadjik, and the other an Uzbek named Ferhat. Both were persistent, and, as she was at a loss which to choose, an old woman counseled her to give them some difficult work, and to marry the one who succeeded. She therefore commanded them to dig a canal through the Famished Steppe. Ferhat -- a strong, stalwart fellow, with a simple and straightforward nature -- took his spade and dug away all day, trying to turn the channel of the river, and thus formed the cataracts at Bigavat. The Tadjik, crafty, and full of expedients, plaited a wicker of reeds and laid it on the ground across the steppe. Early in the morning, the sun's rays, reflected from the shining reeds, made them appear like a stream of water, and Shirin Hatun thereupon called for the Tadjik and married him. When the Uzbek learned of the deception that had been practiced upon him, he was in despair, and threw his spade high up in the air, so that, as it came down, it cut off his head with a single stroke."
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The tomb of Timur
Vambery - England in the Orient
Foreign retirees in Manchuria
First Japanese Buddhist Temple in America
An early traveler in Egypt
Waiting in Ulaan Baatar
Central Asia after the battle at Penjdeh
Underground City near Bokhara
Central Asia
Central Asia
Bokhara
Japanese priest crosses desert to Tibet
