BOXHARA, a khanate of central Asia, formerly vassal to Russia, bounded N. by Russian Turkestan, W. by Khiva and the Transcaspian Territory of Russia, S. by Afghanistan, and E. by Chinese Turkes tan; area about 93,000 square miles. The country in the W. is to a great extent occupied by deserts; in the E. are nu merous ranges of mountains. Cultivation is mainly confined to the valleys of the rivers, the chief of which is the Oxus or Amu Dania, forming the southern boundary and running close to is bound ary on the W. The climate s warm in but severe in winter; there is i very little rain, and artificial irrigation is necessary. Besides cereals, cotton and tobacco are cultivated, and also a good deal of fruit. The total population, about 1,250,000, consists of the Usbek Tartars, who are the ruling race, and to whom the Emir belongs; the Tajiks, who form the majority; Kirghiz, with Turcomans, Ara bians, Persians, etc. The only two towns of importance are the capital, Bokhara, and Karshi. The rule of the Emir is the oretically absolute. The manufactures are unimportant, but there is a very con siderable caravan trade, cotton, rice, silk and indigo being exported, and woven goods, sugar, iron, etc., being imported. The Russian Transcaspian railway crosses the country and reaches Tash kent.
History.—Bokhara was the ancient Sogdiana or Maracanda; capital, Sam arkand; was conquered by the Arabs in the 8th century, by Genghis Khan in 1220, and by Timur in 1370; and was finally seized by the Usbeks in 1505. It
has recently suffered much from the ad vances of the Russians, who, in 1868, compelled the cession of Samarkand and important tracts of territory. Since then the Emir Musaffer-Eddin has sunk more and more into a position of dependency on Russia. After the Russian expedition to Khiva in 1873, an agreement was reached between Russia and Bokhara by which Bokhara received a portion of the territory ceded by Khiva to Russia, while the Russians received various privileges in return. The khanate was largely dom inated by Russia until the World War. In 1917 the Emir promised a democratic constitution. Bokhara, the capital, is 8 or 9 miles in circuit, and surrounded by a mud wall. The streets are narrow and the houses poorly built; principal edi s: the palace of the khan, crowning a height near the center of the town and surrounded by a brick wall 70 feet high; and numerous mosques, schools, bazaars, and caravanseries. The trade was for merly large with India, but was later almost completely absorbed by Russia. Pop. about 90,000.