SHIBARG HAN, a town in Afghan Turkestan, 250 miles N.E. of Herat, and 60 miles W. of Balkh. It contains 12,000 souls, Uzbak and Parsivan. The people are brave. Across the Murghab, and towards Balkh, lie the small states of Andkhui, Shibarglian, Siripool, and Akchee. They have undergone various political changes, and have been described by Burnes, Pottinger, Ferrier, and Wheeler, and have latterly formed part of Afghan Turkestan. In A.D. 1830, all of them were engaged in the slave trade, and inde pendent, though they sent presents of horses both to Herat and Bokhara.
All of these chiefships are situated in the plain country, which in general is well watered by rills or canals, and has an abundance of forage for camels and horses, which are numerous. The soil is dry, but there arc many gardens near the towns. The style of building, from a scarcity of wood, is that of the beehive shape. There is a good open caravan road from Meshed to Balkh, which is a journey of sixteen days ; thus, from Meshed to Shurukhs, four ; to the Mongliul, three ; to Mai muna, four ; and to Balkh in five days. This is much the nearest route to Kabul from the west.
Andklio or Andkhui, in 1840 was ruled by Shah Wali Khan, an Afghan Turk, who settled here,—others of his tribe in the titne of Nadir. They were then of the Shiah sect, but are now Sunni. The ' of the chief, besides his own race, are Ambs. Wheat is here a triennial plant. Andkhiti was the place where Mooreroft. died.
Akehee is a dependency of Balkh, 42 miles distaut.
Maimuna is the most important of the whole ; the chief in 1840 was Mirza Khan, an Uzbak of the tribe Wun, and his country extended from Maimuna to the Murgliab, and adjoined that of Sher Muhammad Khan, Hazara. Maimtma itself is an open town, or rather village, of about 500 liouses ; but the strength of the chief consists in his ' il,' or moving population, who frequent Ultuur, Jankira, Sorbagh, Kaffir-Killa, Khyrabad, Kusar, Chtickaktoo, Taklit-i-Khatoon, and other sites, which ean scarcely be called villages. Ile also numbers Arabs among his subjecta, many of that tribe having been long settled here. Pop. 40,000.
Shibarghan is considered to be a very ancient place, being given to the days of the Kaffir (Greek), and it is still the strongest fort in these part& The ark or citadel is built of brick and mortar, and surrounded by outer walls of tnud. Kalik Ali Beg, a chief of Balkh, besieged it for seven years without SUCCESS ; blit it inust only be understood to be strong against Uzbaks, who are badly supplied with artillery. Water is conducted to it from the rivulet of Siripool.
Siripool.—In 1840, an LTzbak of the tribe of Auchmuelee governed Siripool. His ' il' were in Sungeharuk, Paogan, Goordewan, and Daglidrab. Siripool itself is as large as Mainunia.—Beirnes; East India Papers; MacGregor.