Qazanfar Khan Afshar
Shibberghan, July
3rd — three parasangs — along a plain, three-fourth of the way steppe; the rest
is richly cultivated. Shibberghan is a town containing 12,000 souls, Usbeks and
Parsivans, the former being in a great majority. The town has a citadel, in
which the governor Rustem Khan resides, but there are no other fortifications.
It is surrounded by good gardens and excellent cultivation. The population of
Shibberghan has a high character for bravery, and I may safely say it is one of
the finest towns in Turkistan on this side of the Oxus, enjoying, besides its,
other advantages, an excellent climate. It is, however, subject to one very
serious inconvenience: the supply of water, on which all this prosperity
depends, comes from the mountains in the Khanat of Sirpool; and as there are
frequent disputes between the tribes inhabiting it and those living in this
town, a complete interruption of the supply is often threatened, and a war
follows, to the very great injury of the place. Shibberghan maintains
permanently a force of 2000 horse and 500 foot, but, in case of necessity, the
town can arm 6000 men.
Rustem
Khan, who was governor when I went through, was driven out for a short time the
next year. The following is the story of his temporary removal: —
He
had married the daughter of Misrab Khan Wali of Meimana, and, proud of the
accession to his power by this connexion, fancied he could with impunity brave
the Emir of Bokhara, Nusser Ullah Khan, by turning his vassal Kezemfer Khan
Afshar out of the town of Andkhooye, of which he was governor. Kezemfer Khan,
after he had been defeated and plundered, fled to Bokhara, and demanded the
protection of his suzerain, promising not only to acknowledge his suzerainty as
he ever had done, but to pay him an annual tribute besides. The Emir having
then on his hands a war with the chief of Kokan, took advantage of an unusually
good understanding between himself and Mir Wali, governor of Khulm, to request
him to act him, and re-establish Kezemfer Khan in his command at Andkhooye; Mir
Wali acceded to the proposal with all more satisfaction that he intended to
turn it to his own advantage. With this view he sent Kezemfer Khan, with
suitable recommendations to his son-in-law Mahmood Khan of Sirpool, who
immediately set to work, formed a league with the governors of Mazar, Balkh,
and Akcheh, and, having united their troops with his own, marched to the siege
of Andkhooye and Shibberghan. Rustem Khan had confided the defence
of Andkhooye to Soofi Khan Afshar,
nephew and enemy of the displaced Kezemfer; but a party was formed against him
in the town, and he was seized and given up to the besiegers. As to Rustem
Khan, who had shut himself up in Shibberghan, he might perhaps have been
victorious in the end if he had not been betrayed by his allies, and given up
to his adversaries. As long as Mizrab Khan of Meimana lived he afforded his
son-in-law constant support; but, after his death, his sons Eukmet and Shir did
not keep up the same loyal feeling, and instead of assisting their
brother-in-law, as they promised to do, sent a large body of cavalry to join
the besieging force. The inhabitants of Shibberghan, having lost all their
crops, and seen their district completely ravaged, and being in a state of
great suffering from the want of water, of which the supply had been entirely
stopped, forced Rustem to surrender himself. Kezemfer, having regained
possession of his government of Andkhooye by the active intervention of Mir
Wali, declared himself his vassal in testimony of his gratitude, quite
regardless of the Emir of Bokhara. Shibberghan remained in the power of Mahmood
of Sirpool, who appointed his brother, Hussein Khan, governor; and Rustem Khan
and Soofi Khan were sent prisoners to Bokhara, their presence in his capital
being all the benefit the Emir obtained by espousing the cause of his vassal
Kezemfer Khan, who evaded his authority.
But
he could not to be duped. Some months after he confided the command of a body
of picked troops to Rustem Khan, who repossessed himself of Shibberghan, and
forced Kezemfer to perform all his promises to the Emir. At the expiration of
one year, however, nothing remained of all these notable intrigues and
combinations; for Yar Mohamed Khan arrived from Heart at the head of twenty
thousand men. He reduced Meimana, Andkhooye, Akcheh, and Shibberghan to
submission to his own power, and returned, leaving in them strong garrisons
under governors of his own choice.
The
amount of rivalry and intrigue exist amongst the petty Khans of Turkistan is
perfectly incredible to any one who has not been in the country; and, instead
of trying to decrease or modify either, they exert their paltry schemes. The
certain consequence is a permanent state of warfare, in which it is impossible
for the people to attempt the development of the resources of the country, or
undertake any enterprise with a view to its future improvement. The people of
these little Khanats are ever thus the sufferers from the barbarous and
ignorant ambition of their chiefs, who are the most absolute sovereigns in the
world. They recognize the suzerainty of the princes of Heart, Bokhara, or
Khulm, only because they have not sufficient power to throw it off; or, that
occasionally it happens to be to their interest to acknowledge it. They will
change their protectors as often as it suits them; for fear and the greed of
gain are the only motives which influence their conduct, but they rarely pay
their tribute to whichever suzerain they attach themselves for the time, and he
is generally obliged to present them with khalats, or in other ways propitiate
their transient good-will. If they furnish him a contingent for a war they
receive an indemnity from him, and are otherwise repaid by a portion of the
plunder taken. This continuous struggle of agitation, intrigue, perfidy, and
dominion seems to be an innate necessity to a Khan; it has existed from the
earliest times, and will certainly be the same a thousand years hence.
Andkhooye. — I did not visit this
place, which is five parasangs N.W. of Shibberghan; but I learned that
three-fourths of its population are the Parsivan tribe of Afshars, and that
they were established there by the Shah Abbas the Great — the remaining fourth
are Usbeks. The government is in the hands of an Afshar chief; and the
population has risen to 15,000. The force usually maintained is 1800 horse and
600 foot, which, in case of need, can be trebled in twenty-four hours.
Ferrier J. P — Caravan journeys and wanderings in
Persia, Afghanistan, Turkistan, and Beloochistan (1856)
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