The Mervi Turks of the Emirate of Bukhara
PERSIANS.―Of these, Bokhara has a considerable number,
especially Persian captives, who are brought thither in small parties. The
greater majority, however, of this people were transplanted from Merv, in the
reign of Amir Seyid, when that city fell under his sway. With a view of weakening
it, and thereby ensure his own safety, he ordered 40,000 families to be
transported from Merv to the neighbourhood of Samarkand. It is from them the
Persians of Bokhara chiefly descend.
The Persian population are easily distinguished by the
regularity of their features, and their bushy black hair. They profess
outwardly the Sunni faith, though in their hearts they remain Shia, cordially
hating, therefore, the Bokharians, and ready to hail with joy any political
revolution which might shake the power of the Uzbeks. They are fond of dwelling
on the recital of the campaigns of Nadir-Shah, and firmly believe, that at one
period or other, and that by no means a remote one, a similar expedition will
be renewed. Notwithstanding all this, however, the Amir, and the great men of
Bokhara, imprudently trust themselves to the Persians. Thus, for instance, of
the 500 regular troops of Bokhara, upwards of 450 are Persians, whose chief is
likewise of the same nation. The Dostarchi is also surrounded by Persians;
either by such as have been set at liberty, or by the descendants of the former
inhabitants of Merv.
Nikolai Khanikoff, Bokhara: Its Amir and Its People, Translated from the
Russian of Khanikoff, by the Baron Clement A. de Bode. — London: James Madden,
1845. Pp. 86—87.
No comments:
Post a Comment