Description of agricultural products in the bukhara emirate: based on the observations of a.k. Butenev’s expedition (first half of the 19th century)
Abstract
This article analyzes the agrarian system of the Bukhara Emirate based on A.K. Butenev’s expedition, N.V. Khanykov’s “Description of the Bukhara Khanate”, and A. Lehmann’s “Journey to Bukhara and Samarkand, 1841–1842”. The study provides a detailed account of land tenure, irrigation obligations, and taxation practices. Irrigation works were imposed on the population, with particular emphasis on the role of officials such as the mirab (water master) and juyban (canal overseer). Furthermore, branches of horticulture and agriculture — including figs, peaches, apricots, apples, pears, grapes, melons, rice, cotton, and tobacco — are examined in terms of their cultivation and market value. The findings demonstrate that the agrarian economy of the Bukhara Emirate was highly diversified.