Brick Building with Arched Entrance and Arcade

1905
In the late 19th century, the Russian Empire acquired large territories in Central Asia that became known as Russian Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states). Large parts of Turkestan were suitable for raising high quality cotton, and cotton production rapidly became a priority in the Russian development of the region. Shown here is the house of the assistant to the manager of the large Murgab estate near the town of Bayramaly (present-day Turkmenistan). The design of this brick structure, probably built at the turn of the 20th century, includes details considered typical of Islamic (Moorish) architecture and represents a European attempt to adapt to the region’s hot, arid climate. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many parts of the empire. Prokudin-Gorskii was particularly interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan, which he visited on a number of occasions, including two trips in 1911. Turkestan appealed to him not only for its Islamic architecture but also for the transformation brought by Russian settlement.

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Filename: 6515.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1683 / 774.8KB; 1905 Central and South Asia Brickwork Arches Brick Buildings Photo WDL 010574
Contained in galleries: CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA

1905<br />
In the late 19th century, the Russian Empire acquired large territories in Central Asia that became known as Russian Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states). Large parts of Turkestan were suitable for raising high quality cotton, and cotton production rapidly became a priority in the Russian development of the region. Shown here is the house of the assistant to the manager of the large Murgab estate near the town of Bayramaly (present-day Turkmenistan). The design of this brick structure, probably built at the turn of the 20th century, includes details considered typical of Islamic (Moorish) architecture and represents a European attempt to adapt to the region’s hot, arid climate. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many parts of the empire. Prokudin-Gorskii was particularly interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan, which he visited on a number of occasions, including two trips in 1911. Turkestan appealed to him not only for its Islamic architecture but also for the transformation brought by Russian settlement.