Cotton Field, Probably in Golodnaia Steppe or Mugan Steppe

1905
This is not an image from the Mugan Steppe. The original caption is incorrect. This view shows a cotton field on the estate of Murgab near the town of Bayramaly (present-day Turkmenistan). The Murgab Oasis and the city of Merv (now Mary) were acquired by the Russian Empire through negotiations in 1884. Irrigation was essential for agriculture in this semi-arid region. One such irrigation project was at the Murgab estate, whose main source of water was the Murgab (Morghab) River, which flows from Afghanistan into Turkmenistan and forms part of the border between the two countries. 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 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. Large parts of Turkestan were suitable for the raising of cotton, which soon became a priority in the development of Russia’s Central Asian territories.

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Filename: 6546.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1673 / 740.0KB; 1905 Turkmenistan Mary Bayramaly Cotton Fields Utility Poles Mugan Steppe Croplands Photo WDL 010583
Contained in galleries: TURKMENISTAN

1905<br />
This is not an image from the Mugan Steppe. The original caption is incorrect. This view shows a cotton field on the estate of Murgab near the town of Bayramaly (present-day Turkmenistan). The Murgab Oasis and the city of Merv (now Mary) were acquired by the Russian Empire through negotiations in 1884. Irrigation was essential for agriculture in this semi-arid region. One such irrigation project was at the Murgab estate, whose main source of water was the Murgab (Morghab) River, which flows from Afghanistan into Turkmenistan and forms part of the border between the two countries. 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 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. Large parts of Turkestan were suitable for the raising of cotton, which soon became a priority in the development of Russia’s Central Asian territories.