General View of Steppe from the Government House. Golodnaia Steppe

1905
In the late 19th century Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich (1850–1918), grandson of Tsar Nicholas I, initiated a development project in Turkestan to create an area for raising cotton, wheat, and livestock in the Golodnaia Steppe (“Hungry Steppe”) by diverting water from the Syr Darya River. This view, taken from a nearby house used for government administration of the irrigation system, shows the vast expanse of the steppe plain. The landscape is treeless. Plant growth in this arid region depended on irrigation. In some areas the steppe had pockets of salt deposits on the surface. In the distance winds the blue ribbon of the Tsar Nicholas I Canal, which served the grand duke’s estate. 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 different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), where he photographed traditional culture as well as the development brought about by Russian settlement and investment.

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Filename: 5840.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1672 / 552.7KB; 1905 Kazakhstan Qaraghandy Oblast Betpak-Dala Plains Steppe Treeless Photo WDL 010498
Contained in galleries: KAZAKHSTAN

1905<br />
In the late 19th century Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich (1850–1918), grandson of Tsar Nicholas I, initiated a development project in Turkestan to create an area for raising cotton, wheat, and livestock in the Golodnaia Steppe (“Hungry Steppe”) by diverting water from the Syr Darya River. This view, taken from a nearby house used for government administration of the irrigation system, shows the vast expanse of the steppe plain. The landscape is treeless. Plant growth in this arid region depended on irrigation. In some areas the steppe had pockets of salt deposits on the surface. In the distance winds the blue ribbon of the Tsar Nicholas I Canal, which served the grand duke’s estate. 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 different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), where he photographed traditional culture as well as the development brought about by Russian settlement and investment.