Flowering Apricot (Dried Apricots). Samarkand

1905
Russian forces captured Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan) in 1868. In 1886 Samarkand became the capital of an oblast within Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), and two years later the Trans-Caspian Railway reached the city. After consolidating its hold on the area, the Russian administration began construction of a new district to the west of the ancient city. The property in this photograph probably was part of the Russian settlement, as suggested by the iron roof and the appearance of the walls enclosing the courtyard. 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. There he photographed not only architectural monuments but also everyday scenes, such as this view of flowering apricot trees.

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Filename: 5803.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1633 / 964.6KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Flowers Apricot Trees Courtyards Photo WDL 010461
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
Russian forces captured Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan) in 1868. In 1886 Samarkand became the capital of an oblast within Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), and two years later the Trans-Caspian Railway reached the city. After consolidating its hold on the area, the Russian administration began construction of a new district to the west of the ancient city. The property in this photograph probably was part of the Russian settlement, as suggested by the iron roof and the appearance of the walls enclosing the courtyard. 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. There he photographed not only architectural monuments but also everyday scenes, such as this view of flowering apricot trees.