LAND RELATIONS IN THE MURGHAB SOVEREIGN’S ESTATE: THE CASE OF THE YOLOTAN SARYKS

The Murghab Sovereign’s Estate was a fairly successful project of the late Russian Empire in its Central Asian possessions. It can be argued that it managed to fulfill, to one degree or another, all the tasks set before it by the supreme power. Various problems were encountered on this way (economic, engineering and social). One of the social problems is considered in the article. The purpose of the article is to study the land contradictions that arose as a result of the hasty delimitation of the estate with the Merv district. As a result of this delimitation, the lands periodically cultivated by Saryks of the Yolotan area were included in the territory of the Sovereign’s Estate, contrary to the Emperor’s decree. The study revealed differences in the points of view of the local government, the administration of the estate and the Department of Appanages on the relationship with the indigenous population of the region. The local authorities were interested in providing the Turkmen with land as a source of constant income. The head of the estate tried to ensure the economic development of the lands and attract agricultural workers. The Department of Appanages was interested in developing irrigation and extracting maximum profit from the economic activity of the Murghab Estate. However, remembering that one of the requirements for the establishment of the estate was to avoid any oppression of the indigenous population, the Department of Appanages proposed to exclude Saryks lands from the estate. The Emperor accepted this proposal. And the lands of Saryks remained in their possession. But when after some time Saryks asked to provide them with lands on the territory of the estate on preferential terms, the Department did not find economic grounds and refused them. The case of the Saryks’ land dispute shows that the appanage authorities sought to reach agreement with local residents in accessible ways without infringing on its own interests and without violating the rules established by the supreme authority.