Trade Routes Connecting the Bukhara Emirate and India In the Second Half of the 19th - Early 20th Centuries

Аннотация

This article provides information about the © 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License. trade routes and their branches that were considered important in the commercial relations between the Bukhara Emirate and India. The study also examines issues such as trade centers, types of imported and exported products exchanged between the two countries, and customs duties collected along the trade routes. Keywords: Bukhara Emirate, India, trade routes, directions, mountain passes, trade centers, markets, imports, exports, products. Introduction: The Bukhara Emirate was one of the major centers of the Eastern commercial world in Central Asia. In particular, by the 19th century, the Emirate's position in the commercial sphere had grown even stronger. When we examine the trade relations between the Bukhara Emirate and India from the second half of the 19th century to the early 20th century, we witness their rapid development. During this period, the Emirate's major cities such as Bukhara, Karshi, Samarkand, Sherabad, Hisar, Guzor, and others conducted regular trade with Indian commercial hubs like Peshawar, Multan, Calcutta, and Shikarpur. Commercial operations between the two countries were carried out via major caravan routes passing through Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar in Afghanistan.[1] Caravan routes played an invaluable role in conducting trade, as merchants were keen on ensuring the safe and swift delivery of their goods to their destinations. Merchants always strived to travel along safe and smooth roads. And road safety served as one of the Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals 133 https://eipublication.com/index.php/jsshrf 9 Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals most crucial factors for them. to Bukhara in 27 days"[4]. METHOD By the second half of the 19th century, silk occupied a special place among the products exported from When we examine the history of trade between the Bukhara to India. Camels loaded with silk from Bukhara Bukhara Emirate and India, we see that trade routes reached Khulm in 15 days, and merchants paid a duty of played a significant role and were divided into several 1.5 gold for each pood of cargo. In general, merchants branches. By the second half of the 19th century, we paid a duty of up to 250-300 rupees per camel loaded can observe that trade relations between the emirate with silk before reaching Indian cities. The main part of and India were conducted through multiple caravan the silk sent from Bukhara was processed into finished routes and their directions. For instance, a trading products in the city of Multan and distributed to various caravan departing from the Indian city of Peshawar cities of India. Shikapur merchants were the leaders in would travel for 3 days through the Khyber Pass to delivering silk fabrics to shopping centers [5]. reach the city of Jalalabad, and then proceed to Kabul. Here, the merchants would pay zakat tax for the goods Trade caravans departing from the city of Karshi to India they brought and continue on their journey. As the traveled in two directions: Ajirim-Sho'rbozor-Ayritom- road passing through the Hindu Kush mountains through villages in the western part of Kungirtau[6], consisted of mountainous terrain, crossing was quite while the second route passed through the Jom- challenging and posed several weeks of risks. The main Sho'rquduq-Qoratikon well along the southeastern problem for merchants was the tribes living in the slopes of Kungirtau[7]. V. A. Petrov provided Khybar Pass. They constantly attacked trade caravans. information about the Bukhara-Karakul branch leading To protect themselves from their attacks, the to India, according to which the road passed along the merchants used the armed forces of the Povinda tribe, second stream of the Zarafshan, passing through the who lived in the Khybar Pass. The Povinda tribe not village of Chandir, passing through the sands 40 versts only ensured the safety of caravans but also engaged from Karakul, continuing through the villages of Bitik in trade themselves. Members of the Povinda tribe and Farab, and then to Chardzhou, and then to brought and sold "muslin" (thin) fabric woven in Afghanistan [8]. Merchants also used the network of southern India, nectar dye, gauze, tea, brocade, dyeing internal local roads in the direction of Karmana-Karshi- roots, medicinal herbs, black pepper, shale, and other Kelif. These networks were also an important transit trade goods to the markets of Bukhara [2]. route to the main trading cities of Afghanistan and India. The caravan that departed from Kabul (Peshawar) By the middle of the 19th century, trade relations traveled to Bamiyan for 16 days. During this period, between Bukhara and India were conducted along two merchants stopped in Sarychashma, Khulm, and main routes. The first route involved trade caravans Bamiyan to pay zakat again. The