Historical Reference

Merv Oasis Vol. II Chapter 38

The Merv Oasis: Travels and Adventures East of the Caspian During the Years 1879-80-81,
Including Five Months' Residence Among the Tekkes of Merv
By Edmund O'Donovan
Published by G. P. Putnam's sons, 1883 Volume II
Chapter 39

CLAN SYSTEM. Page 159

CHAPTER XXXIX.

GOVERNMENT AND HISTORY OF MERV.

Clan system - Tribes and subdivisions - The Toktamish and Otamish tribes - Yaps or clans - Names of Merv clans - Distinctive clan dress arrangement* - The Khans of the tribes - Kethkodas of the clans - Administration of law - Punishments - Supreme council of the nation - Honorary titles - Serdars and Bahadurs - War chiefs - Serdar Tokme - The national militia - Yassaouls or police - Public revenues - Roads and bridges - The new gendarmerie - Military discipline - Plunder and police - Tekke ideas of enforcing the law - Dislike of walls - The villages of the oasis - Porsa Kala - The Turkmen migration - Turks and Turkmen - Fortunes of the present Mervli - Settlement on the Tejun - Removal to Sarakhs - Destruction of Bairam Ali (Old Merv) - Saryk colonization - The Persian war against the Tekkes - Tekke conquest of Merv - Persian invasion - Its repulse - Distinguished prisoners - A long captivity - Sarakhs and Salor - Ersari Turkmen - Turkmen informants - The Russians and Merv.

The constitution of the Turkmen tribes inhabiting Merv is essentially the clan system, much resembling that of the Scotch Highlanders before Culloden. There are two tribes in the nation - the Toktamish, on the eastern bank of the river, and the Otamish, on the western. The Toktamish is the most numerous and also the senior tribe, but its precedence over the western division is purely honorary. Kouchid Khan, who commanded the whole nation during its migration to Merv, and in the subsequent war with Persia, was hereditary chief of the Toktamish. On his death, however, his son Baba Khan succeeded to the headship of the Toktamish tribe only, a position which he held during my visit to Merv. His personal character was not sufficiently distinguished for the Turkmen to continue his

Page 160 TURKMEN TRIBES.

father's authority in him, and the Otamish Khan successfully asserted his claim to equality in the government. Kouchid Khan's name is still potent among the people of Merv, and their new fortress bears his name. The Toktamish and Otamish tribes are subdivided into four sections, with sub- chiefs over each, and still further into twenty-four yaps or clans.

The following table will indicate at a glance the divisions and subdivisions of the Tekkes east and west of the Murgab:

These names may have some philological value, so I have taken pains to ascertain them as accurately as possible. In Merv itself the distinction between the clans is kept up with the utmost formality. Personally I never could discover the difference between them, but the Turkmen had no difficulty in telling to what clan a man belonged at first

CLAN GOVERNMENT OF MERV. Page 161

sight. On asking once how the distinction was marked - for to my eye there was nothing in the dress, like the Highland tartan colors, to distinguish the wearers - a native pointed out that a peculiar way of knotting the sash and wearing the hat always indicated a member of the Sultan Aziz clan, a peculiar tie of the sword belt one of the Burkoz, and other minute points of dress the members of the other clans. My eye could never be sufficiently trained to tell a man's clan at first sight by the cock of his hat, or the tie of his sash; but my Turkmen friends never erred in the matter, which is a somewhat important one in their society. Each clan is presided over by a hereditary chief, or Kethkoda, who claims relationship in a distant way with the Khan of the tribe. There are also Kethkodas of higher rank over the subdivisions of the tribes. The Kethkodas administer the government of their clans, such as it is, and occasionally act as judges, though such functions more properly belong to the Cadis, or judges learned in the law. The Cadis are simply men who have studied the Koran and are familiar with its legal precepts. The Khans or Kethkodas appoint them judges, and the more intricate questions, especially those relating to the caravans and trade, are generally submitted to them, while the chiefs try such cases as can be decided without any profound legal knowledge. On bazaar days the Khan in person usually administers justice in public, and often inflicts summary punishment with his stick. For neglect of public duties, for instance, such as not working due time on the fortifications, fines are imposed, and if the offender cannot pay, his hat is taken off, his hands bound to his sides, and he is exposed in this condition to the sun for an hour or two. Thieves are tied to a stake, and their heads similarly exposed. Occasionally the punishments are much heavier, and are inflicted without respect of persons. Thus, shortly after my arrival, a son of Kadjar Khan was Vol. n. H

Page 162 PUNISHMENTS - GENERAL COUNCIL.

sentenced by his father to be tied to a stake for forty- eight hours for aiding the escape of a prisoner, a Circassian officer in the Russian service. The penalty of the bastinado, so common in Persia, is unknown in Merv. Quarrels between individuals are rare, and are seldom brought before either Khan or Cadi, being settled by a blow or a stab on the spot. Even in cases of murder no steps are taken to punish the assassin, except on the demand of the wife or nearest male relative of the murdered man.

The Kethkodas are usually wealthy in Socks, and indeed require to be so, as they receive no contributions from their clansmen. Strangers are usually entertained by the Kethkoda, who expects, however, in return, a present of at least double the worth of his food, usually curdled camel's milk, mutton fat, and griddled bread, if the visitor be at all well off. I must admit, however, that mendicants who are unable to pay are equally well received, but for others the Turkmen hospitality is decidedly venal. The twenty- four Kethkodas presided over by the two Khans, and assisted by a number of the Ak-Saghal, or grey-beards of the clans, men of position and experience, who are called by a sort of public opinion, constitute the medjlis, or great council of the nation. This body is convoked to decide on grave questions of national policy, such as that of taking measures to resist the Russians at the time of my arrival. The question what to do with myself was also submitted to the great council. The Khans and the four Kethkodas of the great sub-divisions of the tribes constitute the executive of the government, and hold privy councils for their own guidance, to which the public are not admitted. At the great council everything is conducted in genuine Homeric style, without any attempt at privacy.

The title of Khan is given, as a matter of courtesy, to many of the descendants of former Khans who possess no

KHANS AND SERDARS. Page 163

power in the state. The Kethkodas are not addressed by that title, however. The personal title of ' Serdar ' is also given to certain men, Kethkodas, and simple clansmen who have shown considerable military skill in the field. The title is purely honorary, and the incessant raids, in which the people of Merv, like their brethren, the Akhal Tekkes, were constantly engaged, gave plenty of opportunities to adventurous spirits for winning their spurs as Serdars. A man who had won renown as a brave warrior only, without pretensions to skill as a commander, was styled a Bahadur, or as it is pronounced in Jagatai, batur. The Serdars formed a class somewhat like officers en disponibilite in Europe, from which the council could select commanders in case of war. If the Khan was competent he would naturally command the national forces in virtue of his office, but should he be from age or other causes incapable of acting as general, a temporary military chief would be chosen by the council from the Serdars. If the Khan's incapacity should be very marked, he would even be deposed on such an occasion from the Khanate, and his nearest competent relative elected. A similar custom prevails among the other branches of the Turkmen, as well as in Merv. Thus, during the war between Russia and the Akhal Tekkes, the hereditary Khan, Makdum Kuli, had nominal command of the forces, but the active operations outside the walls of Geok Tepe were conducted by Tokme Serdar, who possessed no hereditary rank, but was chosen general in virtue of his known military skill. His position with reference to Makdum Kuli Khan was much the same as General Moltke's in relation to the Emperor William in the Franco-Prussian war. Subsequently to the fall of Geok Tepe, Tokme Serdar made his submission to the Russians, and went to St. Petersburg to lay his sword at the feet of the Czar. Permanent fidelity to any cause, even a national one, is a very rare quality indeed

Page 164 PUBLIC ORGANISATION.

among the Turkmen, and I was little surprised at the news of the Serdar's defection from the ranks of his countrymen. Makdum Kuli Khan, however, seemed to feel his conduct keenly, and, while praising highly the abilities of his former lieutenant, he expressed deep regret that he should have disgraced his fame by swearing allegiance to the Ak-Padishah, White Czar.

In time of war every able-bodied man is called out for service, either in the field or on the fortifications, by the council. As the whole population is trained to arms there is no difficulty in raising a large force, but there are no officers except the fighting general or the Kethkodas, and no gradations of military rank. This want of organization is fatal to the efficiency of the Merv forces in anything like a prolonged campaign, especially against European troops. The lack of officers is partly compensated by the individual training of the men in military exercises and the use of arms. Behind their fortifications they can fight desperately, and as skirmishers on the flanks of a line of march their activity and personal daring make them formidable enemies, but they are wholly incapable of carrying out the complicated operations of a regular campaign. They can harass and impede an enemy's plan of action, but they cannot devise, or at least carry out, one of their own. The only thing like a standing army in Merv when I arrived there was a sort of police force of a thousand horsemen, under the command of two officers, styled the Yassaoul-bashis. To them was entrusted the execution of the orders of the council, and also the duty of providing escorts for the caravans coming to Merv from Bokhara and Meshed.

Taxes and a public treasury were institutions unknown in Merv at the period of my visit. The traders in the bazaar used to assess themselves to pay for the needful repairs of the market-place and the roads and bridges

TAXES-YASSAOULS. Page 165

adjoining the oasis. These bridges are merely tree trunks thrown across the streams and covered with earth and reeds. A small tax was levied on the Jews who used the stalls, and applied to the same purposes. The police expenses were paid by a tax of twenty-five krans on each camel load, and ten on each horse or mule load of merchandise passing through the territory of Merv. Otherwise there were no public burthens at the time of my visit, beyond the compulsory service in time of war, and the corvees for their fortifications. The chiefs lived on their private property without any contributions from their clansmen. Indeed, fixed contributions of any kind seem altogether foreign to Turkmen notions. Even when other tribes were held in absolute subjection, as the Salor were by Merv, no tribute was exacted from them. They were held to obey the orders of the council with regard to their movements, but no impost was levied on them.

With regard to the police force, an important change in its numbers and duties was made subsequently to my arrival, and mainly in consequence of my representations to the council, and, in private interviews, to the Khans. Its numbers were increased to two thousand, who were ordered to hold themselves in constant readiness at the orders of the Yassaoul-bashis, Yaghmour Khan and Ana Murad Kafur. Yaghmour Khan was one of the few honest men in the place; and, though descended from a family of ancient distinction, was quite poor. He was continued in command of one of the new bodies of yassaouls, or police. The etymology of this word is characteristic. ' Yass' is the verb ' beat,' and ' aoul' means a village. So that policeman, in Jagatai, means literally' Beat the village.' The duties of the new force, however, were not intended to be of the aggressive character implied by their Turkmen name. I had represented so forcibly to the council the necessity of

Page 166 THE NEW POLICE.

suppressing private raids, that orders were issued against the time-honored practice, and the yassaouls were to hold themselves in readiness to enforce those orders in case of any violation being attempted. The manner in which the force was raised was somewhat strange to Western ideas. Two thousand men were named by the Khans, and ordered to move their houses and families to a place between the loop of the river and the new fortress. House moving in Merv, though it must be understood in a literal sense, is not such a formidable undertaking as a flitting in Europe. The aladjaks are dismounted, and packed with all their contents on camels' backs in the course of an hour, being set up again on their new sites in the same time. A couple of camels are sufficient to convey the lares and penates of a Turkmen, with the house itself included. There was no delay in obeying the Khan's orders, and the ' new police' town sprang up as if by magic under the walls of the fortress. Every member of it was ordered to keep his house and himself in readiness to start on duty at a moment's notice, when summoned by the Yassaoul-bashi. These calls were pretty frequent from the first, and were obeyed with the utmost promptitude, whether by day or night. The voice of the public crier had no sooner announced the orders of the chief than the men were up and in the saddle, armed from head to foot, and ready to start in any direction in pursuit of the violators of the public peace. To insure their efficiency, public inspections were held by the Yassaoul-bashi every month, and any man who had no horse was fined fifteen krans. Three were so fined at the first inspection, but subsequently the necessity of keeping themselves provided with horses or quitting the force seemed to be understood well enough. The police received pay, the tax on the caravans being appropriated to that purpose, and a small sum was also exacted from the owners of stolen

RAIDS. Page 167

property, when recovered by the exertions of the police. Plundering expeditions, being of every-day occurrence, proved a fruitful source of income to the yassaouls, and brought home to their minds at least the advantages of acting in the name of law and order. Public opinion, however, was by no means so unanimous on the subject, as raiding and raiders were time-honored institutions in Merv, and the sympathies of the populace with the bold plunderers were not diminished in the least by the admitted expediency of putting a stop to their pursuits. Even Baba Khan, the senior chief of Merv, was by no means inclined to look with a severe eye on raids. I suggested that raiders should be made to pay the fines, but the idea was not apparently relished by anybody. The yassaouls preferred rather to have their pay secured by the booty itself than to take the chance of getting it out of plunderers who might be hard to catch.

In justice to the people of Merv it must not be forgotten that raids, even among members of the same tribe, are not, or were not until lately, looked upon in the light of robbery. It is not supposed they are altogether legitimate, but still, if they are executed with ability, admiration for the ' smartness' displayed quite overpowers any moral reprobation that may be felt for the act. In other matters the Tekkes are not altogether devoid of notions of honesty. Petty stealing is very rare among the grown men, and even wild marauders will readily bow to the decision of a Cadi on a legal question of their rights. The instinctive feeling of the necessity of some sort of law is very marked among these nomads, though in certain points of conduct they do not see the need of its application, as in this matter of raiding on then: neighbors' flocks. When we remember the authorization of thefts by the old Spartan laws, and even the practices on the English and Scottish borders less than

Page 168 MERV SETTLEMENTS.

three centuries ago, we should not judge too harshly of the raiding propensities of the Tekkes.

A marked feature of the Tekke character is the unwillingness to reside in towns. The present settlements in Merv are only villages of aladjaks, and even the strong defensive position of the former town of the Saryk, Porsa Kala, was not sufficient inducement to make the newcomers take up their abode there. They made an encampment or village within a short distance of its walls, and close to the dam of the Murgab, but this place, Benti, contains only about seven hundred houses. Other villages are scattered about in the spaces between the irrigating canals, but none has any pretensions to be the successor of ancient Merv, the Queen of the World, as the city was styled in its palmy days. Porsa Kala itself was more of a city than any of the Tekke settlements, and probably contained ten or twelve thousand inhabitants. Some writers seem to speak of it vaguely, as if it were still the capital, so little are the changes of position among the Turkmen tribes known in Europe. A short sketch of recent history may serve to remove this ambiguity.

The present inhabitants of Merv are comparatively recent immigrants, and indeed the whole Turkmen population of these countries has been only a short time in its present seats. I endeavored during my stay in Merv to collect all the information I could on the history of these nomads, which is naturally very obscure, owing to the unsettled nature of their lives. One tribe succeeds another easily among the nomads, and the population of a district is often completely changed in the course of a few years ; and as there is no written history of these movements, it is only by the utmost diligence in cross-examining the most intelligent natives and then comparing their statements carefully that anything like an accurate notion of them

Tekke History. Page 169

can be formed. Like most uncivilized nations, the Turkmen can lay but little claim to accuracy in their stories of past events, and chronological exactness they pay scarcely any attention to. However, I had frequent opportunities of consulting the most intelligent elders of Merv, many of whom had taken an active part in the events of the last half-century, and remembered them vividly, while they also recollected clearly the traditions of older movements that had been handed down by their fathers. From all that I could learn thus, it appears that the country now occupied by the Merv and Akhal Tekkes was peopled a hundred and fifty years ago by a settled Turkish population of the same race as the present inhabitants of Bokhara. The name Turkmen is confined to the nomads, as distinct from the settled branches of the same race, who are styled Turks distinctively, in Central Asia. When used here the latter name is not to be confounded with the Osmanli Turks of Stambul, who parted from the parent stock several hundred years ago, and have been since separated from their kinsmen in Central Asia by the interposition of Persia. During the reign of Nadir Shah, who was himself of pure Turkmen blood, the whole of Turkestan as far as Bokhara and Khiva acknowledged his sovereignty. The then Turkish population of Merv merely acknowledged his suzerainty by a tribute analogous to some of the old feudal tenures in Europe, I believe by the present of a nut or some fruit on stated occasions. On the death of Nadir Shah, the Persian monarchy rapidly decayed. Afghanistan fell away, and the nomad Turkmen of Khiva poured into Persian Turkestan on the north-east, while Bokhara attacked it from another quarter. About a hundred and thirty years ago, the Tekkes, the Saryk and Salor Turkmen, commenced then- invasion. The Akhal Tekkes then got possession of the territory which they still occupy, though not with its exact

Page 171 TURKMEN MIGRATIONS.

present boundaries. In fact the war with Persia has been practically continuous since, as has been pointed out in former chapters, and it is only within the last seventy years that Askabad was taken by the Akhal Tekkes. Still, whatever variations the Persian boundaries may have undergone, the Akhal Tekkes have remained pretty steadily in the territory they seized on after Nadir Shah's death, and which has now passed under Russian sway with its inhabitants. Their brethren, the present inhabitants of Merv, had a more chequered history. While the Akhal Tekkes were establishing themselves along the northeastern slopes of the Kopet Dagh mountains, the former settled around the great swamps in which the Tejun is lost. The abundance of water no doubt made this appear at first a most desirable territory, but the unhealthy nature of the soil proved a serious drawback. Then the waters did not rise as usual, and for three years in succession there were severe droughts. The Tekkes consequently determined to abandon their abodes by the Tejun swamps, and about the year 1884 they moved into the Persian territory at Sarakhs. They held possession of Sarakhs and the adjoining territory, nearly as far south as Seistan, for about twenty-one years, or until shortly after the accession of the present Shah of Persia.

While the Tekkes were occupying the western part of Turkestan, other nomad tribes were pouring into the east of their settlements. These were the Ersari, who settled and remained along the banks of the Oxus at and about Charjui, pronounced Charjow, and the Salor and Saryk, who pushed on to the Murgab. After their arrival there, Merv itself was destroyed, and its Turkish inhabitants almost exterminated by the power of Bokhara. The Bokharan conqueror, Begge Jan, captured the then city of Merv, being the third historic city that had existed under

TEKKE OCCUPATION OF MERV. Page 171

the name, after a prolonged resistance, and utterly destroyed it. Seven hundred thousand persons are said to have perished during the siege and subsequent slaughter, and though the numbers are doubtless exaggerated somewhat, it is evident from the ruins that remain that a dense population must then have occupied the oasis, and have been utterly swept away. The Bokharans did not occupy the conquered country, and the Salor and Saryk Turkmen found no resistance there when they moved their aladjaks close to the ruins of Merv. The fall of Merv took place nearly a century ago, and from that time until the advent of the present Shah to the throne of Persia the Salor and Saryk remained in undisturbed possession of its territory. About twenty-six years ago, however, a general movement took place among the Turkmen tribes. The Persians attacked the Turkmen possessors of Sarakhs, and, after a vigorous campaign, compelled them to abandon their settlements. Seventy thousand houses are said to have been destroyed in this campaign. The dispossessed tribe in turn attacked their kindred tribe, the Saryk, and after several combats drove them out of Merv to positions further south on the Murgab, which they still occupy, at Yulatan and Penjdeh, higher up the river.

The Tekkes were not left long in undisputed possession of the Merv oasis. The Persians, flushed with the success of their campaign against the Turkmen of Sarakhs, believed that they could easily follow them to their new abodes, and bring Merv itself again under their sway. The Saryk, who had been expelled from their settlements by the Tekkes, made common cause with the Persians, and three years after the Tekke occupation of Merv the present Shah attempted the conquest of the oasis. But the fortune of war had changed. The Tekkes defended their new settlement with a vigor which appalled the Persians,

Page 172 PERSIAN DEFEAT - AN OLD PRISONER.

who expected an easy victory from their artillery over an enemy whom they had already driven from their own frontiers. Kouchid Khan managed the campaign against the Shah and his Turkmen allies with consummate energy. After a three months' harassing warfare in the desert, the allied army advanced close to Merv, but only to be totally routed in a pitched battle there. The entire Persian train of thirty-six pieces of artillery fell into the hands of the nomads, and the routed army fled in utter confusion to Meshed. For weeks the victorious nomads were engaged in gathering the arms and other spoils thrown away by the flying troops of the Shah, and the captured Persian guns still ornament the ramparts of Merv. A number of officers of high rank were made prisoners, and had to be ransomed afterwards at enormous prices. Some of the ransoms were as high as six or seven thousand pounds. Others were left to die in captivity for want of means to meet the extortionate demands of their captors. I met one of the prisoners, a colonel of artillery, during my stay in Merv. His captivity had lasted twenty-two years, and his beard was white as snow, though when captured he told me he was quite a young man. As I spoke with him I could not help feeling a nervous apprehension of what might be my own fate among the avaricious nomads, in whose power I was so absolutely. The poor captive complained bitterly of the neglect with which he had been treated by his wife and family, who, he said, were living on his property in luxury, and letting him drag out his life in captivity. Up to the time of my departure he had not been released.

Since the disastrous issue of Nasr Eddin Shah's campaign, the Persians have made no open attempt on the independence of Merv. Both officers and soldiers have too vivid a recollection of the horrors of the defeat to have any

SARYK - Salor - ERSARI. Page 173

stomach for another trial of strength with the fierce nomads. The Saryk of Penjdeh still continue inveterate in their hostility to the present inhabitants of Merv, but they are unable to gratify their feelings in any more effectual way than by plundering raids, which the Merv Tekkes are not slow in reciprocating. Those of the Saryk who inhabit the districts nearest to Merv, which are irrigated by the canals from the Bent-i-Yulatan, have partially given up their enmity towards their neighbors; but the clans higher up the river, towards the Afghan frontier, are still irreconcilable with their foes. The Salor, whose settlements lie between the Saryk and Merv, have submitted absolutely to the latter, and are treated by the Khans as subjects. During my stay, a Persian envoy endeavored to persuade them, by promises of pay and protection, to migrate to Sarakhs in a body, but this attempted movement was summarily put a stop to by the orders of the Merv Khans. The Tassaoul-bashis were sent out in hot haste to arrest the chiefs, and, although no order had been previously issued against then: moving anywhere, there was a strong inclination at first to put them all to death. When finally they were released, it was only with strict orders not to attempt to quit the territory of Merv . These Salor, however, are but a small part of the Salor tribe, which is scattered all over Turkestan. Some of them are found among the Saryk close to Herat, and a still larger number among the Ersari. The Salor in Merv only number seven hundred families, and are associated with the Otamish tribe of Tekkes.

As for the Ersari Turkmen, their long separation from

1. During the latter portion of my stay at Merv an attempt was made by the Saryk to enter into some kind of union with the Tekkes for the purpose of better resisting the Russian advance, but I am unaware whether any practical result followed.the other Tekkes has well-nigh obliterated any feeling about their common origin. They depend rather on Bokhara, and frequently cross the desert to raid on the Merv Tekkes. In numbers they are by no means equal to the latter. A well-informed Turkmen, who had been much among them, estimated their numbers at seventy thousand.

Page 174 ERSARI.

the other Tekkes has well-nigh obliterated any feeling about their common origin. They depend rather on Bokhara, and frequently cross the desert to raid on the Merv Tekkes. In numbers they are by no means equal to the latter. A well-informed Turcoman, who had been much among them, estimated their numbers at seventy thousand.

 

I have endeavored to give the history of the Tekkes, as I learned it from the older men among the tribes, but I do not pretend to vouch for its accuracy. In the absence of better evidence, it may be of some use in throwing light upon the vicissitudes of the tribes now inhabiting the almost terra incognita of Central Asia.

Chapter 30 - Chapter 31 - Chapter 32 - Chapter 33 - Chapter 34 - Chapter 35 - Chapter 36 - Chapter 37 - Chapter 38 - Chapter 39 - Chapter 40

These are my notes on some important historical works. I have edited and where possible standardized spellings. The subject of the works has not and will not change but they are not word for for word identical with the originals. For instance in the case of General Mikhail_Dmitrievich Skobelev I adopted the more common use of Skobelev rather than Skoboloff. If this presents a problem then find another source. Barry O'Connell

Some other works:

Last count I have over 29,000 web pages in my notes. My main sites are www.SpongoBongo.com and www.PersianCarpetGuide.com

Barry O'Connell's Notes Index and Home Page