Notes on M. Fedchenko's Map of Maghian.

1873 Weller Map of Maghian, Western Tajikistan

Publication Date: 1873

About this Item

Very good. Some creasing along fold lines. Repaired area of loss towards top-left. Size 7.5 x 10.5 Inches. This is an 1873 map of 'Maghian,' that is, the area that now comprises the westernmost portion of Sughd Province in Tajikistan, along the border with Uzbekistan. Based on a Russian map by Alexei Fedchenko, it was lithographed by Edward Weller and published by John Murray in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society . A Closer Look Coverage extends from Samarkand (Samarcand) at top-left, along the Zarafshan (Zeravshan) River at top and southwards through the Zeravshan Mountain Range. This region now forms the westernmost portion of Tajikistan, along the border with Uzbekistan. Aside from the Zeravshan River and mountain range, other names still in use are recognizable, such as Pendjkend (Panjakent) and Guzar (Gusar). In addition to mountains and rivers, roads and settlements are also indicated. Scales are given in English miles and (Russian) versts. The Tsar Comes for Sogdiana This region was the traditional heartland of the Sogdians, the great traders of Central Asia in the era preceding the arrival of Islam in the 7th - 8th centuries CE. At the time this map was published, the area had recently been conquered by the Russian Empire and incorporated into its Turkestan General Governorate. At the time the Great Game was in full force. The British warily watched Russia's expansion into Central Asia, as the two massive empires jockeyed for position in the 'Great Game.' The Great Game 'The Great Game' was a diplomatic confrontation between the British and Russian Empires over Afghanistan and other territories in Central and Southern Asia. The conflict, rooted in long-standing animosity between Russia and Britain, revolved around Afghanistan, which, while lacking significant resources of its own, was strategically situated. For its part, Russia feared Britain was making commercial and military inroads into Central Asia, an area long within the sphere of influence of St. Petersburg. Britain, conversely, feared Russia making gains in India, 'the jewel in the crown' of British Asia. The escalating tensions led to several wars and proxy wars: The First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 - 1842), the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845 - 1846), the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848 - 1849), and the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878 - 1880), along with the Russian annexations of Khiva, Bukhara, and Kokand. Then as now, Afghanistan proved a grinding stone upon which the world's great empires diminished themselves, none achieving a definitive victory despite committing staggering resources. The Great Game 'ended' on September 10, 1895, with the signing of the Pamir Boundary Commission Protocols, which stabilized the border between Afghanistan and the Russian Empire - but well into the 20th century the British were well aware the conflict remained. Regarding the attitude of Afghans to the British and to the Russians, the general assumption of the British was that 'Some will fight for us, some against us, but all will fight.' Publication History and Census This map was lithographed by Edward Weller and published by the firm John Murray. It appeared in 1873 in Volume 43 of the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society to accompany an article by Robert Michell, presumably a member of the Royal Geographical Society, who occasionally translated maps and texts from Russian to English. Michell's article is mainly a translation of the map and an accompanying description originally done by Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko (Ð Ð»ÐµÐºÑ ÐµÐ Ð Ð°Ð Ð»Ð¾Ð Ð Ñ Ð¤ÐµÐ Ñ ÐµÐ½ÐºÐ¾), a well-known naturalist and explorer of Central Asia (who, incidentally, died in 1873 while climbing Mont Blanc), in Proceedings of the Russian Society of Natural Science, Anthropology, and Ethnography (Ð Ð Ð ÐµÑ Ñ Ð Ñ Ð Ð¼Ð¿ÐµÑ Ð°Ñ Ð¾Ñ Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð Ð¾ Ð Ð±Ñ ÐµÑ Ñ Ð Ð° Ð Ñ Ð±Ð Ñ ÐµÐ»ÐµÐ Ð Ñ Ñ ÐµÑ Ñ Ð Ð¾Ð Ð½Ð°Ð½Ð Ñ , Ð Ð½Ñ Ñ Ð¾Ð¿Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð Ð Ð Ð ÐÑ Ð½Ð¾Ð Ñ Ð°Ñ Ð Ð ). The English-language map is independently cataloge. Seller Inventory # Maghian-murray-1873

Bibliographic Details

Title: Notes on M. Fedchenko's Map of Maghian.

Publication Date: 1873

Binding: Soft cover