Advanced Experiments in the Use of Land-Water Resources in the

Khiva Khanate and Its Environmental Significance

Sanjarbek Davletov

, Sadoqat Matkarimova

, Kudrat Masharipov

and Umida Tajieva

Ma'mun University, Department of history, 220901 Khiva city, Republic of Uzbekistan

Urganch State University, Academic High School, 220100 Urganch City, Republic of Uzbekistan

Keywords: Experiment, Land, Water, Environment.

Abstract: The The article analyzes the advanced historical experiences of the use of land and water resources in the

Khiva Khanate and their environmental significance even for today. In it, the authors covered the rational use

of Natural Resources, artificial irrigation systems and traditional farming methods in the Khorezm Oasis. In

the Khiva Khanate, the population used natural humus as fertilizer, mainly along with mineral-rich clays of

Amudarya, to increase land fertility. These methods had a positive effect on ecology, helping to develop

agriculture in harmony with the natural environment. Plants such as saxaul were used to stop sand migration

in the area, knowing natural drainage techniques in lowering groundwater, which served to reduce soil

salinity. Based on the information presented in the article, it was noted that the experience of the inhabitants

of the Khiva Khanate in rational use of land and Water Resources, the targeted use of the flood waters of the

even Amudarya, the issues of water conservation and maintenance of land productivity are also relevant for

the current period. At the same time, the article highlights the importance of these experiments in the

development of modern approaches to ecology and agriculture. This study demonstrates that the rich

knowledge and traditional methods accumulated in the past are also important for the present.

1 INTRODUCTION

Natural resources are one of the foundations of the

cultural development and economic well-being of

countries and peoples. Therefore, the historical

progress of society was in connection with the

effective use of Natural Resources. The processes of

globalization in recent years have also taken their toll

on natural balance, and urgent problems are emerging

before the world community, such as solving the issue

of improving the ecological state along with the

socio-economic situation on planet Earth. Of great

importance is the adoption of the United Nations

Sustainable Development Goals, an international

document aimed at uniting efforts in this regard.

Especially at the present stage of human

development, environmental problems are

increasingly becoming a topic of discussion among

scientists, politicians, civil society institutions.

During the years of independence, the restoration,

preservation, study, spiritual ownership of the

historical heritage created by the Uzbek people by their

ancestors was raised to the level of state policy. In the

field of historical knowledge, research is carried out on

various aspects of the history of the world and

Uzbekistan. In this regard, one of the new directions of

this field is considered the history of the environment.

This direction serves to enrich the aspects of the history

of Uzbekistan and its integral part of the history of

Khorezm related to the relationship of “nature and

society”, expand the population's knowledge of

ecological culture, preserve ecology and the

environment, rational use of Natural Resources, study

and improve modern approaches to finding solutions to

environmental problems.

In this regard, the population of the khwarezmian

Oasis at the heart of traditional agriculture and water

industry is revealed by the fact that the population

used natural resources wisely, based on climatic and

natural conditions, their knowledge of the work of

continuous fertilizing, watering, crop rotation.

2 LITERATURE ANALYSIS AND

METHOD

In the years of independence on the topic, a number

of studies have been carried out in Uzbekistan. To

786

Davletov, S., Matkarimova, S., Masharipov, K. and Tajieva, U.

Advanced Experiments in the Use of Land-Water Resources in the Khiva Khanate and Its Environmental Signiﬁcance.

DOI: 10.5220/0013425400004654

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Humanities Education, Law, and Social Science (ICHELS 2024), pages 786-790

ISBN: 978-989-758-752-8

Them I.Jabborov, H.Ziyaev, R.Ballieva,

M.Jumaniyazova, Yu.Rakhmonova, U.Abdurasulov,

S.Saymanov, S.Matkarimova, N.Kamolova,

M.Karlibaev, S.It is possible to include the work of

Suleymanov and others. They analyzed the issues of

land ownership in the Khorezm Oasis, Land-Water

relations and other aspects.

The role of modern foreign research is also

important in this regard. Among the works belonging

to this group, foreign specialists-scientists C.Becker,

J.Zeiss, E.Brit, P.Sartori, K.Bichsel, V.Naumkin,

E.Burnakova, U.An example can be made of

juzbaeva and others. The issues reflected in their

research are in accordance with the goals set by the

authors to their forefathers, and within them are also

references to certain aspects of the use of nature. For

example, the American scientist s.Of importance is

Becker's work dedicated to the Khanate of Khiva and

Bukhara, in which aspects of economic growth in the

Khanate are embodied using materials on the agrarian

life of Khiva [1].

V.In Naumkin's fossil dedicated to Khiva, it can

be observed that there is evidence to substantiate

aspects related to the nature of the Khiva Khanate and

the issues of its use [2].

J.Irrigation and agricultural life in the Khiva

Khanate was studied in the Zeiss studies using the

example of 1768 – 1914. The author covered the

transformation and continuity of irrigation farming in

the Khiva Khanate in the periods before and after the

invasion of the Russian Empire of 1873 [3].

E. In his study, Brit made a comparative analysis

of two irrigation periods in the Khorezm Oasis, the

first ancient and the second modern systems. In the

opinion of the author, distinctive features in historical

periods were considered an important influencing

factor for environmental stability and human well-

being [4].

In the preparation of this article, based on the

method of historical-comparative analysis, a study

was carried out using the results of historical sources,

in particular documentary materials, as well as

scientific literature, modern research.

3 DISCUSSION AND RESULTS

The centuries-old culture of land cultivation of the

peoples of Central Asia was primarily based on

artificial irrigation. Traditional and forgotten methods

of land and water use in the region have adapted to

climate change.

The soils of the Khorezm Oasis are mainly

composed of alluvial deposits of the Amudarya. In the

composition of this soil, the fact that the climate is

sharply Continental, the air is dry, and human

economic activity has served as an important factor.

The fertility of the soils in the Oasis area was not very

high, but the turbid and various mineral salts brought

by the river greatly increased the fertility of the soil.

Amudaryo's kayaks and Kohna kayars have

grassland, gravelly-marshy soils over alluvial

deposits, and swampy soils in the weirs. Weaving

plants have been found in large numbers in amudarya

kayirs. Shrubs and grasses such as poplar, willow,

jiyda, nettle trees, yulghun, kandir, chiy, quagha,

Birch, etc. The fact that poplar and smoke-free nails

were made for ships was recorded in the memoirs of

19th-century authors [4, 49].

One of the rare parts of the nature of amudarya

weaving was dates. The webs contained a wide

variety of natural vegetation, reedbeds, especially in

abundance. In areas with gravelly soils of the OASIS,

a succulent plant was found in rye, wheat, acorns and

sandy areas, and in the salty lands-a succulent plant.

The Saxons slowed sand migration. Therefore, the

establishment of ixota Groves has also long been

considered important in maintaining the fertility of

agricultural lands [6, 38-39].

By the 11th century, the main type of Agriculture

in Khiva had become composed of wheat. A lot of

information on the fact that a rich harvest of wheat

was obtained was recorded in the archival documents

of the Khiva Khanate [7]. More than half of the arable

land was earmarked for wheat and oats, and about a

fifth was earmarked for cotton. Barley, rice, flax,

sesame, melon and watermelon were planted in the

rest of the land. Residents have also grown Sesame, a

crop that requires little water in its fields. This plant

species was widely used by craftsmen who took oil

and in confectionery. N who was in the city.

Muravyov (1819) noted that in Khiva “they consume

incomparable sesame oil” [8, 87].

Residents also planted the rootstock and produced

red dye from its root. This plant was grown in 3 years.

The roots are taken, washed, dried, milled, sifted Gan

til boil in pots. The annual Root was better, but gave

little paint [5, 25].

Although horticulture plays a much smaller role

in agriculture, but Oaks, peaches, vines, apples,

pomegranates, pears and other fruits have also been

grown in Hiva Gardens [9, 18]. 1819 in Khiva n.

Muravyov wrote about the country's gardening,

noting that Khiva is devoid of forests by nature, but

has a huge abundance of fruits, sweet and health-

beneficial Gardens, which are overflowing with the

labor of the population [8, 87].

Advanced Experiments in the Use of Land-Water Resources in the Khiva Khanate and Its Environmental Signiﬁcance

787

In the Khorezm oasis, from time immemorial,

there was also a lot of cultivation of cereals. Sesame

and flax, melon from melons crops, watermelon,

pumpkin, carrots, onions occupy wide areas. Khiva

melons have been world famous for many centuries.

Farmers knew that these melons grew well on loamy

soil and reached the peak of sweetness only if they

were allowed to ripen during periods of low rainfall.

Historical sources record that these melons, which

formed the bulk of Khiva's exports, were wrapped in

special paper made of dice and transported to distant

lands [11, 334].

The khwarezmian gourd was sent to France in the

1890s with large Caravans through Orenburg and

used to make the best quality cognacs exported to

Russia. Academic N.I.Vavilov estimated in 1928 that

the average weight of Khwarezmian melons was 10-

14 kg.having determined the equivalent of,

Khwarezmian melons are recognized as unequal in

the world in size, sugar, flavor, long storage, long

Transport [12, 7].

Khwarezmian farmers have long developed

complex methods of crop rotation, which allowed

them to process the soil almost continuously during

the growing season without rapid exhaustion. A

number of tourists have reported on the ability of

Khorezm farmers to crop alternately to get the

maximum benefit from their fields without losing

productivity.

The high water of amudarya was one of the main

sources of productivity in Khorezm. Amudarya is

known for its muddy nature, and its floodplains have

accumulated a large amount of fertile soils. There is

reliable evidence that the main fertilizer of the grazier

khwarezmians was humus. Local humus is still the

most environmentally friendly and effective way to

enrich the soil to improve plant growth.

One of the Russian authors noted the practice of

applying fertilizers in Khorezm, “... he noted that

instead of manure, on some lands they prepared fertile

fertilizers from a mixture of dry grass, sometimes ash

and other things with the remains of housing

estates”[13, 210].

Indeed, it is noteworthy that when talking about a

farming culture that represents the productive use of

land resources by the inhabitants of the Khanate, the

population prepared fertilizer-ointments for the fields

in the autumn and winter seasons in order to increase

soil fertility. To do this, somewhere around two

meters of sand was thrown. Then the local fertilizer,

the soil standing in the sun, was mixed several times.

This ointment was prepared in 500 carts, sometimes

even more. In general this method, fertilizer

preparation work could be carried out at any time of

the year. It was also used to trade fertilizer. KHiva

had a large fertilizer trade, and landowners purchased

the fertilizer and spread it to their fields from the

beginning to the middle of spring.

All irrigated fields in the region received water

from the Amudarya, the river transported large

amounts of mud, and thus a layer of mud settled in the

fields irrigated annually. In addition, fertilizers

applied on arable land also contributed to the

strengthening of the cultural and irrigation layer of

the soil. To increase the yield of fields, farmers

carried out special measures that were formed over

the centuries, that is, sand mixed with soil and manure

from the lands of old buildings was thrown into the

fields. In this, manure was fertilizer, and sand

improved the physical properties of clay soils. 22% of

the working time spent by farmers during the entire

agricultural period went to fertilize the land [14, 200].

Thus, irrigation water was involved in the creation of

a cultural-irrigated layer of soils, on the one hand, the

peasant himself on the other.

Foreign experts have noted that during the study

period, the level of productivity of Khwarezmian

agriculture is sharply different compared to the

average productivity in other regions of the world.

Fertilizing and irrigation, using high seeding

standards, Khwarezm farms in the years when

farming came well every acre[ acre (Eng. acre) is a

unit of surface in the English system of measurement.

1 A. = 4840 sq. yard = 4046.86 m2.] 36 to 42 bushels

from the ground[ Bushel (Eng. bushel) is a measure

of volume of liquids and solvents. It is mainly used in

England and the USA. 1 B. = 36.4 l. (In England); 1

B. = 35.2 l. (In the US).] up to harvest. The average

yield per acre of land in Khiva was at least 30 bushels.

In 1900, the average yield of wheat in only 4 states in

the United States exceeded 20 bushels per 1 acre of

land, while one-third of the states had half that [15,

22].

The Russian zoologist scientist Bogdanov had

great respect for the inhabitants of the Khanate,

highly appreciated their skill and laboriousness,

because of this, the Agriculture of the Khiva Oasis

was at a high level. “These peaceful desert cultivators

did not destroy anything in nature, "wrote modest

Nikolaevich," but enriched the local fauna. They were

not mistaken in choosing a place. It took a lot of work

to turn the lifeless Tair lands into a flourishing Oasis,

now surrounded by arid deserts, Sandlands, this area

is the most suitable places for farming, horticulture,

winemaking and silkmaking in terms of its

productivity and healthy climate” [16, 132]. Similar

information is given in large numbers in the materials

of the authors of the XIX century.

ICHELS 2024 - The International Conference on Humanities Education, Law, and Social Science

788

In conditions of water scarcity, specific methods

of preparing, fertilizing and watering land in the Oasis

have been formed. In particular, the preparation of the

field for cultivation began with the leveling of the

surface of the earth, that is, the hills of the earth are

plowed and the swamps are filled. For more

convenient irrigation, it is divided into separate small

areas separated from each other by soil ridges. Then

the field was washed with salt several times in a row

by repeated watering. The soil, especially during the

first irrigation, quickly absorbed the water and

dissolved salts surfaced. Thus, the layer in which the

plant roots mainly develop is cleaned. A method of

draining (draining) water to the other side, saturated

with salt and not yet having time to be absorbed into

the soil, was also used.

In the context of the Khorezm Oasis, there has

long been a tradition of breeding gujum and willow

trees due to the proximity of the waters of the erosti

(sizot). The roots of these trees pulled the sizot into

the underlying layers of the Earth, which, in addition

to improving the reclamation, gave a large amount of

wood product, and for building it was an important

resource. In particular, the resistance of gujum Wood

to different conditions was taken into account [17,

124]. Under the shade of cersoia and the exotic gujum

tree, the temperature of the basin decreased. The

gujum tree is suitable for the hot and dry climate of

Khiva, and because it also feeds on salt water, in 50

degrees of heat, the temperature in its shade can drop

to 35 degrees.

The rich experience accumulated over many years

in irrigation work has made it possible for local

residents to create complex water management

techniques and develop certain skills in its

implementation. As a result, in the process of long

Progress, a kind of irrigation technique arose,

gradually moving from the simplest methods of water

extraction mechanisms to much more complex ones.

While in Khorezm the simplest ways to extract water

from canals to fields were "sepma", "depma" and

"Nova", the so-called "Pig" ancient water outlet has

become the most "improved" method.

Another feature of the Khanate's natural

conditions is the issue of flooding in the river. These

events, on the one hand, necessitated the adoption of

measures to protect the fields in agriculture, and on

the other, encouraged the productive use of it in the

irrigation of land areas in conditions of water scarcity.

The water of amudarya was flooded several times a

year. As these floods coincided with a time when

crops needed water, local farmers compiled a flood

calendar based on centuries of experience. Therefore,

there were also special people in the Khorezm Oasis

who knew when the river flood began and told how

the river flow changes [18, 32]. According to their

calendar, irrigation farming in the oasis (during the

growing season of the crop) was based on 4 Floods of

the Amudarya: 1) Blue cane; 2) white fish; 3) star; 4)

forty chiles.

In particular, the "Blue Reed flood" (late March),

that is, in the lakes, begins at the moment when the

Reed has just sprouted. Depending on the rate of

growth of the Reed, the flood has been found to be

timely or delayed. In mid-April, Whitefish began to

cross the Island Sea into the upper reaches of the

Amudarya. It is said to be a" Whitefish Stingray". The

"starburst" (mid-may) is designated by the time of

appearance of the Hulkar constellation. The "forty-

childish rash" (summer chilla) began in the second

half of June and lasted up to 40 days. If the floods

were delayed or not at all, it alarmed the whole

country and signaled the destruction of the farm [19,

305]. During the winter months in the Khiva

Khanate, ice formed in large channels, Lakes, was

crushed and buried in one place in a very large

volume, with soil after covering the top. Such

fragments of ice in garams were used as a source of

coldness during the summer period. The

environmental advantage of this is that the ice has

reduced the environmental heat in the summer during

the melting process.

It is known that salt water, when freezing, is

squeezed out by its salt molecules, ice crystals. As a

result, when the ice dissolves, fresh water is formed.

Therefore, the ice formed during the winter period

served as a source of fresh water and coldness during

the summer [20, 26].

4 CONCLUSION

The rich experience accumulated over many years in

the use of land and water resources in the Khorezm

Oasis made it possible to create a complex water

management technique and introduce it, to form a

certain skill in the formation of ground handling

technology. In conditions of water scarcity, specific

methods of preparing, fertilizing and watering land in

the Oasis have been formed.

In the Khiva Khanate, humus served as the

main fertilizer. In addition to humus, in some cases,

household residues, ash mixture also served as

fertilizer. It should be noted that the rich experience

accumulated by khwarezmian peasants during a long

historical period in irrigation work made it possible to

create complex water management techniques.

Advanced Experiments in the Use of Land-Water Resources in the Khiva Khanate and Its Environmental Signiﬁcance

789

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