Abstract:

The Murgab Sovereign’s Estate was established in the Merv oasis at the crossroads of the Russian Empire, Persia and Afghanistan. The conquest of this oasis was also due to the need to ensure regular and convenient communication between the Turkestan Region and the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Soon after, the emperor decided to create a new irrigation system in the Murgab River valley and populate the irrigated lands with tenants. The construction and reconstruction of dams and the construction of water canals required huge regular investments. The Ministry of the Imperial Court expected that the effect of these investments would greatly exceed all costs in future. It seems that one of the main goals of establishing the sovereign’s estate was to create a model economy that would make tenants value their land and would become a kind of advertisement for the Russian presence in Central Asia. This image, presumably, should have become attractive to both Russian citizens and foreigners. No wonder dozens, if not hundreds, of foreign tourists came to the estate every year. Later, factories for processing agricultural products and a power plant appeared on the estate. However, the special position of the Murgab Sovereign’s Estate, its distance to the center of the state and the great powers of local headmen created the preconditions for abusive activities. But even this did not stop the emperors in their desire to develop a distant but very important possession.

The study is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation № 24-28-00915 (https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00915/) and implemented at the Russian Academy of Entrepreneurship.