ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND STATE PROPERTY IN THE IRRIGATION SECTOR OF SAMARKAND REGION IN TURKESTAN (1897–1917)

Abstract

This article systematically analyzes the activities of the Department of Land and State Property operating in Turkestan between 1897 and 1917 in the field of irrigation development and regulation within the territory of the Samarkand region. The study is based on archival materials and collections of official documents. Particular attention is devoted to the administrative structure, practical measures, and socio-economic reforms implemented by the colonial administration in the irrigation sphere. The article examines meliorative projects carried out in the region, the construction of new main and branch canals, changes in agrarian relations, and the formation of new cultivated lands. It also explores how the water resources of oasis rivers, especially the Zarafshan River, were mobilized to serve the economic interests of the Russian Empire, primarily in support of cotton monoculture. Furthermore, the study highlights the contradictions that emerged between the Russian administration and the government of the Bukhara Emirate regarding water distribution, as well as the heavy tax burdens imposed on the local population and their negative economic consequences.