THE AMUDARYA EXPEDITION OF 1874: GOALS, COURSE AND RESULTS

Abstract

Hydrographic and hydrological observation on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, in particular, the study of the Amu Darya began in the 19th century. The paper considers the Amu Darya expedition, which organized by the Russian Empire in 1874. The author reveals the objectives of expedition, describes the progress of this study, and also highlights its main results. It was shown that the task of this expedition was to resolve the “Amu Darya issue”, that is, to search for a waterway from the Caspian Sea to the Amu Darya along one of the old river beds, called the Uzboy. Since the organization of such a waterway would solve many of the economic and military-strategic tasks of the empire in the conquered region