Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
1
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
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2771-2222)
VOLUME
02
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SSUE
10
Pages:
01-06
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MPACT
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(2021:
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705
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(2022:
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ABSTRACT
Particularly great progress in the study, description and mapping of the Caspian and Aral Seas dates back to the XVIII
century, when geographical research in Russia acquired a state, organized character. In 1739, Abulkhair asked for the
construction of a city in the lower reaches of the Syrdarya. Since the issue of this was considered in Orenburg back in
1736, Abulkhair’s request was met with sympathy in the fall of 1740. During this period, many depth measurements
were made and the largest 68-meter depression in the Aral Sea was established, soil samples were taken, salinity,
color and transparency of water were determined.
KEYWORDS
Description, mapping, Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, geographical research, Syrdarya, depth measurements, salinity, color,
transparency, Russian Empire.
INTRODUCTION
A comprehensive study of the Aral Sea and a complete
geographical study began after the XVI century. Khan
of Khiva Abulgazi Bahadurkhan, who lived in the XVII
century, gave information about the Aral Sea in his
works. He wrote that by the end of the XVI century, the
Amu Darya flowed into the Caspian Sea [1]. We can also
get information about the Aral Sea from the map of the
Muscovite state, developed in 1627. In it, the island is
called “Blue Sea”.
Since the XVIII century, the Russian Empire began to
organize expeditions to explore the lands of Central
Asia and Kazakhstan. In 1740-1741 the expedition led by
I. Muravin, sent to the shores of the Syrdarya and the
Research Article
SHEVCHENKO AND BUTAKOV ON THE ARAL SEA
Submission Date:
October 10, 2022,
Accepted Date:
October 15, 2022,
Published Date:
October 28, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijhps/Volume02Issue10-01
S.A. Sulaymanov
Associate Professor Karakalpak State University Nukus, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijhps
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
2
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2222)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
10
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
METADATA
IF
–
5.458
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Aral Sea, gives some clarifications to the information
about the Aral Sea. He mapped the east of the Aral Sea
for the first time. During the 18th century, M.
Bekchurin, T. S. Burnashev, A. S. Beznosikov provided
information about the sea based on their travels [2].
THE MAIN FINDINGS AND RESULTS
In the first quarter of the XVIII century the trade
relations of the Karakalpaks with Bukhara and Khiva,
with the Bashkirs and through them with Russia are
being strengthened. Trying to strengthen friendly ties
with Russia, the Karakalpaks repeatedly send their
ambassadors to Kazan and Ufa. This was explained not
only by economic interests, but also by the desire of
the Karakalpaks to protect themselves from the attack
of the Dzungars, which at that time became an active
political force. The trend of the Karakalpaks towards
rapprochement with the Russians was consistent with
the desire of Russia to move to the East in search of
new ways to replenish the state treasury, depleted by
the Northern War. Russian caravan routes to Central
Asia passed through Karakalpak territory, and the
ruling circles of Russia were interested in the safety of
trade caravans. In December 1721, D.T. Vershinin was
sent to the Karakalpaks, who agreed on the return of
Russian prisoners. Together with Vershinin, Karakalpak
envoys went to Russia to negotiate with the Russian
government.
In
1722,
the
Karakalpak
Khan
Ishmuhammed sent a letter to Peter I with an offer of
friendly relations. Although this first attempt by the
Karakalpaks to get closer to the Russians was
unsuccessful (due to the invasion of the Dzungars in
J723), it paved the way for the further development of
friendly relations [7].
In 1730, Abulkhair, Khan of the Kazakhs, who roamed
from the river. Ural (Yaik) to the Syrdarya, asked for his
acceptance, together with the Kazakh people, into
Russian citizenship. In this regard, in 1731, Megmet
Tevkelev, an interpreter of the College of Foreign
Affairs, was sent to Abulkhair, and with him two
geodetic officers to shoot the places occupied by the
Kazakhs. This was the first filming of the Aral Sea
shores. The original maps of this expedition remained
unknown to me, but that they existed (or do they
exist?) is proved by the fact that on the map of the
Russian Empire by Ivan Kirilov, published in 1734, but
compiled in 1733, the northern shores of the Aral Sea
are depicted much more correctly than on all previous
maps of these places (before Tevkelev, the Aral Sea
was mapped solely by inquiries). In addition, on the
map of Kirilov, north of the Aral Sea, it is written: Kirgisi
subditi
–
“Kyrgyz, brought into citizenship”. And the
transition of the local Kazakhs to Russian citizenship
took place in 1732, after the trip of Tevkelev [8].
Particularly great progress in the study, description
and mapping of the Caspian and Aral Seas dates back
to the XVIII century, when geographical research in
Russia acquired a state, organized character. In 1739,
Abulkhair asked for the construction of a city in the
lower reaches of the Syrdarya. Since the issue of this
was considered in Orenburg back in 1736, Abulkhair’s
request was met with sympathy in the fall of 1740. And
the khan was sent to inspect the area, lieutenant,
Dmitry Gladyshev and surveyor Ivan Muravin. Having
visited the Kuvan Darya (left channel of the Syrdarya)
and Khiva, in April 1741 they returned to Orsk. On the
way, a survey was made, on the basis of which in 1741
Muravin compiled a map. Bearing the name “New Land
Map to the tract from Orenburg through the Kyrgyz,
Karakalpak and Aral possessions to the city of Khiva
and part of the Aral Sea and the rivers flowing into it,
part of the Syrdarya. Kuvan Darya. Ulu-
darya” (Ulu
-
darya is Amu-darya). It was not printed in a timely
manner, but its data were used in the Russian Atlas,
published by the Academy of Sciences in 1745. This map
was published for the first time by Y. Khanykov,
Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
3
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
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2771-2222)
VOLUME
02
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10
Pages:
01-06
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(2021:
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705
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(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
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1121105677
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–
5.458
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
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together with the reports of Gladkov and Muravin, in
1850 in Geographic News, published by the
Geographical Society. It bears the title “Land map of
the tract from the fortress of Orskaya through the
Kirghiz, Karakalpak, Aral possessions to the city of
Khiva, described and composed by Geodesy Ensign
Muravin in 1743”. This card was a great achievement
for its time. In 1752, the surveyor Krasilnikov compiled
a map of the Orenburg province and adjacent places in
Orenburg. It was published only in 1880 by the
Orenburg departments of the Geographical Society.
On this map, the eastern shore of the Aral Sea is
depicted according to Muravin’s handwritten map of
1741.
The first large Russian expedition, which could collect
information about the nature of Ustyurt and the Aral
Sea, crossed it from northwest to southeast (through
the wells of Sam and Beleuli) in 1717. It was organized
by order of Peter I, led by A. Bekovich
–
Cherkassky [8].
In 1825, the expedition of Colonel F.F. Berg took place,
visiting the western shore of the Aral Sea. She first
made here, in 1826, a number of astronomical
observations and made a route survey of the western
coast. Subsequently (in 1845) Berg was one of the
founders of the Geographical Society. A map of the
Aral Sea, compiled on the basis of new data, is attached
to the book by A. Levshin “Description of the Kirghiz
-
Cossack or Kirghiz-
Kaisak hordes and steppes” (vol. 1.
St. Petersburg, 1832). During 1840-1847, surveys and
astronomical determinations were made on the
northern and northeastern shores of the sea.
Navigator Aleksey Ivanovich Butakov is well known to
us as an explorer of the Aral Sea, the Syrdarya and
Amudarya rivers. In 1848-1849, as the head of the Aral
expedition, he carried out hydrographic surveys in the
Aral Sea and discovered Vozrozhdenie and other
islands. Based on the materials of the expedition, a
map of the Aral Sea was published. He examined the
names of the Syr Darya, the Amudarya delta. In 1857-
1859, commanding the Aral military flotilla, he carried
out a number of works in the lower reaches of the Amu
Darya. On the basis of a long study of the territory of
the Aral Sea region, A.I. Butakov wrote a number of
works on the nature of this region. Articles written by
him were published on the pages of the then press.
These
are the works: “Information about the
expedition equipped to describe the Aral Sea in 1848”,
published in the journal “Bulletin” of the Geographical
Society in 1853; “Delta and mouth of the Amu Darya”,
published in “Domestic notes”, “Coasts of the Aral
Se
a”, published in “Turkestan’s statements”, as well as
“Several pages on the history of Khiva”, about
Magomed Tyuri taking Sufi control of Kungrad and
killing him” and other. Works, letters, diaries of A. I.
Butakov serve as valuable sources about the nature of
the Aral Sea region and historical events of the middle
of the last century and the history of relations between
the peoples of Karakalpakstan [9].
At the beginning of 1848, a scientific expedition was
undertaken to study the Aral Sea. The head of the
expedition was Captain-Lieutenant A.I. Butakov. The
task of the expedition was to study the nature of the
Aral Sea, the flora and fauna of its shores, and conduct
meteorological and anthropological observations. To
sketch the views of the Aral Sea, Butakov included in
his expedition the artist T. Shevchenko.
The creative heritage of T. G. Shevchenko is connected
with the territory of the Aral Sea region. He spent ten
years in exile (1847-1857). During this time, T. G.
Shevchenko left wonderful works of art as a
draftsman, being a member of the Aral expedition
(1848-1849). The legacy of the Ukrainian poet and artist
Taras Grigoryevich Shevchenko is great. As part of the
Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
4
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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VOLUME
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Pages:
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Publisher:
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Aral expedition of Captain A.I. Butakov, he visited the
delta of the Amu Darya.
The Ukrainian poet Taras Grigoryevich Shevchenko
(1814-1861) was exiled as a private to the Orsk fortress
with a ban on writing or drawing anything. Thus,
having stayed in the Orsk fortress for about 11 months,
Shevchenko on May 11, 1848, with a company of
Cossacks from the Orsk fortress, went on an
expedition [3].
Along the way, Shevchenko made a number of
drawings “Kara butak”, “Fire in the steppe”,
“Dustanovy graves”, “Irgiz kala”, “Dzhangiz agach”,
etc.
The expedition caravan arrived in Raim on June 19,
184
8. In Raim, the schooner “Konstantin” was
assembled and launched into the Aral Sea. On the
schooner, Shevchenko made many drawings and
watercolors. At the end of September, the schooner
anchored in the Kos-Aral fort on the northeastern
shore of the Aral Sea.
It was the wintering place of the expedition. In addition
to drawing, for which he had official permission from
the head of the expedition, Shevchenko also wrote
many poems.
From Butakov’s expedition to the Aral Sea,
Shevchenko made many domestic and landscape
drawings. Here Shevchenko first became closely
acquainted with the local population.
Among the numerous surviving watercolors of T. G.
Shevchenko there are landscape sketches, among
which the attention of “Ulken
-
Murun” draws attention
to the rock
y seashores near the Urge area, “Tokpak ata
aulie”
- on the Muynak peninsula, but as the candidate
of art history A. Allamuratov writes, “most of the
poet’s drawings and manuscripts were confiscated
upon return and subsequently lost. According to the
doctor of historical sciences G. N. Chavrov,
“Shevchenko’s Aral works are more diverse in subject
matter and emotional expressiveness” [9].
T. G. Shevchenko created a portrait of Tomasz Werner,
one of the participants in the Aral expedition, a former
student at the Polytechnic Institute. Tomasz Werner
was a geologist on an expedition to the Aral Sea.
Russian artists captured interesting pictures from the
life of Karakalpakstan.
On November 6, 1849, the expedition returned to
Orenburg and brought rich material about the nature
and features of the Aral Sea, Shevchenko’s album was
also extremely valuable, which gave an accurate
picture of the northeastern shores of the Aral Sea.
The head of the Orenburg Territory, General Obruchev,
was very pleased with the views of the Aral Sea made
by Shevchenko.
The expedition spent the winter of 1848-49 on the
island of Kos-
Aral. Butakov’s days were spent in the
processing of astronomical observations, in the
analysis and systematization of the geological and
botanical collections collected during the voyage.
Taras Shevchenko, who brought a lot of fresh
impressions from the journey through the unknown
sea, enriched the poet with new knowledge and poetic
images, painted and wrote poetry. On Kos-Aral,
Shevchenko created a cycle o
f poems called “Kings”.
More than fifty poems were written by Taras
Shevchenko during wintering in Kos-Aral.
In the National Library of Uzbekistan named after. A.
Navoi kept the manuscript of one of the diaries of the
first explorer of the Aral Sea A.I. Butakov. It contains
both forged notes of his navigation on this reservoir in
1849 from the opening day of the campaign on May 6
Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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and until its end on September 22, as well as drafts of
the report, official documents and letters concerning
the Aral expedition and projects for organizing a
shipping company in the Aral Sea and flowing into it
rivers. Here, in addition to papers, we find our own
album and several copies of drawings by T.G.
Shevchenko [4].
Butakov’s diary began on March 13, 1848 in Orenburg
and
contains
many
interesting
entries
and
observations, including several passages dedicated to
T.G. Shevchenko.
During this period, many depth measurements were
made and the largest 68-meter depression in the Aral
Sea was established, soil samples were taken, salinity,
color and transparency of water were determined. The
researchers found that the waters of the Aral are
constantly moving along the coast in a clockwise
direction. A.I. Butakov studied the geological features
of the banks of the Aral Sea and found a rich deposit of
coal. Even then, Aleksey Ivanovich pointed to the
gradual drying up of the Aral Sea.
Selfless research work of A.I. Butakov received
recognition in the scientific community - on January 27,
1849 he was elected a full member of the Russian
Geographical Society. At the same time he was
promoted to lieutenant commander. But there was still
a huge amount of work ahead, for the implementation
of which it was necessary to have versatile marine
knowledge. In 1849, work on the Aral Sea lasted almost
half a year and ended on September 22.
The expedition made a general reconnaissance of the
Aral Sea, discovered and studied several islands, and
created a network of astronomical points. At the same
time, meteorological observations were carried out, an
inventory of the ice situation was made, and magnetic
declination was determined. The sailors quite
reasonably concluded that the Aral Sea is one of the
most stormy and restless. As a result of these works,
the first sea chart of the Aral Sea was published and its
detailed navigation and hydrographic description was
compiled [5].
An album of Taras Shevchenko with sketches of the
coast was attached to the expedition’s reporting
materials, although he was strictly forbidden to write
or draw anything. On instructions from St. Petersburg
A.I. Butakov was severely reprimanded in connection
with the greatest anger of the Emperor. The Russian
Geographical Society refused to award him its highest
award, the Konstantinov Gold Medal, and the detailed
description of the shores of the Aral Sea compiled by
him was published only in 1872, after the death of the
author [6].
CONCLUSION
The Aral military flotilla protected navigation, provided
military transportation and carried out hydrographic
work, all its steamers and auxiliary vessels had artillery
weapons.
REFERENCES
1.
Tolstov S.P. Along the ancient deltas of the
Oxus and Jaksart.
Мoscow:,1962.
2.
Beisenova A.S. Research of the nature of
Kazakhstan. BUT:1979.
3.
Pochekaev R.Yu. “A.I. Butakov and the Aral
Flotilla in the late 1840s - early 1860s. Journal
“Questions of History”. № 4 for 2015.
4.
Dmitriev V.I. “A.I. Butakov”. Moscow:
1955.
5.
To the 200th anniversary of the birth of the
outstanding hydrographer, explorer of the Aral
Sea, Rear Admiral A.I. Butakov. MO RF.
Encyclopedia.
Volume 02 Issue 10-2022
6
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
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2771-2222)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
10
Pages:
01-06
SJIF
I
MPACT
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(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
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–
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Publisher:
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6.
Berg L.S. Selected Works I vol. History of
science. Publishing house of the Academy of
Sciences. Moscow:1956.
7.
Nurmukhammedov
M.K.,
Kamalov
S.K.,
Zhdanko
T.A.,
Karakalpak.
“SCIENCE”.
Tashkent: 1971.
8.
The first Russian scientific researches of
Ustyurt. Publishing house of the Academy of
Sciences. Moscow: 1963.
9.
Tileumuratov M. The origins of the cultural ties
of the Karakalpaks with the neighboring
peoples of the Aral Sea region. Nukus
“Karakalpakstan” 1986.
