Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
133
9
https://eipublication.com/index.php/jsshrf
TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
133-136
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
29 March 2025
ACCEPTED
25 April 2025
PUBLISHED
27 May 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Trade Routes Connecting
the Bukhara Emirate and
India In the Second Half of
the 19th - Early 20th
Centuries
Nozimjon Ikhtiyorovich Ibrohimov
Researcher, Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This article provides information about the
trade routes and their branches that were considered
important in the commercial relations between the
Bukhara Emirate and India. The study also examines
issues such as trade centers, types of imported and
exported products exchanged between the two
countries, and customs duties collected along the trade
routes.
Keywords:
Bukhara Emirate, India, trade routes,
directions, mountain passes, trade centers, markets,
imports, exports, products.
Introduction:
The Bukhara Emirate was one of the
major centers of the Eastern commercial world in
Central Asia. In particular, by the 19th century, the
Emirate's position in the commercial sphere had grown
even stronger. When we examine the trade relations
between the Bukhara Emirate and India from the
second half of the 19th century to the early 20th
century, we witness their rapid development. During
this period, the Emirate's major cities such as Bukhara,
Karshi, Samarkand, Sherabad, Hisar, Guzor, and others
conducted regular trade with Indian commercial hubs
like Peshawar, Multan, Calcutta, and Shikarpur.
Commercial operations between the two countries
were carried out via major caravan routes passing
through Kabul, Herat, and Kandahar in Afghanistan.[1]
Caravan routes played an invaluable role in conducting
trade, as merchants were keen on ensuring the safe and
swift delivery of their goods to their destinations.
Merchants always strived to travel along safe and
smooth roads. And road safety served as one of the
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
134
https://eipublication.com/index.php/jsshrf
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
most crucial factors for them.
METHOD
When we examine the history of trade between the
Bukhara Emirate and India, we see that trade routes
played a significant role and were divided into several
branches. By the second half of the 19th century, we
can observe that trade relations between the emirate
and India were conducted through multiple caravan
routes and their directions. For instance, a trading
caravan departing from the Indian city of Peshawar
would travel for 3 days through the Khyber Pass to
reach the city of Jalalabad, and then proceed to Kabul.
Here, the merchants would pay zakat tax for the goods
they brought and continue on their journey. As the
road passing through the Hindu Kush mountains
consisted of mountainous terrain, crossing was quite
challenging and posed several weeks of risks. The main
problem for merchants was the tribes living in the
Khybar Pass. They constantly attacked trade caravans.
To protect themselves from their attacks, the
merchants used the armed forces of the Povinda tribe,
who lived in the Khybar Pass. The Povinda tribe not
only ensured the safety of caravans but also engaged
in trade themselves. Members of the Povinda tribe
brought and sold "muslin" (thin) fabric woven in
southern India, nectar dye, gauze, tea, brocade, dyeing
roots, medicinal herbs, black pepper, shale, and other
trade goods to the markets of Bukhara [2].
The caravan that departed from Kabul (Peshawar)
traveled to Bamiyan for 16 days. During this period,
merchants stopped in Sarychashma, Khulm, and
Bamiyan to pay zakat again. The caravan from Bamiyan
traveled to Balkh in 2 days, and from Balkh to Karki in
7-9 days, paying zakat in these cities as well, and
reached the city of Karshi. From here, merchants going
to Kokand and Tashkent traveled to their destinations
through Samarkand, while those going to Bukhara
traveled to various regions of the emirate [3].
Caravans traveling in this direction, upon returning
from Bukhara to India, paid customs duties in Karshi
and Karki and entered Afghan territory. The merchants
paid tribute again in the cities of Balkh, Khulm,
Bamiyan, and Kabul and went to Jalalabad, and then
through the Khyber Pass to Peshawar. P.I. Nebolsin
emphasized the importance of the Peshawar road,
passing through the Khyber Pass, in connecting the
Bukhara Emirate with the Indian cities of Shikarpur,
Multan, and Peshawar. He also described that trade
caravans came to Kabul through Lahore, Peshawar,
and the Khyber Pass, where all trade caravans united
and went to Bamiyan, Oybek, Tashkurgan, Mazar-i-
Sharif, crossed the Amu Darya, and then came to Kalif,
and then to Bukhara, covering the journey from Kabul
to Bukhara in 27 days"[4].
By the second half of the 19th century, silk occupied a
special place among the products exported from
Bukhara to India. Camels loaded with silk from Bukhara
reached Khulm in 15 days, and merchants paid a duty of
1.5 gold for each pood of cargo. In general, merchants
paid a duty of up to 250-300 rupees per camel loaded
with silk before reaching Indian cities. The main part of
the silk sent from Bukhara was processed into finished
products in the city of Multan and distributed to various
cities of India. Shikapur merchants were the leaders in
delivering silk fabrics to shopping centers [5].
Trade caravans departing from the city of Karshi to India
traveled in two directions: Ajirim-Sho'rbozor-Ayritom-
through villages in the western part of Kungirtau[6],
while the second route passed through the Jom-
Sho'rquduq-Qoratikon well along the southeastern
slopes of Kungirtau[7]. V. A. Petrov provided
information about the Bukhara-Karakul branch leading
to India, according to which the road passed along the
second stream of the Zarafshan, passing through the
village of Chandir, passing through the sands 40 versts
from Karakul, continuing through the villages of Bitik
and Farab, and then to Chardzhou, and then to
Afghanistan [8]. Merchants also used the network of
internal local roads in the direction of Karmana-Karshi-
Kelif. These networks were also an important transit
route to the main trading cities of Afghanistan and India.
By the middle of the 19th century, trade relations
between Bukhara and India were conducted along two
main routes. The first route involved trade caravans
departing from Calcutta or Bombay, passing through the
city of Peshawar to Kabul, and then on to Bukhara. The
second route came by sea from India to the Persian Gulf
port of Bandar Busheht in Iran, and from there
proceeded to Isfahan, Mashhad, Merv, Chardzhou, and
finally to Bukhara. Although transporting Indian
products to Bukhara through Iranian routes was
relatively shorter, the cost of goods imported to
Bukhara via Iran was 4 rubles and 30 kopecks cheaper
than
those
imported
through
Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, merchants rarely used the route leading
to Bukhara through Iran. They were forced to use this
route only during emergencies, internal conflicts within
states, or when the security of the caravan route was
not adequately ensured.
By the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century,
the existing roads connecting cities and districts did not
lose their significance. 1. Bukhara-Kashgar, 2. Bukhara-
Merv, 3. Bukhara-Manqishloq, 4. Roads such as
Bukhara-Saray[9] are among them. Among these
branches, the Bukhara-Saray road was an important
trade route for the import of Anglo-Indian goods into
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
135
https://eipublication.com/index.php/jsshrf
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
the emirate. From Sarai, the caravan arrived in
Kurgantepa, from where it led to the Kazakh Mazar,
Saray, Chubek, Bagarak, Kulyab, Hisar, and Kabadiyan
regions of Eastern Bukhara [10].
The Bukhara-Kashgar road also played an important
role in Bukhara-India trade relations. Caravans
departing from Bukhara reached Kashgar through
Samarkand, Khujand, Osh, Margilan, and the Bulatog
Pass. Due to the well-developed trade, this city was
also called "Little Bukhara." This road network served
as an important exit point for merchants from cities
like Merv, Mangyshlak, and Sarai. Here the road was
again divided into branches, through the first of which
it was possible to reach China, and through the second
- India. The advantage of this road was that the
distances between the roads were close and
inexpensive. The disadvantage is that, since these
roads were mountain roads, the road sections were
washed away by rains, which made it difficult to safely
transport cargo caravans [11]. It was through the
Kashgar route that Indian merchants supplied Central
Asia with green tea [12].
The Bukhara-Karshi-Termez-Saray road, like other
trade routes, has served merchants since ancient
times. D. Logofet also provided information about this
road network: "Since ancient times, local and foreign
merchants have continuously used this road. Through
this route, caravans traveled to Europe and India, from
which the Bukhara Emirate received large profits"[13].
I. Yavorskiy also noted the importance of this road for
conducting trade. It also states that "the road is
smooth and convenient for movement, which
indicates the constant movement of caravans"[14]. A.
Vambery, describing the safety of these roads, writes:
"The roads were under strict control by the Emir of
Bukhara, and not only large and small trade caravans,
but also individual travelers could freely travel on this
road"[15].
The Bandi Sultan-Herat-Kandahar trade route also
played a significant role in the Bukhara Emirate's
international trade relations. Sources indicate that
caravans have used this trade route since ancient
times. By the 1860s-1880s, the Bukhara-Chorjo'y-Marv
caravan route was still highly influential in Bukhara-
India trade relations [16].
The Bukhara-Chorjuy-Merv and Bukhara-Karshi-
Termez-Saray routes served as the main trade arteries
for merchants traveling between Bukhara and India. In
addition to these land routes, the Amu Darya
waterway, which stretched from Chorjuy through
Karshi to Saray, was also utilized in Bukhara-India trade
relations [17].
For instance, on the Karshi-Termez-Saray route from
Sherabad to Karshi-Bukhara, it was possible to hire up
to 500 camels for transportation during a one-month
period, and up to 1000 camels in winter. The cost of
transporting goods by camel varied. From Sherabad to
Karshi, the price ranged from 3 rubles 40 kopecks to 4
rubles; to Kalif, from 3 rubles to 3 rubles 50 kopecks; to
Guzar, from 2 rubles 60 kopecks to 3 rubles; and to
Chuchkaguzar at the Amu Darya crossing, from 1 ruble
60 kopecks to 1 ruble 90 kopecks [18].
E.A. Lusternik pointed out that in Bukhara-India trade, a
network of three trade routes stretched along the banks
of the Panj and Amu Darya rivers to Bukhara, from
which trade caravans also traveled. The first was a road
network from Bukhara to Calcutta, the distance
between which was 7674.4 km, and the trade caravan
reached the destination in 181 days. Due to the long
distance of the road and the great difficulty it required
from merchants to cross the passes, Bukharan and other
merchants practically did not use this road. The second
was another additional branch of the road from Bukhara
to Calcutta, with a total length of 7,165.6 km, and
caravans reached it in 169 days. This road network was
also inconvenient for merchants, so few people used it.
The third was an urgent route from Bukhara to Calcutta,
considered the trade center of India, the length of which
was 7716.8 km, which could be covered in 172 days [19].
India played an important role in the trade of the
Bukhara Emirate with foreign countries. For example,
the caravanserais of Abdurashid, Badriddin, Barran
Kuhna, Domlasher, Ismailkhoja, and Mirzagul in Bukhara
served as warehouses for tea brought from Peshawar.
In these caravanserais, 16 varieties of tea were sold. N.
Petrovsky, having collected information about the
Anglo-Indian trade since the beginning of 1870,
characterizes it as follows: "Based on my two-year
observations of Central Asian trade, I am convinced that
Bukhara is the main center of this trade"[20].
CONCLUSION
The importance of trade routes for the states of Central
Asia was very great, and along these routes, in addition
to Bukharan merchants, merchants from Khiva, the
Kokand Khanate, and Eastern countries also conducted
active trade. Despite the fact that Bukharan-Indian
merchants were repeatedly forced to pay zakat on
caravan routes, trade between the two countries did
not cease; on the contrary, trade relations developed
year by year. With the introduction of railways into the
emirate, the importance of trade routes between the
two states decreased, and the use of these routes
practically ceased. Now Bukharan-Indian merchants
began to use the new trade route - the road to Bandar-
Bushir, Mashhad, Batumi, or Krasnovodsk.
REFERENCES
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
136
https://eipublication.com/index.php/jsshrf
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals
Ochildiyev, F. B. (2023). TRADE RELATIONS OF THE
EMIRATE OF BUKHARA WITH INDIA IN THE 60-80
YEARS OF XX CENTURY. Journal of Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Fundamentals, 3(06), 38-45.
Razoqov D.X. Buxoro xonligining tashqi savdo
aloqalari.(XIX asrning 60-90-yillari).Toshkent.1994.-
S124.
Teterevnikova A.N. Ocherk vnutrennoy torgovli
kirgizskoy stepi.> -Spo; 1867 -S.64.
Nebolsin P. I. Ocherki torgovli Rossii so Sredney Aziey
// ZRGO. Kn. 10. SPb.,1855.-S. 186
Baykova N. B. Rol Sredney Azii v russko-indiyskix
torgovыx svyazyax. –
T., 1964.-C.I84.
Yevreynov. Rekognossirovka puti cherez Djamskiy
pereval na Guzar i na Karshi 1887 g. / Sbornik
geograficheskix, topograficheskix i statisticheskix
materialov po Azii.
–
SPb., 1888.
–
S. 115-118.
Xanikov N. Opisanie Buxarskogo xanstva… –
S. 106
–
108.
Pe
trov V.A. Putevыe zametki klassnogo topografa tit.
sov. Petrova 1884 g. / Sbornik geograficheskix,
topograficheskix i statisticheskix materialov po Azii.
–
Vыp. XXI. –
SPb., 1886.
–
S. 60-63.
Yorov A.Sh. Buxarskiy emirat na mirovom rыnke
(vtoraya polovina XIX - nachalo XX stoletiya)
Dissertasiya. Dushanbe - 2005. -S.85.
O‘zMA, I 46
-
jamg‘arma, 1
-
ro‘yxat, 12
-ish, 92-varaq, 93-
orqa varaq,
Yorov A.Sh. Buxarskiy emirat na mirovom rыnke
(vtoraya polovina XIX - nachalo XX stoletiya)
Dissertasiya. Dushanbe - 2005. -S.85.
Torgovoe dvijenie anglichan v Srednyuyu Aziyu
//Turkestanskie vedomosti. 1871.
Logofet D. V gorax i na ravninax B
uxarы.
- SPb., 1913. -
S.395-396.
Yavorskiy I. Puteshestvie russkogo posolstva po
Afganistanu i Buxarskomu xanstvu (1878-79). -T.1.-
SPB., 1882.-C.42.
Vamberi A. Puteshestvie po Sredney Azii. M.
Vostochnaya literatura..-S.112-113.
Ochildiyev, F. B. (2022). SOCIO-POLITICAL PROCESSES
IN THE BUKHARA EMIRATE IN THE SECOND HALF OF
THE XIX-EARLY XX CENTURIES. CURRENT RESEARCH
JOURNAL OF HISTORY, 3(03), 13-20.
Yusupov
Sh.
Vaxshskaya
dolina
nakanune
ustanovleniya sovetskoy vlasti. - S.94.
Ochildiev F.B. Surxon vohasi bekliklaridagi ijtimoiy-
siyosiy va iqtisodiy o‘zgarishlar. T.: ABU MATBUOT
-
KONSALT. 2008.
–
B.138.
Lyusternik Ye.Ya. Russko-indiyskie ekonomicheskie
svyazi v XIX veke. / Ye.Ya. Lyusternik. - M., 1958.-S.84-
86.
Ochildiev F.B. XIX asrning ikkinchi yarmi
–
XX asr
boshlarida
Buxoro
amirligida
ijtimoiy-iqtisodiy
munosabatlar.
–
Toshkent, “FIRDAVS
-
SHOH” 2022. –
B.
218.
Ochildiev, F. B. (2024). Trade relations of the bukhara
empire with russia in the second half of the 18th
century-the beginning of the 19th century.The
American journal of social science and education
innovations,6(02), 25-30.
22.Ibrokhimov, N. I. . (07.11.2023). TRADE RELATIONS
BETWEEN THE EMIRATE OF BUKHARA AND INDIA IN THE
SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY - THE BEGINNING
OF THE 20TH CENTURY. Oriental Journal of History,
Politics and Law, 3(06),
–
R. 9
–
15.
Nozimjon I. Ibrokhimov.(31.01.2024). THE PLACE OF
TRADE IN THE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS OF THE
BUKHARA EMIRATE WITH INDIA. Oriental Journal of
History,
Politics
and
Law,
https://doi.org/10.37547/supsci-ojhpl-04-01-03.
–
R.
21
–
27.
Nozimjon Ibrokhimov. (19.12.24). TRADE RELATIONS OF
BUKHARA EMIRATE WITH INDIA IN THE XIX CENTURY.
Oriental
Journal
of
Social
Sciences.
https://doi.org/10.37547/supsci-ojss-04-06-18. -P. 164-
171.
Nozimjon Ixtiyorovich Ibrohimov. XIX ASRNING IKKINCHI
YARMI
–
XX ASR BOSHLARIDA BUXORO AMIRLIGI VA
HINDISTON O‘RTASIDA OLIB BORILGAN CHOY SAVDOSI.
Qo‘qon DPI. Ilmiy xabarlar 2025
-yil 4-son, A seriya.-
B.12171224.
