The New Student's Reference Work/Tashkend

Tashkend (tȧsh′kĕnd′), a city of Russian Turkestan (q. v.), on Saralka River. It stands in a rich plain, and is surrounded by a wall 12 miles around, which is pierced by 12 gates. The houses of mud, thatched with reeds, are scattered among gardens and vineyards. A fortified castle, which is the home of the governor, mosques, colleges, old temples and a bazar are the chief buildings. Gunpowder, silk, cotton-goods and iron are manufactured. A large trade is carried on with Bokhara, Mongolia and the Russian provinces of Orenburg and Petropavlovsk. Tashkend is an important military point and was long coveted by the Russians, who captured it in 1854. Population 155,673. See Vambery’s Travels in Central Asia.