The Zaisan Post - Siberskaya Gazetta, 1881
Translation about the Zaisan Post and its Trade
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Translator’s Introduction
Below is a translation of a newspaper article about the Zaisan post, a Russian frontier outpost and commercial center located on the Chinese frontier in Central Asia, just south of the Altai Mountains. It also served as an administrative center, from where Russia managed the local nomadic population. The Zaisan post is located near Lake Zaisan, a large body of water that divides the upper Irtysh, also known as the Black Irtysh, from the rest of the river, which flows northwards, joining with the Ob and eventually draining into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean. In the 18th century the Russian Empire expanded up the Irtysh River, and in the 19th century it used it as a launch pad to expand into Semireche, and from there to the rest of Central Asia.
The author of this article is unknown. The Sibirskaya Gazetta was a weekly newspaper published in Tomsk from 1881 to 1888. The source for this translation can be found here. The original text can be found here. Another translation about the Zaisan post can be found here.
The Zaisan Post
Out settlement is located on a height, formed by alluvial from the River Dzhemeni where it exits from the Saur-Saikansky Range, which itself is covered by leafy forests. Along all of the streets of the Zasian Post there are aryks1 running from the river which carry clean, cold water, and are lined with rows of willow trees. Only during the three winter months do the aryks freeze, while for the entire rest of the year they irrigate all Zaisan’s vegetable gardens and serve as a great convenience for everyday domestic life.
There are no more than five wooden homes at Zaisan. The rest, both private and state, are made from raw brick. As a consequence of this, travellers from forested localities call residents of Zaisan “swallows.”2
The mountains which surround the Zaisan post are abundant in rock coal, alabaster and lime, but none of this has been mined. In 1875 and 1876 the gold prospector Kursky discovered gold deposits in the systems of the rivers Kenderlyk, Chargan-Abo, Ters-Airyk and Ulasty, but currently they remain undeveloped.
Generally, mining and manufacturing industries at the Zaisan post are to be found in an incipient state. For example, six verstas from Zaisan there is Titov’s tannery, but no more than 1000 skins have been processed. And if, as they say, that the entire manufacturing industry of the local population is limited to this, then we can hardly be wrong in this claim.
The Zaisan post primarily serves the residents of the Zaisan pristav3 as a trading, or better said, as an exchange point. Every autumn, beginning with the first days of September, Kyrgyz,4 Tatars and Sarts5 travel here. The Kyrgyz bring: skins, tree knots, lassos, cloth made from camel wool, horse equipment, carpets and more. The Tatars and Russians trade a mix of Kyrgyz and Russian goods. While the Sarts trade Tashkent products: carpets, paper cloth, saddles, chembars, apricots and rice.
The Sarts exchange camel hair for their products. While the Russians and Tatars get sheepskins and sheep, which they delivery to Semipalantinsk and Pavlodar,6 and there they sell these good to larger merchants who buys their goods on credit. Generally, no more than three independent merchants can be found at Zaisan, the rest play the role of prikazchik7 for traders in Semipalatinsk and Pavlodar.
The Zaisan bazar has up to 40 shops, of which no more than five belong to Russians, the rest are owned by Tatars or Sarts. Thus, only in autumn, with the arrival of traders, does Zaisan liven up, while for the rest of the time life remains quiet and sleepy.
It can be added further that this place has three doctors: battalion, regimental (Cossack) and artillery, plus a few military medics and students at the infirmary, and a poorly supplied pharmacy, as well as a well known Russian-Kyrgyz school. There is also one wholesale warehouse and six Rhenovsky Cellars8 - drinking houses are not allowed.
Small irrigation ditches that are common across Central Asian urban centers.
Likely a reference to what swallow nests look like.
A supervisory position, appointed to monitor state institutions. They were also used to monitor non-Russian communities such as steppe nomads.
Actually Kazakhs. Prior to the Soviet era, Russians called Kazakh people Kyrgyz.
What Russians called the sedentary population of Central Asia.
Both Semipalatinsk and Pavlodar are large cities on the Irtysh River, north of Zaisan.
An employed position in a trading firm who is responsible for placing orders.
A chain of alcohol stores widespread throughout the Russian Empire.
This was very interesting. Thank you for writing!