Hungry steppe… The Russian local historian and traveler Ilya Buyanovsky described this area in Central Asia as best as possible: “A region erased by the twentieth century, the disappearance of which hardly anyone regrets.” It looks very different today than it did 150 years ago. We will tell you in detail about the history of development and economic significance of the Hungry Steppe in our article.
Deserts of Central Asia
A story about the geography of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or any other country in the region would be incomplete without mentioning deserts. In Central Asia, they occupy vast territories and are an integral part of the local natural landscapes. Moreover, all the main types of deserts are represented here: clay-saline, sandy and rocky.
A unique feature of the Central Asian deserts are significant seasonal temperature differences. In summer, the air above them warms up to +40 … +45 degrees, but in winter the thermometer canfall well below zero. In some places, the average annual temperature amplitudes can reach 70 degrees!
In total, the deserts of Central Asia cover an area of one million square kilometers. The largest of them are Kyzylkum and Karakum. But the most "deserted" country in the region is Uzbekistan. For the most part, the Hungry Steppe is located here. Or it would be more correct to say, was. We will talk about it in more detail later.
The Hungry Steppe on the map
The desert, referred to as Mirzachul in Uzbek, was formed on the left bank of the Syrdarya River. Today this territory is divided between three states: Uzbekistan (Jizzakh and Syrdarya regions), Kazakhstan (Turkestan region) and Tajikistan (Zafarabad region). The total area of the desert is over 10,000 sq. km. It is located in a conditional triangle between Tashkent, Samarkand and the Ferghana Valley in the east.
At present, the desert, in fact, is no longer such. These lands have long been mastered and unrecognizably transformed by man. Hungry steppe today is rich fields, fruit orchards, reclamation canals and blooming oases of cities and towns. How it looks from space can be seen in the figure below.
Natural conditions in the desert
The outstanding geographer and traveler P. P. Semenov-Tien Shansky once described this region as follows:
In the summer Hungry steppeis a yellow-gray plain burnt by the sun, which, in the scorching heat and the complete absence of life, fully justifies its name … Already in May, the grass turns yellow, the colors fade, birds fly away, turtles hide in burrows … Here and there scattered bones of camels and pieces of stems scattered by the wind umbelliferous plants that look like bones further enhance the oppressive impression.”
And here is another great quote left by one of the first explorers of this area, N. F. Ulyanov:
"If you happen to see a caravan in the distance, you will notice that it is in a hurry to hide from you for fear that you will not ask for water, which is most valued here."
By the way, in Turkestan, a long time ago, “hungry steppe” was called waterless land located between a few oases. The most complete picture of how this region looked before the October Revolution can be compiled from a few old photographs that have survived to this day. Here, the color photographs of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky, who traveled through Central Asia twice (in 1906 and 1911), are of the greatest interest.
Geology and relief
The Hungry Steppe is a classic example of a clayey desert. It was formed on forests and loess-like loams. S alt marshes are also fragmentary here - soils containing an increased amount of water-soluble s alts. The southern part of the desert is composed mainly of proluvial deposits of temporary streams flowing down from the spursTurkestan Range.
Geomorphologically, the Hungry Steppe is a flat plain. Absolute heights here range from 230 to 385 meters. The desert is located on three terraces of the Syr Darya. To the river itself, it abruptly ends with a steep ledge, the height of which reaches 10-20 meters.
Climate, flora and hydrography
The climate of the territory is sharply continental. The average temperature in July is 27.9 °С, in January - 2.1 °С. During the year, about 200-250 mm of precipitation falls here. At the same time, the peak of rainfall occurs in the spring. The hydrography of the region is represented by streams flowing down from the southern mountain ranges. The largest among them are Sanzar and Zaaminsu. The waters of these rivers are used to irrigate agricultural land and supply a number of cities and villages.
In the Hungry Steppe, ephemeral plants are most common, the growing season of which falls on the short rainy season (late March - early May). In spring, unplowed areas are covered with a colorful grassy carpet of bluegrass, sedge and rare tulips. By the end of May, this vegetation burns out, leaving only s altwort, wormwood and camel thorn. At present, most of the Hungry Steppe is plowed up and occupied by cotton plantations.
Mirzachul: the beginning of development
The hungry steppe only at first glance seemed dead and useless. In fact, she hid in herself colossal opportunities. Every spring, its expanses were covered with a carpet of lush grasses and bright red poppies, which spoke of the exceptional fertility of the local soils. And the man decided to turn thisdesert region to "Blossoming Land".
The development of the Hungry Steppe began at the end of the 19th century, when Turkestan finally became part of the Russian Empire. In 1883, seeds of new varieties of cotton were brought here, which significantly increased the crop yield. In addition, the first pounds of raw material obtained showed that cotton grown in Turkestan is in no way inferior in quality to American cotton. Gradually, cotton began to occupy more and more arable land, displacing other agricultural crops. This, in turn, contributed to the expansion of irrigated areas.
On the eve of World War I, an active campaign to build irrigation canals was launched in the Hungry Steppe. The first irrigator of Turkestan is traditionally called Prince Nikolai Romanov. He invested a million Russian rubles to run the waters of the Syr Darya into the canals - a huge amount of money at that time! The prince named the first irrigation canal in honor of his grandfather, Emperor Nicholas I.
The watering of the Hungry Steppe gave its result: by 1914, the gross cotton harvest in the region increased seven times.
Conquest: Soviet period
The final transformation of the desert into a "blooming land" fell on Soviet times. In the 1950s and 1960s, new reclamation systems and power plants were actively built here, existing canals were expanded, and dozens of state farms were created. Thousands of people came to the next "development of virgin lands" - Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Russians,Ukrainians and even Koreans. As a reward, they were given badges of honor.
At this time, dozens of new towns and cities are springing up in the Hungry Steppe. Among them are Yangiyer, Bakht, Gulistan and others. In 1981, the Syrdarya State District Power Plant was launched with a huge 350-meter pipe, which now provides a third of Uzbekistan's electricity. Many participants in the conquest of the Hungry Steppe recall hundreds of campaign posters that were hung along the roads. Perhaps the most popular was the following slogan: "Let's turn the desert into a flourishing land!" And it seems to have been made a reality.
Gulistan city
When talking about the Hungry Steppe, one cannot but briefly mention the unspoken capital of this region - the city of Gulistan. From the Persian language, its name is translated very appropriately - "flower country". It is curious that until 1961 it had a different name - Mirzachul.
Today, Gulistan is the administrative center of the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan. It is home to 77 thousand people. There are several factories in the city (in particular, mechanical repair and oil extraction), a house-building plant and a garment factory.
The artificial channel of the Dostyk Canal (in the Soviet years - the Kirov Canal) passes through Gulistan - the largest in the Syrdarya region. It was built before the First World War, and at the end of the 30s it was expanded and lengthened. Today, its total length is 113 kilometers.
Modern Gulistan is the most important transport andtrade hub in the region. Residents from different parts of the Hungry Steppe come here for shopping. By Central Asian standards, the city is quite well-groomed and neat. Of the local attractions, it is worth highlighting the impressive building of the regional musical and drama theater named after A. Khodzhaev, as well as the unusual Nikolskaya church. Its unusualness lies in the fact that it was built in Soviet times - in the mid-50s. And since then it has not been rebuilt and has not changed its appearance in any way.
