Meetings of the Alay People with Bonvalot
IN THE LAND OF THE ALAI KYRGYZ
The journey of the French pilgrims to India, during which they became guests of Kurmandzhan Datka, began on June 16, 1885, through the Turkmen village of Rahabad. From there, the travelers moved to Ashgabat, then reached Bukhara, and on August 12, 1886, they arrived in Samarkand. According to L. Stroilov, in Samarkand the travelers “... unexpectedly met with the well-known N.I. Korolkov, who was not only an experienced administrator but also a great connoisseur of the region and a man of broad views. At the end of a thorough conversation with Bonvalot and Capu, Korolkov suggested to them: ‘Why not try to enter India through Kashgar or even Pamir? After all, it has never been explored in winter.’” As Stroilov emphasizes, it was Bonvalot's ambition that played a decisive role in making such a decision. Moreover, the travelers rejected the Kashgar route precisely because of its great length. There was only one option left - to go through Pamir.
Here is how the French researcher describes the same turning point in the journey. In his book, he does not mention Korolkov, only informing the reader that at that time “... a bold plan matured - to reach India overland through Pamir.” If until that moment the expedition was accompanied by an Armenian “... named Mina,” then, on the advice of the Samarkand locals, the second guide of the expedition became a local resident, Rahmet - a well-known person in Samarkand... an excellent horseman, known for his skill in horseback riding, who holds himself well in the saddle.
In December 1886, the travelers decided to go through Alai, cross Pamir, and reach India through Afghanistan. “Our desire to go through Pamir in February or March caused at least bewilderment among those around us. They looked at us as if we were crazy and constantly tried to dissuade us,” adds the author of the travel notes. The concerns of the Samarkand residents were not without foundation: the route through Pamir, especially in winter, was the most risky option to get to India. Here’s how Gabriel Bonvalot describes the weather and climatic conditions he soon had to endure during this dangerous crossing: “The condition of people and animals is critical. We are suffocating, there is not enough oxygen, blood is coming from our noses, which immediately turns into icicles.
We walk exhausted, almost blind, with a wild headache, madly wanting to sleep. It seems that death is closer than ever. One of the horses fell into a pit, and we had to pull it out with ropes tied around its belly. Another had a broken girth, and it needed urgent repair. If a horse fell, it first had to be unloaded, the ropes cut, lifted, and then loaded again. Our hands simply went numb from this hellish labor. Sometimes we had to drag the loads on ourselves... No one could say where we were. Sometimes it seemed to us that we were in the very underworld... The temperature was -68 degrees. Everyone slept poorly - we were disturbed by suffocation, noise in our ears, pain in our heads and eyes.” Adding to this was another circumstance - the special structure of the snow that had fallen in the mountains, which made them practically impassable. Pointing to this fact, Bonvalot referred to this type of winter precipitation with the Kyrgyz word “séry kar” - “yellow snow.”
On the approaches to the “underworld,” the members of the expedition met with the sons of Kurmandzhan Datka. Their help was later duly appreciated even by the Soviet publicist L. Stroilov, the author of the aforementioned material “Through the Snows and Ridges of Alai and Pamir,” noting that “... to be fair, the expedition should rather be considered - however paradoxical it may seem - as Franco-Kyrgyz, rather than purely French.” Moreover, as he further points out, the invaluable assistance of the Kyrgyz allowed the travelers to significantly conserve their strength later, as “... for their first leap across Alai, the expedition could not do without the active participation of a significant number of local residents.” The Soviet publicist also pays tribute to the courage and composure of the Kyrgyz participants of the expedition: “... one cannot help but admire the courage, endurance, and moral resilience demonstrated here by the ordinary Alai herders, who, by chance, became companions of the French travelers.”
This happened before the travelers approached Pamir through Alai, overcoming one of the most difficult sections - the shortest path through the Taldyk Pass. The travelers chose this pass for the transition for the following reasons: its proximity to Pamir, the presence of numerous winter camps of Alai Kyrgyz in its vicinity, as well as the promise of those who had wintered in the area. At its foot, to the north, were the winter camps of the Alai Kyrgyz. Interestingly, Gabriel had already met with the younger son of the clan leader, Kamchybek, when he visited the governor of Fergana with his brothers. The last meeting of the traveler with him occurred nine years before the tragic death of Kamchybek, who was executed, as is known, on March 3, 1895, in Osh on charges of drug trafficking.
In the winter of 1886, the “Alai prince” gave the travelers several practical tips on how to successfully overcome the pass.
According to Bonvalot, Kamchybek advised: “There isn’t much snow at Taldyk. When you pass Karakol, follow along the streams and try to avoid encounters with the residents of Nazirsahib, who engage in robbery. Moreover, they will immediately inform the Afghans of your arrival. And be careful at the Chinese posts of Ran Kolya.” Following Kamchybek's advice, the travelers sold their horses and bought more reliable Alai horses for those conditions. The group then thoroughly prepared for the Pamir frosts, which, according to Bonvalot, “are no better than Siberian ones.” In this part of the narrative, there is valuable ethnographic material, as the author knowledgeably describes the traditional winter footwear and clothing of the Alai Kyrgyz: “At the market, we found boots made of double felt with leather soles. We bought two pairs of trousers for each - one made of thick felt, the other, which is worn over, made of thick tanned leather and called shalvars.
The lower part of these shalvars is stitched with pieces of wool. The upper body will be protected by two capes: beshmet and malakhai. Beshmet, or as it is also called, ton, is a kind of fur coat made of sheepskin with long wool. We bought hats that fall down to the ears. Over all this, a malakhai is worn - a kind of hood that covers the whole body and fastens in front. There are holes for the eyes in the front part. The hands will be protected by the long sleeves of the fur coat. To protect against the night cold, we took thick blankets made of wadded cotton and stitched with leather underneath... And then it was time to try on our new outfits, and how we laughed heartily when we saw each other in all this splendor - in fur coats, malakhai, and boots!”
In the book, the author does not hold back on describing the life and customs of the Alai people and even their system of self-governance: “The Kara-Kyrgyz of Alai are governed by four elected heads. All of them are blood brothers and treat their mother with great respect.” Most likely, as the translator notes in a footnote, this refers to Kurmandzhan Datka and her sons - Mahmud-bek, Hasan-bek, Batyr-bek, and Kamchybek. Perhaps also Bayas.
By the way, the traveler managed to familiarize himself quite well with some customs and even the language of the local Kyrgyz. In the travel notes, the reader will find mentions of the daily morning namaz - the Islamic prayer of these Muslim nomads, as well as the proverbs and sayings used by them in the Kyrgyz language.
But let’s return to the description of the memorable meeting of the Alai people with Bonvalot. According to him, “the brothers received authority from the local authorities to collect taxes. They enjoy great authority and respect among the local population and have significant influence on the royal administration. At our request, the brothers arrived in Osh for a meeting to discuss our journey.”
As L. Stroilov adds, there the travelers met the Russian officer Grombchevsky, “... known to the Kyrgyz and speaking their language fluently, and they had a meeting with the elders of Gulchin.” Here’s how the author describes his counterparts: “They were quite impressive - tall, broad-shouldered, with heads firmly set on short necks and small eyes. All were dressed in warm chapans, wearing reddish-brown leather boots, and holding richly decorated whips. The melted snow dripped from their beards and fur hats. Only one of them was in a turban - Batyrbek - the oldest, who could read and write.” The main consultant of the expedition, on the advice of the brothers, became Sydyk, one of the horsemen of Kurmandzhan Datka's eldest son, Abdullabek, who, according to the author of the notes, once fought against General Skobolev, was defeated, fled to Kabul, where he died. Sydyk, a loyal companion of Abdullabek, accompanied him throughout the journey to Afghanistan through Pamir. Here’s how the author of the travel notes describes this connoisseur of the Pamir mountains: a typical Kara-Kyrgyz with a weathered face and a suspicious look from his deeply set eyes. He was dressed in a sheepskin coat, like most locals. As Sydyk later confessed to the author, he was exiled to Pamir for excessive enthusiasm for the favorite “hobby” of nomads - cattle raiding. This activity, as is known, the Kyrgyz and Kazakhs have historically referred to as barimta and did not consider it a crime during Bonvalot's time. “To be honest, I stole about twenty rams,” Sydyk confessed to the Frenchman and continued: “But on the way, the owners caught up with me. Suddenly one of them recognized me. Once we had engaged in barimta together, driving cattle to Wakhan. Those were glorious times! We are still on good terms with him. Thanks to him, I was not punished, but was sent back to the aiyl of the teiit tribe...”
On Sydyk's advice, who became the third guide of the expedition after Minas and Rahmet, the travelers began the dangerous ascent on March 10. Two days later, the members of the expedition moved towards the Ak-Bosogo Pass, located at the foot of the Taldyk mountain range. G. Bonvalot vividly described the landscape at such an unprecedented height for a European. “A dazzling white expanse surrounded us on all sides. The entire surface of the ground sparkled so white that it seemed thousands of sun rays, reflecting off it, turned into millions and billions of precious stones, blinding our eyes. The temperature was above zero,” the author of the notes marveled.
Four days later, on March 19, the travelers safely reached Alai. Calling this area “a barrier on the approaches to Pamir,” G. Bonvalot did not spare bright epithets to describe the scene that opened before him: “Everything around shimmers and sparkles, the snow sparkles like a luxurious diamond scatter, in which millions of sun rays are reflected. Clouds of snow dust rise from under our feet, like a golden scatter of precious stones.” However, the pilgrims who reached such picturesque places faced many adventures. For example, the author of the book had to spend the night in forty-degree frost under the open sky, pressing himself against a flock of sheep belonging to a poor local nomad, an Uzbek from Fergana, to avoid freezing. Additionally, halfway through, two local Kyrgyz herders robbed the members of the expedition, taking some of their horses with provisions.
Asia through the Eyes of the Traveler G. Bonvalot
