Djuma, the first station beyond Samarkand, is situated in a level, densely populated country. Barely 30 miles distant and with it equally a station of the fourth class, is Nagornaya, which in turn gives place to Katta Kurgan. This town, an important district centre in the Samarkand province, lies close to the railway in the midst of much luxuriant vegetation. Its altitude above sea-level is rather more than 222 sagenes. The population numbers 10,219:

Mahommedans.Jews.Russians.
86891281249

Its streets are very wide and charmingly planted with high trees—poplars, acacias, willows and white ash—watered by ariks supplied from the Narpai stream, itself a tributary of the Zerafshan river. Quite the most prominent feature is a large public garden surrounding the house of the Governor, while in connection with the public buildings there is a military church, a military hospital, a general hospital of twenty-five beds and a Russian native school. There are, of course, the usual district offices. Military headquarters occupies a building to itself, a second affording domicile to the base staff of the Eighth Turkestan Rifle Battalion.

The native bazaar, an imposing centre, contains:

Mosques (smaller)38
Synagogues1
Theological schools2
Native schools30

In the main bazaar there are some 300 shops, the business transacted at them being concerned with the cotton industry and the production of vegetable oils. There is no hotel in either part of the town but there is an officers’ club in the Russian quarter. The general revenue from all sources is about 38,000 roubles and the largest industrial concern associated with the trade of the district is the Turkestan Cotton Company, of which the annual trading balance is considerably in excess of half a million roubles. The development of cotton in the neighbourhood, to which the Turcoman villages Mitana Pefshanba and Chardar devote their energies, promises to become a highly valuable venture.

The goods traffic, indicated by the subjoined table, maintains a steady volume.

Passengers.
Arrivals. Departures.
12,790 12,220
Imports.
Cotton seed 210,123  poods.
Kerosene 10,703 ”
Manufactured good 91,814 ”
Exports.
Wheat 98,991  poods.
Wheat flour 185,052 ”
Rice 17,224 ”
Cotton seed 44,856 ”
Cotton 178,718 ”
General trade 180,678 ”