THE GUR AMIR
The country round Bairam Ali is level and the place draws its water from the Murghab river. Its commercial importance is progressing and, at present, there is a steady volume of trade passing through it.
The official returns for Bairam Ali are:
| Imports. | |||
| Iron and steel | 51,850 | poods. | |
| Goods (various) | 93,763 | ” | |
| Exports. | |||
| Cotton | 300,000 | poods. | |
| Dried fruits | ⎫ | 43,761 | ” |
| Grape fruits | ⎬ | ||
| Rice | ⎭ | ||
The section of the railway from Tashkent now terminates at 905 versts from Tashkent and 842 versts from Krasnovodsk, after crossing the Tokhtamish arik by an eight-span iron girder bridge. This work rests upon iron piles, the length of the spans being 15 sagenes each. The commercial importance of Merv, in view of the rapid development of its trade with the Murghab Valley and the surrounding oases of Yulatan, Pendjeh and Tejend, imparts to the town an economic significance little less than that which emanates from its strategic aspect. The movement of trade, imported for its own consumption or distributed over the neighbouring markets, is:
| Imports. | Exports. |
| 2,170,013 poods | 900,953 poods; |
the passenger traffic being:
| Arrivals. | Departures. |
| 25,524 | 23,964 |