The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

train of 48 wagons carried 153 hymn-singing Mennonites resolutely forward along the dust- choked roads south of Tashkent. As they left the city, they resolved to look forward to the joy that would come in Bukhara. After taking the mail road, they de- cided to divide their journey in two by stopping for a time at Sam- arkand, the approximate midpoint. Late that first day, after crossing the Syr Darya by ferry, they camped on its sandy banks and held a spirited service on soil they believed untainted by the “world law” of the Russians. On this secluded spot they gained a new sense of freedom from the constraint that they had felt in Tashkent, a city controlled by ‘‘rulers of this world’ rather than Almighty God, the Supreme Ruler of all men.* The next day brought with it the ordeal of crossing the Hunger Steppe, so called because of its bleak and barren landscape. Leaving the mail road, they followed a wagon trail which offered a shorter route as well as more water along the way. The steppe, they 116 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites found, was completely devoid of vegetation but extremely level, making it easier on the wagons and their occupants. The journey was proceeding more rapidly than they had expected. After several days of smooth going, they had covered some 65 miles, and they rejoined the mail road. Its deep ruts and evenly placed telegraph poles gave them some semblance of civilization at least. Having safely crossed the Hunger Steppe without any serious difficulties, the caravan arrived at the little Sart town of Dishak, which offered a friendly and welcome respite for the weary travelers. After setting up camp, the Mennonites purchased needed supplies, in- cluding their first Sart bread — large, round, flat cakes called sarcherni lapushai.' Leaving Dishak, they then followed the road through hills dotted with boulders as large as houses until they came abruptly to the fertile Zaravshan Valley. Here Kirghiz officers, employed by the Russian government to assist the mail wagons, helped them ford eleven tributary streams and the broad Zaravshan River. The emigrants tied several wagons together and harnessed all the horses as a single team to pull them through. The Kirghiz even loaned the travelers native carts to carry personal belongings that might otherwise be damaged. Four hours were required to ford these streams. On the other side the Mennonites found a veritable Garden of Eden: fields of waving grain, well-irrigated orchards, and rice fields dotted the landscape. In the valley they were met by officials who were ordered to accompany them to the “Pearl of the East,” the city of Samarkand.°* Samarkand: Pear] of the East Delayed by officials in Samarkand for two weeks, the party was assigned living quarters in a former prison that had only recently been vacated and remodeled. In spite of the former circumstances of their quarters, the Mennonites looked on the bright side,