Merv, the Queen of the
World;
and the Scourge of the Man-stealing Turcomans. With an
Exposition of the Khorassan Question:
By Charles Thomas Marvin, Published by W.H. Allen, 1881
CHAPTER III. THE ORIGIN OF THE Turkmen.
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE MINOR TRIBES.
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north of the Atrek, and the
remainder on Persian soil to the south of that river. Among
the settled Chomoor Yomuds, the Atabai occupy the tract
between the Gorgon and Atrek and along the left bank of
the Gorgon, while the Jafarbai live for the most part in
large aouls to the north (right bank) of the Atrek, i.e.
on Russian territory. The Jafarbai are Russian subjects:
the Atabai, on the contrary, profess allegiance to the
Shah. “Life near the sea has led the Yomud Turkmen
to take to the water as naturally as any littoral folk
elsewhere. Ashore or afloat, however, the Turkmen
are the same — inveterate robbers. From time to time
they commit acts of piracy in the Bay of Astrabad, but
only to a slight extent to-day. Not so long ago the Turkmen
boats used to cruise about the Caspian, kidnapping our
Ural and Astrakhan fishermen and selling them as slaves.
Even as recently as 10 years ago, two Russian sailors
were freed from slavery in an aoul at the mouth of the
Atrek. By degrees we tied the Turkmen,
arms and legs, by occupying the east coast of the
Caspian, from the Emba to the Atrek,
and by establishing a naval station at Ashoorada. To-day
the majority of them are fishermen, selling their fish at
Krasnovodsk and Chikishlar, and if a few steal at night
into Astrabad Bay, and rob the people traversing the
highway five miles inland, they never do so in larger
bauds than three or four, and derive no benefit from
taking the Persians prisoners, since there exists no
market for the disposal of them. "The
Yomuds are divided into the following branches or clans: —
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