Turkmen

Turkestan section of the Russian Geographical Society (TO RGS, 1897) at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries had a significant impact on the formation of historical science and ethnography in the Central Asian region. The main purpose of the study is to show the role of the Russian Geographical Society in collecting and processing ethnographic information about the Turkmens inhabiting the territory of Turkestan. The author sets a task to review the reports of M. V. Grulev and H. V. Gelman received during geographical expeditions on the Amu Darya, voiced to the Board of the Russian Geographical Society and published in the News of the Russian Geographical Society for 1900. The author concludes that the received information was necessary for carrying out the consecutive economic and resettlement policy of the Russian government in Central Asia. In particular, to settle the issue of relations of Turkmen tribes with Khiva khan, to solve the problem of land and water use, as well as to study the Amu Darya River for the development of navigation and, if possible, safety for merchant ships.