History Studies

Öz

At the beginning of the 19th century, one of the countries that Tsarist Russia had the least knowledge of was the Khanate of Kokand. The growing strength of the khanate, located in a region of strategic importance from a geographical point of view, and its expansionist policy attracted the attention of Russia. In addition, having fertile lands in terms of agricultural production and being located at the intersection of trade routes were also an important factor. The increasing interest of England in Turkestan Khanates was fueling the rivalry of these two great colonial powers. All these were among the important factors in the desire of Tsarist Russia to improve its relations with the Khanate of Kokand. Some Kazakh khans and sultans, who accepted the patronage of Russia at this time, mediated the formation of Kokand-Russia relations. Thus, from the beginning of the 19th century, Russian ambassadors, merchants and travelers came to the Khanate of Kokand at different times. Since many of them also worked as spies, the information they gathered was objective and important, and they recorded the data according to their professional interests. In this study, the information that F. Nazarov, one of the first ambassadors came to the Khanate of Kokand, obtained during his stay and travels in the Khanate of Kokand for about a year, were examined by comparing them with other sources.