KARSHI, an important town of Central Asia, the centre of a begship dependent on Bokhara. It is situated about 85 miles south-south-west of Samarkand, in a vast plain at the junction of two of the main confluents of the Kashkadarya, a river which, though fed by numerous mountain streams, soon loses itself in the sands. It is a large and straggling place, with a circuit of 5 miles, and the population within the walls amounts to 25,000. There are three colleges, with accommodation for upwards of three hundred students. The Biki mosque is a fine building inlaid with blue and white tiles. All the ordinary houses are built of clay, but they are often two stories high. Along the river stretches a fine public promenade sheltered by clumps of poplars. Round the town lie gardens and fields watered from wells. Poppies and tobacco are both largely grown, the tobacco being deemed the best in Central Asia. There is also a considerable trade in grain; but the commercial prosperity of Karshi is mainly due to the fact that it is a meeting point for the roads from Samarkand, Bokhara, Hissar, Balkh, and Maimene, and serves as the mercantile centre for the surrounding steppes, the market where horses are obtained for the caravans, and where the Turkomans and Uzbegs dispose of the products of their camps (carpets, seats, &c.). The knives and weapons manufactured in Karshi are known as far as Persia and Arabia, and its coppersmiths turn out excellent work.