Beyond Annenkovo there is Kurban Kala. One verst further on this gives place to Bairam Ali, 108 sagenes above sea-level. The station adjoins the gardens of the Murghab Imperial Estate which, founded in 1887 by Imperial enterprise, the Tsar having sanctioned the restoration of certain irrigation works, has assisted in securing a full measure of prosperity to these areas. Trim orchards and broad roads surround the station where huge piles of cotton may be seen awaiting transport, the evident prosperity of this smiling oasis affording striking contrast with the spectacle of Old Merv. Ruins, revealing a sombre vista of broken walls and shattered houses, the relics of a city which passed into decay in 1784, cover a space of 40 square versts. It is the name of the chief of that city that is now perpetuated in the adjoining station, Bairam Ali. As the strong ruler of the country-side, he had held in check the robber tribes until he and his city were overthrown in their turn by Amir Murad, the founder of the Bokharan dynasty. [Illustration: THE GUR AMIR] The country round Bairam Ali is level and the place draws its water from the Murghab river. Its commercial importance is progressing and, at present, there is a steady volume of trade passing through it. The official returns for Bairam Ali are: _Imports._ Iron and steel 51,850 poods. Goods (various) 93,763 ” _Exports._ Cotton 300,000 poods. Dried fruits } Grape fruits } 43,761 ” Rice } The section of the railway from Tashkent now terminates at 905 versts from Tashkent and 842 versts from Krasnovodsk, after crossing the Tokhtamish arik by an eight-span iron girder bridge. This work rests upon iron piles, the length of the spans being 15 sagenes each. The commercial importance of Merv, in view of the rapid development of its trade with the Murghab Valley and the surrounding oases of Yulatan, Pendjeh and Tejend, imparts to the town an economic significance little less than that which emanates from its strategic aspect. The movement of trade, imported for its own consumption or distributed over the neighbouring markets, is: _Imports._ _Exports._ 2,170,013 poods 900,953 poods; the passenger traffic being: _Arrivals._ _Departures._ 25,524 23,964