XVII-XVIII Turkistan according to Russian travelers

In the late 19th century, Turkestan was one of the regions where Russia and England struggled for influence in Asia. During this struggle, the Kazakh region of Turkestan and the independent Turkish states (Khiva, Kokand and Bukhara) were occupied by the Tsarist Russia. Russia, which established a military administrative structure in the region after the occupation, became an important power in the heart of Asia. West Turkestan, which emerged as one of the most important cultural and civilizational regions of the Turkish world in history, has attracted the attention of many countries due to its geographical conditions. Especially European societies that emerged from the end of the Middle Ages tried to get to know the region. The Russians, who emerged in Eastern Europe from the end of the 16th century, thought of controlling the region for a long time, and for this purpose, they tried to recognize the region by sending many state officials to the Bukhara Khanate, which was the central khanate of the region. The Russian government was also interested in the region. During the Russian occupation of Turkestan, military travelers were sent to collect information about the region. In this process, members of the Russian Geographical Society were used. The Society collected important documents about the Turkestan Basin for Russia's military, political, economic, social and cultural policy. As a result, the aim of this study is to cover Turkestan by Russian travelers.