According to Firdaws Al-İkbal, history of Khanate of Khiva and its statecraft

KEY WORDS: Kharezm, Khanate of Khiva, Kongrat Dynasty, Firdaws Al-Ikbal, Amu-Darya, Muhammad Rahim Khan. Central Asia, covering an important place in Turkish and World History, has taken attention of many foreign and native researchers, and it has been stated as a study area. However, in the studies, the basic sources lighting the way for Central Asian History have not been used much and the researchers generally have been satisfied with second hand sources. On the other hand, we have chosen Firdaws Al-Ikbal and in the light of this source, we have tried to examine the political history and state structure of Khanate of Khiva that was one the three important khanates of Central Asia in detail. The khanate has gained central structure with Muhammad Rahim Khan I (1806-1825) whose term constitutes an important part of our main source and it has become one of the strongest states in Central Asia. Khanate of Khiva has been a state that has included Özbeks, Turkmens, Sarts, and Karakalpaks. Muhammed Rahim Khan who has raised the position of "primus inter pares" which has been basic function of rulers in previous khanates and followed an authoritarian policy, has taken Russian Tzar Petro I and Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II as example and he has made his khanate modern and he has gone important changes in both social and economic structure of the khanate. In our research, we have tried to put forth the structure which we have summarised above for consideration and from time to time we have tried to explain it by comprising with the structure of other khanates prevailing in Central Asia. IX