THE COMPOSITION OF TRADE PRODUCTS AND THE SYSTEM OF SPECIALIZATION IN THE MARKETS OF BUKHARA AND SAMARKAND IN THE LATE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES

 This article analyzes the trade infrastructure of the Bukhara Emirate and the Samarkand region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries based on historical sources, with particular emphasis on the role of bazaars, trading domes (tims), and caravanserais within the regional economic system. The study examines the formation of Bukhara as one of the major trade centers of Central Asia and highlights the transformations in the trade system of the Samarkand region following its incorporation into the Russian Empire in a chronological framework. Special attention is given to the functions of caravanserais as trade and logistics centers, the system of market supervision through the institution of the muhtasib, and the transformation of trade routes after the construction of the Trans-Caspian Railway. The findings demonstrate that in the second half of the nineteenth century the regional trade system underwent a transition from traditional caravan routes to railway transport, which significantly influenced the restructuring of the economic space of the Bukhara Emirate.