THE ROLE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE KHANATE OF KHIVA AND AFGHANISTAN

Abstract

The Khanate of Khiva was one of the important political entities in the history of Central Asia. Its foreign policy was not limited to military conflicts or peaceful relations with neighboring states. It encompassed a broad range of political, military, economic, and diplomatic activities involving the Emirate of Bukhara, the Khanate of Kokand, Iran, the Russian Empire, Turkmen, Kazakh, and Karakalpak tribes, as well as control over trade routes and border territories. Owing to its geographical location along the lower reaches of the Amu Darya, in the Khorezm oasis, the Aral Sea region, and the surrounding desert and steppe areas, the Khanate's foreign policy was consistently shaped by issues of water resources, trade routes, nomadic tribes, border security, and pressure from major empires.