Standing on the edge of Afrosiab and looking towards the south one sees between the two blocks of the ruined Bibi-khanum a grey mountain outlined against the sky (Fig. 53). According to the Russian maps the highest point visible from Samarkand is called Kemkutan (7268 feet; 2216 m.). It is the culminating summit of a group of hills forming part of the large mass between us and the valley of Shakhrisiabs, which are sometimes known under the oftrecurring name of Aktau. Rising, as it does, nearly five thousand feet above the city, and by reason of its conspicuous shape, Kemkutan must needs tempt the mountaineer. On its slopes the members of the Samarkand Alpine Club received their first lessons in climbing and hill-craft, but I believe that by now they have found out that it is much wiser to admire mountains from below. In company of my wife, Carruthers and others, I have visited the district about ten times, including three ascents of the highest peak. As some of these excursions were made at different seasons, I shall give a separate account of four of them.

To the village of Agalik at the foot of Kemkutan is a distance of ten miles which we generally traversed in a carriage and pair. This sounds very distinguished especially when no less a personage than Phaeton has stood sponsor to the vehicle in question. But the Russian “phaeton” is a four-wheeled hackney carriage of the victoria kind, which can be found at every street corner, unless one happens to be in a hurry.