A retracing of the 1880-82 trek of Mennonites escaping military conscription and the Great Tribulation in Russia, and seeking a place of refuge in Central Asian khanates. A 2010 tour will follow the trail and retell the dramatic story.

1. Silk Road Odyssey: The Great Trek to Central Asia An Update

2. Westward migration of Mennonites

3. Ukraine Samara Eastward migration of Mennonites, 1880-82

9. “ My Turkistan” Asiatic Russia Russia had been taking Turkistan region by region and was eager to settle Europeans in conquered territories.

12. Everybody was offering their place for sale. Father soon had sold ours . . . . —Elizabeth Unruh, Gnadenheim Mennonite farm in Tiege, Molochna

13. Ukraine Samara Five wagon trains set out—one from Molotchna, four from Am Trakt Map by William Schroeder

14. We were a long caravan eighty families with 125 wagons, many horses to water. —Elizabeth Unruh

16. Numbers (Black numbers are estimated: average of 5.7 per family) # Families Members Wagons Weeks Miles 1 10 49 18 15 1,780 2 12 76 32 15 3 80 456 112 18 4 9 51 15 5 47 277 72 4 mo. 1,566 T 111 909 246

19. After three weeks we came to the large and beautiful city of Orenburg, the last city in Russia . . .

20. Kara-Kum Desert In this famous world marketplace one could hear a maze of languages, some of which we could not even name. — Hermann Jantzen, July 1880

22. Tashkent

23. (Turkistan) Samarkand Asiatic Russia In order to reach our appointed winter-quarters . . . where the first group had already established itself, we branched off from the mail-route for the last stretch and let a Kirgheez guide us. . . We finally arrived at our journey’s end, Kaplanbek, 20 [km] opposite Tashkent. — Martin Klaassen Map by William Schroeder

24. Tashkent & Kaplanbek winter 1880-81

27. Samarkand Some wanted to go to Aulie Ata, others to Bukhara. They argued and discussed, read and talked! 72 families of our caravan decided to go to Aulie Ata [now Kyrgyzstan]. – Elizabeth Unruh Parting ways: From Tashkent north to Aulie Ata Map by William Schroeder

28. Bukhara, 1881 via Samarkand

29. At Tashkent: We [40 families] said our good byes and slowly started our journey towards Bukhara [via Samarkand]. – Elizabeth Unruh Parting ways: From Tashkent South to Bukhara (via Samarkand) Map by William Schroeder

30. Samarkand was said to be 5,000 years old . . . All the walls glistening with all kinds of artistic drawings, in mosaic fashion . . .It was so beautifully painted . . . —Elizabeth Unruh

34. Here in this burial place [Samarkand] lies Tamerlane the Great . . . who wanted to rule the whole world. — Elizabeth Unruh

35. On to Bukhara and out of Russian territory.

36. Bukhara

38. Bukhara is a very rich land. —Elizabeth Unruh

39. On all our travels we have never seen so many people, so richly dressed, in silk capes with gold and silver embroidered with gold and silver. It was a sight to behold. — Elizabeth Unruh

41. Citadel of Bukhara

42. Petition denied: The Khan of Bukhara . . . did not want immigrant settlers. —Franz Bartsch

43. Serabulak, Winter 1881-82 Russian Territory

44. Serabulak, Winter 1881-82 Serabulak The Khan of Bukhara forced them back across the border into Russian territory where their young men could again be conscripted into the army. They spent the winter at Serabulak. Map by William Schroeder

45. Uncommon Muslim hospitality at Serabulak: Besides several other buildings, a metchet (mosque) was placed at our disposal. We used the main hall for church. —Franz Bartsch [Claas Epp and the last wagon train arrived June 12, 1882]

46. Revisiting Serabulak, 2009

48. The Kyk-Ota (Blue Grandfather) Mosque, 2009

53. Khiva Khanate, 1882

54. Waiting to see the Khan of Khiva: The Brethren Claas Epp, Hermann Jantzen & Emil Reisen were delegated to go to Chiva. —Johann Jantzen, June 21, 1882

55. From Serabulak to Khiva Khanate, Summer 1882 Serabulak The 3 delegates returned [to Serabulak] in good health with the permission to come to [the kingdom of] Chiva. This was accepted with thanksgiving. —Johann Jantzen, July 31, 1882 On August 30th,1882, the whole emigrant community departed for Khiva . –Jacob Klaassen Khan Muhammad Rakim II of Khiva by Divanov. Map by William Schroeder

56. From here the road led directly through the desert . . where it was impossible to drive with the wagons. Therefore a caravan was hired, our wagons dismantled and like all other things, loaded onto [450] camels, the ships of the desert . . . . – Jacob Klaassen

58. Naturally, many did this only with reluctance and not without fear. But there was no evasion, it had to be. The mounting of the camels proceeded with many cries of fear. –Jacob Klaassen

59. Now we moved into the desolate, awful, silent desert where the eye saw nothing but sand upon sand . . . Here we could rightly sing Our Journey Leads Through the Desert . —Jacob Klaassen

60. On the one hand were high sand-hills and on the other deep gullies. The path was so narrow that the walk of the camels and horses caused the sand to trickle into the depths. Yet here, as on the entire journey, the hand of the Lord was over us so that no evil befell us. –Jacob Klaassen

61. The nights were lit by a large bright comet, with a tail halfway across the heavens . . . . –Hermann Jantzen

62. Since the remaining journey from here—with the exception of our horses—had to be made by boats on the [Amu Darya] River, a number of boats had to be hired for this purpose. —Jacob Klaassen

65. Lausan, 1882-1884 Khiva Khanate

66. From Serabulak to Lausan in the Khanate of Khiva Serabulak Khan Muhammad Rakim II of Khiva by Divanov. The place determined for the settlement lay 160 kilometers downstream, on the navigable irrigation canal Lausan. –Hermann Jantzen Map by William Schroeder

67. Lausan, an ill-fated refuge: With God’s help and his protection we arrived at our destination. –Johann Jantzen, Oct. 9, 1882 After laying out a straight village street, each family built a home on either side . . . . –Hermann Jantzen

68. Almost every night the thieving Jumuds [Turkomen] attack us and steal our horses . . . –Hermann Jantzen

70. On June 22 nd , 1883, the dreadful news reached our settlement that H. Abrams, who lived at the mountain on the far end of the village and next to the Turkmen's Au-uls, had been murdered by the Turkmen that night, allegedly in the attempt to kidnap his wife. –Jacob Klaassen

72. In church the Bro. J. Toevs, J. K. Penner and I declared our intention to no longer stay . . . but with God’s help we would go to America in Spring. —Johann Jantzen, Jan. 29, 1884

73. To America Khan Muhammad Rakim II of Khiva by Divanov. Ak Metchet, a new refuge for the remnant: Your whole village of 40 families will be brought to Ak Metchet into a large park of my brother. Here you can build houses and live a peaceful life . . . —Khan of Khiva Muhammad Rakim II The parting was terribly difficult for us too . . . The next day, Tuesday, April 17th, 1884, there were twenty families on ten two-horse and four one-horse wagons . . . . –Jacob Klaassen Map by William Schroeder

74. Revisiting Lausan, 2009

91. Ak Metchet, 1884-1935 Khiva Khanate

92. A few days later, several hundred high-wheeled carts were brought . . . with orders to move us and all our possessions to Akmettschet. —Hermann Jantzen

93. Within the square, a large open area, we built the church, a school and a teacherage. –Hermann Jantzen

94. The Khan . . .showed us a large newly built hall . . . .

95. He wished to have a parquet floor laid with inlaid stars of light and dark wood and then polished . . . .

96. Mennonite handiwork: doors and a bed for the khan (2008)

97. Palvan Trade Center, and many more

99. Divanov with camera and children Wilhelm Penner, whom the locals called Panorbuva (Grandfather lantern), taught young Hudaibergen Divanov photography and gave him his first camera. Khivans thought it looked like a lantern. Divanov began shooting pictures in 1903 and in time became Uzbekistan’s Father of Photography and Cinematography.

101. Villagers were unaware of the internal theological and ecclesiastical debates. They knew nothing of Class Epp’s growing fanaticism and autocratic pronouncements, nor of the leaders who opposed Epp and eventually excommunicated him.

102. Though his uncle Claas caused Herman Jantzen “great struggle,” his parents Hermann and Kornelia remained with Epp and his remnant.

103. All these tensions . . . Injured my spiritual life so much that I realized that I must leave. So my young wife and little son Abram and I, together with three other families, moved to Aulie-ata. This was in 1890. —Hermann Jantzen

104. Wilhelm Penner’s clashes with Claas Epp “nearly drove Penner to despair . . . .“ He, his fellow ministers and the majority of the congregation broke fellowship with Epp. Eventually Penner took his family—and his camera—to Aulie Ata.

105. Claas Epp’s prophecies concerning the Second Coming in 1889 and 1893, and his own ascension into heaven failed. He died in 1913, six days after his wife Elizabeth died, and after their two surviving children had migrated to Beatrice, Neb. While looking upward for the New Jerusalem, it would appear that Epp missed the Kingdom of God within his own community of faith.

106. The main community grew as others seeking to escape Soviet tribulations elsewhere found refuge in Ak Metchet that so far had resisted Stalin's collectivization.

107. Ak Metchet, largely untouched by WWI, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the famine, was perhaps the last open oasis of Christian community in the Soviet desert.

108. 1930 school class: They were still using "old methods and old textbooks," and refused Soviet books, funding and teachers. Communist teachers taught elsewhere.

109. The large main body gathered here where “the law of God” was “taught once a week,” in spite of Soviet orders to cease religious instruction and worship.

110. Ella Maillart, Swiss adventurer, was amazed by what she found at Ak Metchet in 1932: To think, I had come to the depths of Turkestan to comprehend the power that lies in cleanliness and the discipline of faith.

112. The Ak Metchet community flourished and by 1934 numbered 150 families. That year they celebrated the 50 th anniversary of the founding of Ak Metchet. A pageant recalled their Anabaptist origins and migrations without mentioning Claas Epp. In Beatrice, Neb., 130 gathered to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of their arrival in U.S.

113. In 1934, the NKVD (KGB) investigated the colony and filed a 103-page report. Its two summary points labeled them enemies of the state: 1. The German colony “Ak-Mechet” still exploits the hired laborer. 2. The Colony is absolutely not influenced by Soviet authorities, not having even now any Soviet organizations or cooperatives. (They refuse to use new soviet textbooks, they refuse state money.)

114. Otto Toews, chief administrator of the colony, was the first to be arrested in 1935.

115. The final days: All or none . . .

116. The End of Ak Metchet, 1935 When first ordered to collectivize, Mennonite delegates to Moscow were granted an exception. Ten years later when the community resisted a second order, its leaders were arrested and imprisoned. When new leaders were elected they too were arrested. After making bold defenses with Bible in hand, all ten were sentenced to be shot. Their families were to be exiled to Siberia. The next day when Soviets came to Ak Metchet to deport the ten families, 200 women rose up in resistance. They and the children crowded around the vehicles, laid in front of the wheels, cried and shouted, “All or none! Take all of us or none of us!” The overwhelmed Soviets didn’t shoot; they walked away.

117. A few days later a long line of trucks, commandeered from the region, arrived. The Soviets announced that the women were going to get what they asked for: “You are all going!” The Mennonites were given a little time to gather some clothes and a few tools. Everything else they gave to the villagers, or simply left behind. They were driven to the river, loaded on board a ship, carried to a railroad station and deposited deep in the desert to see if they could survive— “ without laborers to exploit.” Photo by Penson Maxim

118. Revisiting Ak Metchet, 2009

137. Revisiting Khiva, 2009

167. Revisiting Ichan-Kala, 2009

170. Native son Al-Khwarizmi, Father of Algebra.

180. Exhibit room.

181. Museum director, Mr. Karimov Azad Zaripovich,

182. Ichan-Kala Museum Photos by Erica Jantzen