The desert country which is bounded by the sea of Aral on the west, the river Sirr on the north, Uratippa on the east, and Bokhāra and Khwārizm on the south, is now traversed by the wandering Tūrki tribe of Kara Kilpāks* (or Black Bonnets), who, according to the general opinion, are Turkomāns, though some accounts describe them as Uzbeks. This district, which was, by the Arabian geographers, called Ghaz, and sometimes, if we may trust the readings of the manuscripts, Ghaznah, probably extends a little to the north, beyond the place where the Sirr loses itself in the sand. These wanderers have a considerable range, but are few in number. The desert is six or seven days’ journey from east to west, and upwards of ten from north to south.