Astrakhan
Astrakhan names 4 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Astrakhan as tra-kan, a name given to the skins of a species of Russian sheep
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
as tra-kan, a name given to the skins of a species of Russian sheep, the distinguishing characteristics of which are short, fine, soft, closely curled wool. The skins which form the fur used for coats, sacques, muffs, etc., are from young lambs reared in the mountainous districts of Astrakhan. Astrakhan cloth is woven in much the same way as velvet or plush. An extra pile-warp of lustrous wool or mohair is added to a single cloth. If the curly effect of the real wool is desired, this warp or pile which is to form the face of the finished fabric is crimped or twisted before weaving. This crimping is done by machinery, and is "set" or made permanent by a steaming process. These crimped threads are then woven over wires in the form of loops, which are cut, or left uncut, according to the effect desired. Sometimes part of the loops are cut and a part left uncut, producing a variety of novelties for cloakings and other purposes. See Weaving ; Fur
Astrakhan as-tra-kan, a chief city of the Volga basin
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
as-tra-kan, a chief city of the Volga basin. It is situated about thirty miles above the entrance of that river into the Caspian Sea . It is a dirty, ill-smelling city, with crooked, broad streets and irregular rows of houses. A cathedral is the only edifice of importance. A number of bridges span the river. Astrakhan carries on an immense trade in fish, caviare, and isinglass. The number of people engaged in the Caspian fisheries which have their center at Astrakhan is variously estimated at from fifteen to thirty thousand persons. There are also important manufactures of silks, woolens, cottons, soap, morocco leather, and shagreen. The curly, woolly sheepskins of Persia and Syria are called astrakhan from the fact that the pelts, tanned and ready for making overcoats and other garments, were obtained originally from this city, Population, 113,000. See Caspian; Sturgeon
Astrakhan a Russian city
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a Russian city, capital of the government of the same name, on an elevated island in the Volga. It is the seat of a Greek archbishop and has a large cathedral, as well as places of worship for Mohammedans, Armenians, etc. The manufactures are large and increasing, and the fisheries (sturgeon, etc.) very important. It is the chief port of the Caspian, and has regular steam communication with the principal towns on its shores. Pop. about 150,000, composed of various races. The government has an area of 91,327 square miles. It consists almost entirely of two vast steppes, separated from each other by the Volga, and forming for the most part arid, sterile deserts. Pop. about 1,350,000.
Astrakhan a name given to sheepskins with a curled woolly
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a name given to sheepskins with a curled woolly surface obtained from a variety of sheep found in Bokhara, Persia, and Syria; also a rough fabric with a pile in imitation of this.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's 1910 entry called Astrakhan "a dirty, ill-smelling city" of 113,000, and Collier's put it at about 150,000 in 1921; today it is a regional capital of roughly half a million, and the old governorate of 91,327 square miles has become a much smaller Astrakhan Oblast. The fisheries both accounts treat as the city's foundation have collapsed: Caspian sturgeon were fished and poached to the edge of extinction, the beluga is now listed as critically endangered, and Russia ended commercial wild sturgeon catches in the 2000s, so nearly all caviar sold today is farmed. The fur trade named after the city also moved on — the curled pelts come from karakul lambs, chiefly in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan rather than "Astrakhan," and animal-welfare campaigning has pushed real astrakhan out of mainstream fashion, leaving the imitation woven cloth the 1910 entry describes in such detail as the version most people now encounter.
Written for this edition, 2026.