ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses water politics in Central Asia through an environmental political history of irrigation. It traces the history of irrigation in Khorezm, a large oasis region in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya towards the Aral Sea today divided between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Khorezm has a long history of irrigated agriculture and agro-pastoralism dating back to around 2000 BC. Due to its volatile environmental setting and manifold changes of political rule, and it has been the site of repeated emergence and collapse of irrigation systems throughout time. A focus on Khorezm gives insight into the historical trajectories of water politics in Central Asia.
