14 6 Chapter Four
cholera in Odessa,” and ordered him to cancel them.^105 He also forbade him to
force pilgrims onto Volunteer Fleet ships, ordering that pilgrims be allowed to
freely choose from among the steamships approved by the Port Pilgrimage
Commission.^106 Reluctantly, Tolmachev canceled his instructions, and an-
nounced that hajj pilgrims were once again free to choose where they stayed
in the city, provided that the lodgings had passed inspection for sanitary condi-
tions.^107 Pilgrims were also now free to choose their steamships. However, he
warned Stolypin that these reversals would revive all the old problems: if pil-
grims were allowed to stay wherever they wanted, they would continue to choose
cheaper options, and once again be exploited by shady hoteliers and agents of
foreign steamship companies.^108
But Stolypin was unswayed. By now it was clear that Saidazimbaev’s appoint-
ment had been disastrous. Apart from the problems in Odessa, there were also
reports from the head of the Tashkent railroad that Saidazimbaev had failed, as
promised, to help with the transfer and transport of pilgrims on the special
“hajj cars” headed directly to Odessa. Pilgrims had been suspicious of efforts to
herd them onto the special cars, and many had refused to take them, which had
caused disorder and delays.^109 In the meantime, the Tashkent railroad authority
had shut down Saidazimbaev’s “Muslim station” within weeks of its opening
for sanitary reasons, after five pilgrims mysteriously died in their sleep.^110 Per-
haps most distressing to Stolypin, he learned that Saidazimbaev had made a
secret deal to send pilgrims on Egyptian steamers, pocketing a huge advance
and violating his promise to Stolypin, and the Volunteer Fleet, to use only Rus-
sian ships to transport pilgrims.^111
In late November the Ministry of Internal Affairs cut ties with Saidazimbaev.
Across the empire, fifty-three governors and city-governors received a telegram
from the director of the Department of Police, announcing that there had been
an “error” in the wording of circular #29653 about the “appointment of Saidaz-
imbaev as director of the pilgrimage” and that the circular “did not authorize
any special authority for him.”^112 When confused governors wrote to the minis-
try to ask for clarification, Stolypin claimed that he had “never named anyone
director,” but had instead promised Saidazimbaev “the assistance of the author-
ities with his efforts to provide services and comforts to pilgrims during their
travels.” Since Saidazimbaev had made clear that his main goals were to “make
money” he should be “denied in the future any special protection of the
authorities.”^113
Saidazimbaev’s removal marked the end of Russia’s experiment with a hajj
director. The government did not appoint another one to succeed him. Like the