An extraordinary album of photographs of a remote area of Russian Central Asia called 'Seven Rivers' in the south-east of present day Kazakstan on the Chinese border. Of the 100 images, 23 illustrate landscapes, with roads, rivers and views of the route to Kulja; 25 are of towns, individual buildings and street scenes, many in Kulja itself; 43 are of the various native inhabitants of the region, some with their occupations, mostly in natural surroundings; and 9 of members of the regiment.

The album celebrates the first five years in the history of the Semirechenskii Cossack Regiment which was formed in 1867 to protect Russian expansion and settlers in this newly occupied region, and to subdue local unrest. The images illustrate events leading to the Ili campaign and the advance and capture of the Chinese city of Kulja, which was held by Russia until 1881. It was then returned to China by treaty in exchange for trading rights and a heavy indemnity.

There is no indication of the identity of the photographer. However, there are similarities in this volume with images in 'The Tukestan Album' of N. Nekhoroshev, dating fron 1871-72, now in the Saltykov-Shchedrin Library in St. Petersburg. Little is known of Nekhoroshev except that he was a photographer in Tashkent, mid-19th century. The history of the regiment does not include details of a photographer during the Ili campaign.