THE CENTRAL ASIA

WHAT IS CENTRAL ASIA?

At the core of the Asian continent lies Central Asia, a region rich in history and steeped in culture. This
region benefits from a blend of national identities that have been carefully cultivated over many
centuries. Central Asia, as it is defined today, is comprised of five former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.  This definition comes from the shared history of
these nations: nations that became part of Tsarist Russia in the second half of the nineteenth century
ultimately became part of the Soviet Union in the 1920’s. Many people wonder if Mongolia and
Afghanistan also can be considered as Central Asia? Historically and geographically yes, but in terms of
past 100 years, 5 Central Asian states went through the different path of development as a part of the
Soviet Union and then as independent states. Mongolia and Afghanistan were not part of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) and therefore do not share common history for the last century with
5 Central Asian states
HERE ARE 3 REASONS WHY YOU RARELY HEAR OF CENTRAL ASIA AS A TRAVEL DESTINATION: 

REASON # 1 CENTRAL ASIA AS PART OF THE USSR

As part of the Soviet Union until 1991, the region was generally closed to mass tourism. Popular among
Russian alpinists and explorers, Central Asia had the highest mountain peaks in the Soviet Union. Issyk-
Kul, the enormous mountain lake in Kyrgyzstan, was a popular destination for beach holidays among
Soviet citizens. Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan attracted archeologists and scientists. But western tourists
did not hear much from the region because of its position among the republics of the Soviet Union.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were just one of the Soviet countries
behind the Iron Curtain. There was only the occasional tourist – rare and daring – who would explore,
experience and maybe write About Central Asia.

REASON #2  NEW INDEPENDENT STATES SINCE 1991

Because of the relative obscurity of Central Asia to much of the world, young post-Soviet countries were
not ready for tourism once they gained independence. Central Asia is still not known widely as a tourist
destination. Over the last ten years, locals in the region have been working diligently to create inviting
travel itineraries and improve service to tourists, while Westerners have identified the region as a travel
destination. And they have been getting to know Central Asia for the hidden gem that it is.

REASON #3 DECLINE OF THE SILK ROAD

There is another reason that Central Asia has taken so long to appear on the world scene: the decline of
the Silk Road. Throughout its history, Central Asia has not been a single distinct political entity with
defined borders. Rather, the region has been a crossroad of different cultures, home to nomads who
were born to move from one place to another. The Silk Road was a trade route that enabled nomadic
people to transport goods – and ideas – across the region over an interconnected matrix of roadways.
Trade was possible as people settled in cities along the route and established bazaars with countless
goods for exchange between sellers and buyers. Several main routes of the Silk Road – and many more
interconnections – traversed the territory of Central Asia. With the golden age of the Silk Road, the
region flourished until the sixteenth century.
 

After, alternate trade routes were established – faster sea routes from Europe to India and China. The
region became unstable as many Silk Road empires simply ceased to exist, and clan-based kingdoms
rose and fell until the twentieth century.
DEFINITIONS OF CENTRAL ASIA IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS

Each country in Central Asia has maintained a strong national identity, and each country seeks to bring
to bear its own historical significance on the continued development of the region. There have been
varying definitions of Central Asia throughout the ages based on historical connections, geographical
borders, and cultural peculiarities. Let’s discover in which context you might come to know Central Asia.

MODERN & HISTORICAL TERRITORY OF CENTRAL ASIA

The idea of Central Asia as a region was introduced by famous Prussian geographer, Alexander von
Humboldt, in 1843. His definition included Afghanistan and Western China because of the geographical
connections and cultural interrelations. But the prolonged conflict throughout the 1800s between
England and Tsarist Russia over control of the region, called The Great Game, resulted in the 1895
division of the territory of the Pamir mountain area, overseen by the Pamir Boundary Commission. The
political annexation of the territory resulted in the population of the Pamir mountain area to be split
between Afghanistan to the south and Tajikistan to the north. To this day, there are still Tajiks living in
Afghanistan as a minority. But the territorial division split more than just the land. Afghanistan today is
completely different – not related culturally, economically, or politically – to Central Asia. At the same
time Xinjiang, in Western China, looks culturally more Central Asian than the rest of China. Uigur people
in Kashgar share similar traditions with Central Asia, they speak Turkic language and have a similar
traditional cuisine.

UNESCO DEFINITION OF CENTRAL ASIA

The definition used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is
much broader than the political boundaries of the five post-Soviet Central Asian states. Their definition
takes into consideration complex ancient historical developments of the region and cultural ties
between many groups that inhabited the territory from Central China all the way to the Caspian Sea,
and from the southern part of Russia to India. UNESCO recognizes that the Silk Road for centuries
contributed to the cultures of many different countries through which it wound. As of June 22, 2014,
thirty-three Silk Road sites from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China were inscribed into the UNESCO
World Heritage List. Stretching for five thousand kilometers, the route between these countries is called
the Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor. UNESCO also performed a study on the “History of civilizations of
Central Asia” consisting of a six-volume publication that asserts that, although the region played a great
role in shaping the low of history, Central Asia was largely excluded from Euro-centric narrations of
world history.