The Talking Turkish Phrasebook

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the far right is the Turkish translation. In the center column for […]

Knots of Culture: Central Asia’s Carpet Weaving Heritage

Central Asia’s rich tradition of carpet weaving reflects the region’s history, culture, and identity. From the ancient nomads of the Pazyryk Valley to the artisans of Kyrgyz yurts and the urban weavers of Samarkand, carpets have long served both practical and symbolic functions. Their materials, techniques, and motifs reflect centuries of interaction between nomadic and […]

The Talking Uzbek Phrasebook

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the far right is the Uzbek translation. Uzbek is currently transitioning […]

The Talking Kyrgyz Phrasebook

The Talking Phrasebook Series presents useful phrases and words in side-by-side translation and with audio files specifically geared to help students work on listening skills and pronunciation. Below, you will find several useful phrases and words. To the left is the English and to the above right is an English transliteration of the Kyrgyz translation. […]

The Kyrgyz Food Dictionary

Kyrgyz cuisine reflects the country’s heritage of pastoral nomadism. Life was spent moving livestock from pasture to pasture and living in collapsible, transportable yurts. The livestock themselves were the primary, sustainable food source. Everything else was either gathered from the land or traded for. The Kyrgyz did not engage in intensive settled agriculture until forced […]

Manas and the Manaschi: Foundations of the Kyrgyz Soul

There are few essential things to know about Kyrgyzstan. One of these is the country’s folkloric hero, Manas. You’ll find nearly everything in Krygyzstan is named after him: the main airport, national parks, major streets in nearly every city and town, and even karate clubs and movie theaters, not to mention the statues of him […]

Uzbekistan’s Story of Identity: Heroes, Memory, and Meaning

What shapes Uzbek national identity? The answer is complex and personal, but one key element is the Uzbek national narrative. This includes the heroes and pivotal events taught in schools, the places central to the nation’s collective memory, and the language and beliefs that frame its worldview. A national narrative goes beyond history: it is […]

Kyrgyzstan’s Story of Identity: Heroes, Memory, and Meaning

What shapes Kyrgyz national identity? The answer is complex and personal, but one key element is the Kyrgyz national narrative. This includes the heroes and pivotal events taught in schools, the places central to the nation’s collective memory, and the language and beliefs that frame its worldview. A national narrative goes beyond history: it is […]

Crafting the Silk Road: Uzbek Ceramics in Ancient and Modern Life

Uzbekistan’s ancient pottery and ceramics offer a window into the deep history and vibrant cultural evolution of Central Asia, connecting the ingenuity of early Silk Road societies to modern-day artistic traditions. The remarkable discoveries unearthed by archaeologists, from Hellenistic-era pottery fragments at the Uzundara Fortress to the intricately glazed ceramics of Rishton and Afrasiyab, reveal […]

Uzbek Holidays 2025: A Complete Guide

Most of Uzbekistan’s holidays are recognizable from the old Soviet calendar, although they have been moved, refocused, and/or renamed to now celebrate Uzbekistan’s independent, post-1991 history and culture rather than that of the USSR. The major exceptions to this are two major Islamic holidays and the ancient Persian New Year celebrations that have now been […]

Kyrgyz Holidays 2025: A Complete Guide

Kyrgyz holidays include many inherited from the USSR (although most of those have changed their form at least slightly). Kyrgyz holidays also include many adopted from Russian culture. However, many holidays have now been added to the calendar to celebrate patriotism toward independent Kyrgyzstan and Kyrgyzstan’s long-held Muslim heritage. Thus, Soviet, national, Orthodox, Muslim, modern, […]

Tklapi, Pastegh, Lavashak: One Ingredient Fruit Leather from the Caucasus 

Fruit leather is simple, ancient food. Like bread and roasted meat, it likely independently evolved in several places. At its most basic, it is simply mashed fruit smeared to a sheet and left to dry in the sun. The result is a flavor-intensive food that travels well and can keep for months. The oldest known […]

1 2 3 7