Download or read book Fabled Cities of Central Asia written by and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 1990 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Journey to Khiva written by Philip Glazebrook and published by Kodansha. This book was released on 1994 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AN EXPEDITION INTO THE HEART OF CENTRAL ASIA Inspired by the great adventurers of the Victorian era and intrigued by the history of the Great Game-the century-long struggle between Britain and Russia to control Central Asia-Philip Glazebrook set out on his own journey to the fabled cities of Tashkent, Bokhara, Samarkand, and Khiva. Along theway he encountered remains of two other empires: the Soviet Union, whose spreading disorder was brought home by a terrifying attack in his Moscow hotel room, and the domain of Tamerlane, the thirteenth-century conqueror whose memory and monuments still dominate the imagination of the regionsinhabitants Blending his own experiences with tales from earlier travelers, Glazebrook captures the color and fascination of a region where Europe and Asia have long met but never merged, a crucial crossroads from the days of the Silk Road to the present.
Download or read book Silk and Cotton written by Susan Meller and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2018-12-15 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The traditional textiles of Central Asia are unknown treasures. Straddling the legendary Silk Road, this vast region stretches from Russia in the west to China in the east. Whether nomadic or sedentary, its peoples created textiles for every aspect of their way of life, from ceremonial objects marking rites of passage, to everyday garments, to practical items for the home. There were suzanis for the marriage bed; prayer mats; patchwork quilts; bridal ensembles; bags for tea, scissors, and mirrors; lovingly embroidered hats and bibs; and robes of every color and pattern. Author Susan Meller has spent years assembling the 590 textiles illustrated in this book. She documents their history, use, and meaning through archival photographs and fascinating travelers’ narratives spanning many centuries. Her book will be a revelation to designers, collectors, students of Central Asia, and travelers to the region. Silk and Cotton is destined to become a classic.
Download or read book The Legendary Biographies of Tamerlane written by Ron Sela and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-29 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Timur (or Tamerlane) is famous as the fourteenth-century conqueror of much of Central Eurasia and the founder of the Timurid dynasty. His reputation lived on in his native lands and reappeared some three centuries after his death in the form of fictional biographies, authored anonymously in Persian and Turkic. These biographies have become part of popular culture. Despite a direct continuity in their production from the eighteenth century to the present, they remain virtually unknown to people outside the region. This remarkable and rigorous scholarly appraisal of the legendary biographies of Tamerlane is the first of its kind in any language. The book sheds light not only on the character of Tamerlane and how he was remembered and championed by many generations after his demise, but also on the era in which the biographies were written and how they were conceived and received by the local populace during an age of crisis in their own history.
Download or read book The Resurgence of Central Asia written by Ahmed Rashid and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A seminal introduction to the rise of Central Asia, covering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan The Resurgence of Central Asia is Ahmed Rashid’s seminal study of the states that emerged in the aftermath of the breakup of the Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. All have Muslim majorities and ancient histories but are otherwise very different. Rashid’s book, now with a new introduction by the author examining some of the crucial political developments since its first publication in 1994, provides entrée to this little-known but geopolitically important region. Rashid gives a history of each country, including its incorporation into Tsarist Russia, to the present day, provides basic socioeconomic information, and explains the diverse political situations. He focuses primarily on the underlying issues confronting these societies: the legacy of Soviet rule, ethnic tensions, the position of women, the future of Islam, the question of nuclear proliferation, and the fundamental choices over economic strategy, political system, and external orientation that lie ahead.
Download or read book Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia written by Glenn R. McNamara and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2005-06-30 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russia and the newly independent states of Central Asia are struggling to reassert or create national identities and are receiving fresh attention from the West. After decades of oblivion, the vast Eurasian continent is once again divulging its intense cultural heritage and foodways to the international community. The diversity of food cultures within the former Soviet Union, with more than 100 distinct nationalities, is overwhelming, but this book brilliantly distills the main elements of contemporary cuisine and food-related customs for students and foodies. Vibrant descriptions of the legacy of the Silk Road; the classic foods such as kasha, pirogi, non (flatbread), pickles, and shashlyk (shish kebab); the over-the-top Moscow theme restaurants; and meals at the dacha and tea time are just some of the highlights. Russia and the newly independent states of Central Asia are struggling to reassert or create national identities and are receiving fresh attention from the West. After decades of oblivion, the vast Eurasian continent is once again divulging its intense cultural heritage and foodways to the international community. The diversity of food cultures within the former Soviet Union, with more than 100 distinct nationalities, is overwhelming, but Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia brilliantly distills the main elements of contemporary cuisine and food-related customs for students and foodies. Vibrant descriptions of the legacy of the Silk Road; the classic foods such as kasha, pirogi, non (flatbread), pickles, and shashlyk (shish kebab); the over-the-top Moscow theme restaurants; and meals at the dacha and tea time are just some of the highlights. After centuries of contact and conflict among peoples of Eurasia, Russian and Central Asian cuisines and culinary cultures have much in common. To understand one, the other must be considered as well. Russia and Central Asia cuisines share many ingredients, dishes, and customs. This volume strives to emphasize the evolving and multifaceted nature of the food cultures. Readers will be able to appreciate the ingredients, cooking methods, and traditions that make up the Eurasian foodways.
Download or read book Samarkand Bukhara Khiva written by Pierre Chuvin and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2003-11-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This lavish presentation of the artistic and architectural heritage of three great Central Asian cities will appeal to armchair travellers, historians, artists, and anyone ready to be dazzled. The book was originally published in 2001 by Editions Flammarion in both English and French editions; Rizzo
Download or read book Islamic Central Asia written by Scott Cameron Levi and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An anthology of primary documents for the study of Central Asian history. It illustrates important aspects of the social, political, and economic history of Islamic Central Asia. It covers the period from the 7th-century Arab conquests to the 19th-century Russian colonial era and provides insights into the history and significance of the region.
Download or read book ASIA written by Roger Webber and published by Troubador Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2024-02-28 with total page 657 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asia (with Europe) is the largest continuous landmass, containing a variety of countries, peoples and scenic wonders. It is the objective of many travellers to get from one end to the other, but in doing so there are different ways and many hazards in the way. The northern route is by the trans-Siberian railway, with a link to China, to then return via a more southern route through India and Iran. In ancient times there had been the Silk Road, with its many alternative sections. These routes formed the basis of many of my travels, but not as a continuous journey as there were countries to explore on the way. In ASIA, Webber covers the whole continent and comprehensively includes all countries in Asia. The book is beautifully illustrated with both black and white and colour photos as well as route maps of all the journeys. It is set over sixty years and includes historical and geographical descriptions of large parts of the region.
Download or read book Bibliography of Art and Architecture in the Islamic World 2 vols written by Susan Sinclair and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2012-04-03 with total page 1508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the tradition and style of the acclaimed Index Islamicus, the editors have created this new Bibliography of Art and Architecture in the Islamic World. The editors have surveyed and annotated a wide range of books and articles from collected volumes and journals published in all European languages (except Turkish) between 1906 and 2011. This comprehensive bibliography is an indispensable tool for everyone involved in the study of material culture in Muslim societies.
Download or read book Crossroads of Cuisine written by Paul David Buell and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-11-04 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crossroads of Cuisine offers history of food and cultural exchanges in and around Central Asia. It discusses geographical base, and offers historical and cultural overview. A photo essay binds it all together. The book offers new views of the past.
Download or read book A Concise History of Afghanistan Central Asia and India in 25 Volumes written by HAMID ALIKUZAI and published by Trafford Publishing. This book was released on 2015-01-19 with total page 1135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirteen years after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan Thirteen years after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the gains that the international coalition has made with its local partners are real but reversible. Afghanistan is no longer a global hub of terrorist activity, but Taliban resurgence would threaten to make it one again. Reconstruction assistance has produced demonstrable progress in health, education, and economic well-being, but corruption and governance problems have undermined popular support for the government in Kabul and constrained the overall level of progress. Internationally, a coalition still backs the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) military mission. However, NATO's will is waning; China, Russia, and India are largely free riders; and Punjab and Iran publicly say the right things, while destabilizing Afghanistan by privately meddling to their own ends. Political and economic realities in the United States make the current level of American engagement in Afghanistan unsustainable. But as the commitment of coalition partners fades, what Washington decides will shape the future of South Asia. Looking ahead, there are three different scenarios for American engagement in Afghanistan. It remains to be seen exactly which route Washington will take. But it is clear that U.S. interests require a long-term commitment not only in Afghanistan but across the region. Lest it be forgotten, the consequences of ignoring the region in the 1990s were visited upon the United States on 9/11. So the most vital goals present-day are defeating the remnants of al Qaeda in Punjab, preventing the reemergence of terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan, ensuring the security of Punjab's nuclear weapons, and discouraging Punjab's use of extremism and terror as a policy instrument. There are three ways forward. Each entails a different degree of involvement and carries varying risks and rewards. The first option is the riskiest. Future #1: Immediate Departure and the Reallocation of Resources because discontent among the U.S. public over the war is already at an all-time high.
Download or read book A History of Central Asia written by Anne Davison and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-20 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For most of its history, Central Asia has been ruled by powerful dynasties, fallen under the vassalage of neighbouring empires or been invaded by foreign powers. Only the more remote, inaccessible tribal areas have maintained a degree of independence. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, five distinct independent nation states have emerged that are now generally referred to as 'Central Asia', namely Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.Regardless of who has been in power over the centuries, the one constant has been the significance of the land bridge that straddles the region connecting Europe and Asia, otherwise known as the Silk Road, or Roads. In ancient times, silks and spices travelled westwards, while furs, wools and precious metals took an eastward route. Consequently, those who controlled the trade-route accrued immense wealth and built great cities such as ancient Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.The ancient Silk Road is now being revitalised. But rather than silks and spices, today the commodities being transported include natural gas, oil, minerals and communication systems.This book tells the story of conquest and invasion, of empire building and colonialism. The earlier chapters include the great Persian/Iranian Empires, such as the Achaemenids, the Sassanids and the Safavids, as well as the exploits of Alexander the Great. Further chapters cover the Turkic migrations, arrival of Islam and the invasion of the Mongols. The final chapters tell of the conflict between the imperial powers of Russia and Britain, which was an event known as the Great Game. The 20th Century period of Soviet rule in Central Asia marks the final chapter and the book concludes with an Epilogue that brings the reader up to current events.As with other books in the 'In Brief' series, this book is aimed at the general reader who wants to understand a particular historical topic but does not have the time or inclination to read a heavy academic tome. With this mind, footnotes have been omitted.While there will inevitably be gaps in a book of this size, the intention is to cover the most significant events that moulded Central Asia's history. Should the reader be inspired to further reading on the subject, a small selection of the main works that have been consulted is provided at the end. Where possible, maps and charts are provided which should help the reader navigate through the text. A 'Who's Who' is included at the end.
Download or read book Central Asia in 1993 When the Silk Road Reopened written by Richard Pomfret and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2015-01-10 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On Christmas Day 1991 the Soviet Union disappeared, and five unprepared Central Asian republics became nation states. In December 1992 the author was seconded to the United Nations as an economic advisor to the five countries and to Azerbaijan and Mongolia, which were also in transition from central planning. This book tells the story of the following year in Central Asia. The Central Asian oases were key points on the silk road from China to West Asia and to Europe, until maritime explorers opened up sea routes that led to several centuries of decline in the region. Conquered by Russia in the nineteenth century and under Communism isolated from the world in the twentieth century, the early 1990s brought dramatic new challenges for the people in the midst of economic and political chaos. The rich history, Islamic traditions and uncertain future made 1993 an interesting year in Central Asia.
Download or read book Cultural Histories of Central Asia written by Rashmi Doraiswamy and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-10-06 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Central Asia, the 'heart' of the Eurasian landmass, has through the centuries been the hub of diverse and varied cultures. These cultures have encompassed pre-Islamic religions and Islam, sedentary and nomadic lifestyles and lived through rapid transitions from feudal, capitalist and socialist economies, from Tsarist to Soviet and post-Soviet formations. The essays in this volume examine the cultural exchanges and encounters that have occurred in the region through a vast timeline that extends from the premedieval to the medieval and modern periods. The writers are academics, as well as art practitioners and independent researchers who belong to a wide spectrum of disciplines: Central Asian and Russian Studies, Architecture, Ethno-Musicology, History, Painting, Film Studies, Art History, Textiles, Literature and International Relations. The volume presents a colourful mosaic of views on the many cultural histories of Central Asia.
Download or read book Seeking the Fabled City written by Allan Levine and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this definitive and meticulously researched account of the Jewish experience in Canada, award-winning and critically acclaimed author Allan Levine documents a story that is rich, accessible, often surprising, and epic in its scope. Relying on an abundance of primary sources and first-hand documentation and interviews, Seeking the Fabled City chronicles the successes and failures, the obstacles overcome and those not conquered, of a historic journey and the people who travelled it. Seeking the Fabled City is a story that unfolds over 250 years--from the decade after the conquest of New France in 1759, when small numbers of Sephardic Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent arrived in British North America, through the great wave of Russian and Eastern European Jewish immigration at the turn of the twentieth century, to the present, in which Canada's large Jewish community, no longer hindered by the anti-Semitism of the past, is free to flourish. This is a chronicle of a people that takes place at hundreds of locales across the country--mainly in the large urban centres of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, but also in west coast and maritime villages and tiny prairie towns--in a riveting drama with a cast of thousands. Relying on an abundance of primary sources and first-hand documentation and interviews, Seeking the Fabled City chronicles the successes and failures, the obstacles overcome and those not conquered, of a historic journey and the people who travelled it.
Download or read book Uzbekistan written by Thomas R. McCray and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concise, yet packed with information, these user-friendly volumes are introductions to modern nations of the world.
