Central Asia, home to centuries of history and culture.

At the core of the Asian continent lies Central Asia, a region consisting of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

A region rich in history combined of centuries of nations blending extended from the Caspian Sea in the West, bordering western China in the East, bounded by Russia on the North, and the South by Iran.

At CAG (Central Asia Group) we work closely with clients to expand businesses in Central Asia, so join us for an introduction to this part of the world.

Historically, Central Asia was named Turkestan, meaning ‘the land of the Turks’. The dominant linguistic group of Turkestan was formed by the Turkish languages such as Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Uzbek, and Kazakh.

Now, Central Asia consists of around 72 million, consisting of five republics: Kazakhstan (18 million), Kyrgyzstan (6 million), Turkmenistan (6 million), Tajikistan (9 million), and Uzbekistan (33 million).

Also known as “the Stans” as the countries generally end with the Persian suffix “stan” meaning “land of”.

The rich history of Central Asia has been closely tied to the people of the Silk Road. Acting as crossroads for the movement of people and ideas, trades of goods between Europe, West Asia, South Asia, and East Asia.

Due to centuries of invasions and migrations, it has formed Central Asia to be so ethnically diverse. An array of faces from Slavic, Turkish, Chinese, Middle Eastern to the Mediterranean – Central Asia is a mixture of a culturally complex group of ethnicities.

Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, Central Asians usually identified themselves as either sarts (settlers) or nomads, as Persians or Turks. Later, separate nationalities were identified by Soviet scholars.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Central Asia has become an increasingly important pivot in international relations and economic development.

Since the 1990s, countries of Central Asia have achieved remarkable economic growth rates. While Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have greatly benefitted from the increasing world market prices for natural resources.

Due to its geographical location between China, Russia, and the Far East, Central Asia has gained strategic importance for the international community.

Central Asia Group (CAG) works within Central Asia alongside international clients in the following countries, prior project development learning the history behind each region is an exciting part of the journey.

Kazakhstan

The world’s largest landlocked country and the ninth largest country in the world carries one of the lowest population densities in the world. The territory of Kazakhstan has historically been inhabited by empires and nomadic groups. A mixture of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes migrated into the region in the 13th century and conquered by Russia in the 19th century where Kazakhstan became the Soviet Republic in 1936.

Uzbekistan

Uzbeks have a diverse cultural heritage due to their layers of history and location. Once at the heart of the ancient Silk Road trade route connecting China with the Middle East and Rome. Uzbekistan spent 200 years as part of the Russian Empire, and then of the Soviet Union, before its independence in 1991. The Uzbeks emerged of a mingling of ancient settled Iranian populations with a mix of Mongol and Turkic tribes.

Tajikistan

Lying in the heart of Central Asia. Tajikistan encompasses the smallest amount of land among the five Central Asian states, but surpasses them all in terms of elevation, with higher mountains than any country in the region. With roots reaching back to the Bactrians and Sogdians to being under the Russian Empire. Contemporary Tajiks are the descendants of ancient Eastern Iranian inhabitants of Central Asia, particularly the Sogdians and Bactrians.

Turkmenistan

The history of Turkmenistan was of Indo-European Iranian tribes that were nomadic. Modern Turkmenistan was radically transformed by the invasion of the Russian Empire. Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries, later annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881 and independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkmenistan possesses the world’s fourth-largest reserves of natural gas.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz history spans a variety of empires and cultures. Geographically surrounded by its high mountainous terrain, was ruled by Göktürks, Khitan people, Uyghur Empire, and conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century. Alike the rest became a part of the Russian Empire and found its independence in 1991. Kyrgyz cultures contain elements of Iranic, Mongolian, and Russian influence.

From the roots of the silk road to being part of the Soviet Union, to now where we see these countries flourish independently – Central Asia is truly an experience one must add to their bucket list.