Cultural Heritage - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 123

World Nomad Games

Snow Leopard Designated as Official Mascot of World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan

The snow leopard has been designated as the official mascot of the sixth World Nomad Games, which Kyrgyzstan will host from August 31 to September 6, it has been announced. “The snow leopard is more than a symbol of strength. It reflects inner resolve, dignity, and clarity of purpose. It carries the spirit of Kyrgyzstan, the character of nomadic culture, and the energy of forward movement,” the Games' Secretariat said. In October 2025, Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers officially designated the snow leopard as the country’s national symbol and approved a corresponding logo. Snow leopards are considered a key indicator of ecological health in mountainous regions across 12 Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan. The country has played a prominent role in global conservation efforts, most notably by spearheading a United Nations General Assembly initiative that led to the establishment of October 23 as International Snow Leopard Day. Launched by Kyrgyzstan in 2012, the World Nomad Games aim to revive and preserve the cultural heritage of nomadic civilizations. The inaugural Games were held in September 2014 in the resort town of Cholpon-Ata on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Kyrgyzstan also hosted the second and third editions in 2016 and 2018. The 2022 Games were held in Turkey, and the 2024 edition took place in Kazakhstan. Over the years, the Games have evolved into a major international festival showcasing Central Asia’s cultural traditions through events featuring birds of prey, equestrian sports, traditional wrestling, archery, and displays of physical skill and endurance. In February 2026, the Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany, announced the decision to grant the organization’s patronage to the 6th World Nomad Games following an official request from the Kyrgyz government. The granting of UNESCO’s patronage underscores international recognition of the 2026 Games as an important global initiative for preserving and promoting traditional sports and games, which form part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. It is also expected to support broader international participation and raise the global profile of Kyrgyzstan’s cultural heritage. The opening of the 6th World Nomad Games will take place alongside a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which Kyrgyzstan will host.

Literature

Literary Competition Showcases Outstanding New Kazakh Novels

The “Modern Kazakh Novel” competition, in partnership with Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), was launched last year as a national cultural initiative. The project was designed to stimulate the growth of contemporary Kazakh prose and foster closer ties between authors and readers. With more than 3,000 submissions, the competition highlighted the Kazakh public's interest in literature. Eight authors reached the final stage of the competition. Seven finalists were each awarded 3 million tenge ($6,300), while the winner of the grand prize received 15 million tenge ($31,500). A notable achievement of the initiative was the publication of the shortlisted works. A thousand copies of each novel were printed and officially presented to the public. Of these, 750 copies were transferred to the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, allowing the books to be distributed widely through the national library network. [caption id="attachment_46360" align="aligncenter" width="300"] @ERG[/caption] The finalists were Duman Ramazan (with a novel called Trial), Kuanysh Zhienbay (The Final Stop in Aralkum), Nurzhan Kuantaiuly (Unfaithful Game), Askar Altay (Cascade), Murat Almasbek (Two Shores), Kuat Borash (Repentance), and Aiyum Akyltai (Debt). The grand prize was awarded to Zhusipbek Korgasbek for his novel The Wolf from Cologne. Plans have also been announced to adapt the work into a feature film. In his message to participants, ERG's Chairperson Shukhrat Ibragimov highlighted the value of national literature and expressed confidence in contemporary writers. He stressed that national values remain vital for younger generations, as they connect historical heritage with the demands of a rapidly evolving world shaped by innovation and digital technologies. Ibragimov also noted that one of literature’s key roles is to shape new characters that reflect the realities of each new era. In this context, such competitions create meaningful opportunities for emerging writers and help reinterpret national identity from fresh perspectives. According to jury chair Qaynar Olzhai, the initiative was initially intended to support novels written in the Kazakh language. Over the course of a year, hundreds of applications were received. From 220 promising novel projects reviewed by experts, five finalists were originally planned. However, due to the unexpectedly high quality and quantity of submissions, the sponsor agreed to expand the shortlist by adding two more finalists. [caption id="attachment_46361" align="aligncenter" width="200"] @ERG[/caption] Ultimately, every meaningful achievement is rooted in intellectual and spiritual development. From pilots and mountaineers to global business leaders, many groundbreaking ideas originate from reading and literature. In this sense, the “Modern Kazakh Novel” project is an effort to support the creative community and encourage literary innovation.

Food & Drink

Traditional Kazakh Foods Find a Niche in Foreign Markets

Traditional Kazakh food products such as kazy (a sausage-like delicacy made of horse meat), kumys (a fermented beverage made from mare’s milk), and kurt (dry cheese made from fermented milk) are now expanding beyond Kazakhstan's borders, becoming part of the country's export potential. According to QazTrade Trade Policy Development Center, with state support, the export of traditional Kazakh foods could reach $50-$80 million by 2028. Russia and China remain the largest markets for traditional Kazakh foods, as these countries are home to more than 2 million ethnic Kazakhs, which creates a stable demand for traditional products. Kurt and kumys are particularly popular on the Russian market. In China, especially in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to more than 10 million Muslims, there is growing demand for meat delicacies and halal products. The export of traditional Kazakh dairy products shows steady growth. The export of kumys, shubat (camel's milk), and ayran (fermented cow's milk) totaled $13.4 million in 2024 and $17.3 million in 2025 (a 29.4% increase). The main difficulty in exporting kumys is its short shelf life. Chilled kumys can be stored for only 3-5 days, so delivering it to more distant markets is a challenge. Producers are currently seeking solutions to this problem, including pasteurising it so that it can be stored for up to 30 days, as well as lyophilised kumys powder. Such products are already being supplied to China, although volumes remain modest for now. Kazakhstan's traditional foods are gradually finding their niche in foreign markets under a nomadic gastronomy brand, the cuisine of steppe culture, based on natural meat and dairy products. In October 2025, another Kazakh delicacy entered the U.S. market when Tary Coffee, a cafe aimed at introducing visitors to Kazakh cuisine and traditional products, began operating in Chicago. One of the products featured on the menu is talkan, which is made from roasted and ground grains. In addition to talkan, the cafe’s menu features traditional Kazakh foods such as millet, nawut (crystallised sugar), alongside various grain-based ingredients. According to Aitmukhamed Aldazharov, General Director of QazTrade, traditional Kazakh foods meet the world's growing demand for functional foods and superfoods. Kurt is a source of valuable microelements, while tary and talkan are becoming increasingly recognised by foreign buyers during trade missions and international exhibitions. “Traditional steppe food sells well and is in demand through networks of Kazakh restaurants and cafes abroad. For example, the famous cappuccino with tary, a kind of 'ground steppe coffee,' has already entered the U.S. market," he said.

Nauryz

How Kazakhstan’s Southern Cities Celebrated Nauryz

Across southern Kazakhstan, cities welcomed the arrival of spring with vibrant Nauryz celebrations that combined centuries-old traditions with modern cultural elements. Public squares, parks, and pedestrian areas were transformed into festive spaces filled with concerts, exhibitions, national games, and family activities. Almaty Kazakhstan's biggest city is one of the main venues for celebrating Nauryz. In 2026, the city marked the spring holiday on a particularly large scale, hosting more than 200 events across various locations. The main festivities unfolded in central squares, where concerts, exhibitions, craft fairs, and interactive cultural zones were organized. One distinctive feature of the celebrations was the concept of blending traditional rituals with modern technologies. Themed yurts were installed in public spaces, each dedicated to different aspects of Great Steppe culture, from musical heritage and archaeological reconstructions to contemporary ethno-design. [caption id="attachment_45770" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA[/caption] Pedestrian streets were decorated with light installations, LED displays, and interactive digital projects. In the evening, there were concerts by Kazakhstani performers and light shows. Residents attended the celebrations with their families, many wearing national costumes. Ethno-villages were also set up in several districts of Almaty, where sports competitions and children’s programs took place. Shymkent Nauryz was also celebrated on a large scale in Shymkent. Ethno-villages were organized throughout the city, allowing visitors to learn about Kazakh traditions, sample national dishes, and watch performances by local artists. A distinctive feature of the celebrations in Shymkent was the balanced combination of traditional festivities with modern cultural initiatives. Alongside folk performances, guests could explore digital exhibitions, interactive spaces, and educational programs dedicated to Kazakhstan’s history and heritage. [caption id="attachment_45769" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA[/caption] Concerts and theatrical performances featuring well-known national performers became a central part of the program, blending traditional motifs with modern stage production. Craft fairs, entertainment areas, playgrounds, and creative workshops were organized for children and families in the city’s main public spaces. Taraz In Taraz, Nauryz was celebrated with lively public festivities reflecting both tradition and contemporary creativity. Central squares were transformed into festive ethno-villages, with yurts installed, folk craft exhibitions arranged, and traditional dishes offered to guests. Residents and visitors watched theatrical performances dedicated to the history of the Kazakh people and the arrival of spring. Folklore groups, dance ensembles, musicians, and young performers took to the stage throughout the day. [caption id="attachment_45772" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Image: TCA[/caption] The celebrations also incorporated modern elements. Visitors could see robots dressed in national costumes, an unusual symbol of the connection between cultural heritage and technological progress. Playgrounds, swings, and various entertainment activities were organized, while many residents took photographs against the backdrop of yurts, traditional decorations, and spring floral displays. The holiday concluded with a large open-air concert and mass public celebrations, reinforcing the sense of unity, joy, and renewal that accompanies Nauryz each year in Kazakhstan.

Islamic Civilization Center

Opening the Islamic Civilization Center in Tashkent: A New Landmark of Memory, Scholarship, and National Identity

With its public opening scheduled for March 17, 2026, the Islamic Civilization Center in Tashkent is emerging as one of the most consequential cultural projects in contemporary Uzbekistan. Conceived under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative first announced in 2017, the Center presents itself not simply as a museum but as a national statement about memory, scholarship, and identity. The Center’s own mission describes it as a bridge between the Golden Age and New Uzbekistan, linking a rich spiritual and scientific inheritance with the country’s modern aspirations. In that sense, the opening is not only an institutional debut; it is a carefully staged declaration of civilizational confidence. The setting reinforces that message. The complex rises in Tashkent’s historic Hast-Imam area, at Karasaray 47 in the Almazar district, where architecture itself is part of the narrative. The official site says the building’s 65-meter dome and four portals symbolize the unity of Uzbekistan’s regions, turning the Center into a monument as much as a museum. From the outside, the structure is meant to signal national scale; from the inside, it is designed to draw visitors into a journey through faith, science, and statehood. The opening therefore introduces not just a new institution, but a new symbolic landmark for the capital. What makes the Center distinctive is the scope of its ambition. Official descriptions emphasize that it is more than an exhibition venue: alongside museum halls, it includes a library, restoration and digitization laboratories, research departments, and archival storage. That institutional mix matters. Rather than treating Islamic civilization as a fixed inheritance locked behind glass, the Center is built to keep knowledge active through conservation, scholarship, and public interpretation. It is a museum-research hybrid with an international educational focus, drawing inspiration from historical centers of learning such as Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, the Khorezm Ma’mun Academy, and Ulugh Beg’s madrasah in Samarkand. At the spiritual and architectural core of the complex is the Qur’an Hall. The official website describes it as the largest and most majestic section of the building, as well as the conceptual heart of the entire project. At its center stands the 7th-century Mushaf of Uthman, preserved beneath the great dome and recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The hall also features a gallery of 114 Qur’ans tracing the evolution of Islamic calligraphy, and the Center says the space is designed not only for display but also for contemplation, with continuous Qur’an recitation planned inside. The result is an opening centered on reverence as much as spectacle. Beyond the Qur’an Hall, the Center organizes Uzbekistan’s civilizational story along a long historical arc. Its exhibition program moves from pre-Islamic heritage through the First and Second Renaissances and into New Uzbekistan, combining rare objects with replicas, models, 3D technologies, audiovisual tools, and other modern display formats. The Hall of Honor, one of the site’s highlighted spaces, contains 14 arches depicting key events in Central Asian history and interactive panels linked to a digital platform with avatars of more than one hundred thinkers...

TCA Interviews

TCA Interview: Musician Merey Otan on the Reinvention of Kazakh Musical Instruments

Until recently, Kazakh national instruments were largely associated with school concerts, folk ensembles, and official ceremonies. The dombra (a long-necked, two-stringed plucked instrument), kobyz (a bowed string instrument with two horsehair strings), and sybyzgy (a wooden end-blown flute traditionally made from apricot wood) seemed to occupy a separate cultural space: symbolically important, yet detached from everyday life. “Before, the dombra was for me only part of school concerts,” recalls Sanzhar Uvashev, 24, a sales specialist from Almaty. “It was brought out on holidays, people dressed in national costumes, played a couple of obligatory songs, and that was it. I never thought this instrument could sound different, or be part of contemporary music.” Today, that distance is steadily narrowing. The sound of the dombra is increasingly featured in contemporary original music, electronic compositions, film scores, and social media. Young musicians are not abandoning tradition, but they are no longer treating it as something frozen in time. To understand how this rethinking is taking place, and why tradition need not remain 'untouched', The Times of Central Asia spoke with Merey Otan, a researcher and musician who works with Kazakh instruments in a modern cultural context. ТCA: Merey, how did your study of national instruments begin? Was it a deliberate decision? MO: It started during my master’s studies, when I was writing a thesis on contemporary music in Kazakhstan. As part of that research, I interviewed the ethno-rock band Aldaspan and kobyz player Almat Saizhan. I was especially interested in how the dombra and kobyz were being transformed and modernized and eventually devoted a whole chapter of my work to this topic. So yes, it was a conscious choice. TCA: People often argue that tradition should be preserved in its original form. What’s your take on that? MO: I’ve heard that view often, especially from traditional musicians. Some believe, for example, that an electronic dombra desecrates the instrument. Given the sacred meaning of the dombra and kobyz, I understand that stance. In sociology, these people are sometimes called purists. But I disagree. The world is changing, and some traditions from the nomadic era have lost their relevance or even become barriers. I believe traditions can, and sometimes should, evolve. If modifying an instrument helps engage younger generations, why not? TCA: Where do you personally draw the line between respect for heritage and experimentation? MO: I see nothing wrong with experimentation. On the contrary, bands like Steppe Sons show deep respect for heritage. Their members have formal musical education and a strong grounding in tradition. However, it's important to consider the concept of cultural appropriation from postcolonial theory. This occurs when privileged groups use the culture of marginalized communities for personal gain. In music, this might look like a Western artist profiting from Kazakh instruments without acknowledging Kazakh musicians. That, in my view, is disrespectful. TCA: Is there still criticism about the “incorrect” use of traditional instruments? MO: Yes, certainly. When Aldaspan introduced the electronic dombra, public figures like Bekbolat Tleukhan were highly critical....