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Silk Road Treasures: The Wild Beauty of Mangistau

Under the banner of "Silk Road Treasures", TCA's people -journalists, editors, authors - share their personal experiences of Central Asia and her people, and by listing their favorite places, literature, films, art, architecture and archaeological sites, alongside encounters and customs, provide pointers for readers wishing to visit the region. Aliya Haidar, Journalist Kazakhstan's Mangistau Peninsula (Mangyshlak) is far from fit for human habitation. Fresh water is scarce, the air is filled with dust raised by searing desert winds, huge waves roll over the turbulent Caspian Sea, and only camels can feed on its vegetation. Mangistau is a symbol of the triumph of nature and, simultaneously, a symbol of victorious industrialization. The balance between the two, however, is very fragile, as events on the peninsula have repeatedly confirmed. In 2000, the peninsula's landscape still retained its wild, natural beauty but just a decade later, it was a place plagued by social conflict. The remains of ancient nomadic sites and necropolises of Sufi missionaries illustrates that people have long been determined to tame and develop this remote and barren land but its explosive growth only occurred with the discovery of oil and uranium. In the 1960s, geologists settled in the desert. Within ten years, cities appeared and hundreds of enterprises were established, making Mangistau one of the gems in the Soviet Union's crown. Colossal desalination plants near the regional center of Aktau (former Shevchenko) resembling spaceships, are a legacy of the era of rapid development when the world's first industrial nuclear reactor on fast neutrons, the BN-350, was built on the peninsula. The reactor was shut down after independence in the late 1990s, but conservation is ongoing. Today, few people are allowed into the gloomy catacombs, to the heart of the reactor, but the memory of the power of the atom and the payback has remained. BN-350 is part of the Mangistau Atomic Energy Combine (MAEC), and the giant desalination plants now supply most of the peninsula with water from the Caspian Sea. But there is still insufficient capacity, and the presence of the endless row of desalination plants warns: "Beware, man. You will have to fight for every drop." Even in the regional center of Aktau, water cuts are not uncommon, and intensive farming is out of the question. In the bazaars of Mangistau, most of the products, especially fruit and vegetables, are imported and far more expensive than elsewhere in Kazakhstan where they grow in abundance. And although salaries in the oil industry are higher than the national average, locals pay triple the price for just about everything. Irresistibly attracted by the glitter of “black gold," the population in the peninsula continues to rise. Almost 800 thousand people currently live in the Mangistau region, making it the ninth most populous region in the country. The load on the peninsula's natural resources however, is now so disproportionate that it has become the cause of constant conflicts. But outside the cities, it is easy to forget the harsh reality of the industrial...

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Top Nuclear Expert in Uzbekistan Dies at Age 79

Behzod Yo'ldoshev, a prominent Uzbek scientist who was deeply involved in international efforts to ensure the safe use of nuclear power and was a key player in Uzbekistan’s ongoing drive to build a nuclear power plant for energy generation, has died. Yo’ldoshev, president of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, worked as a scientific adviser at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and “received wide international recognition in the field of high-energy physics,” the office of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in a statement. After Yo’ldoshev died at the age of 79 on Wednesday, Mirziyoyev visited his family at their home, where mourners prayed and recited verses of the Quran. The Uzbek scientist collaborated with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international center in the Moscow region where he earned his PhD in physics and mathematics, and also had teaching jobs at Stanford University and the University of Washington. Yo’ldoshev published several hundred scientific papers on particle and nuclear physics and other topics, and held more than 20 patents on nuclear applications, according to Stanford. “Uzbek science has suffered a heavy loss,” the Uzbek sciences academy said on social media. Others paying tribute to Yo’ldoshev included the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics of the National University of Uzbekistan, as well as Gennady Krasnikov, president of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Uzbekistan has been planning to build a nuclear power plant with Russian help for years, but the project has encountered delays. The project got a boost in May when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tashkent and signed a new deal to build a smaller plant than previously envisioned. Yo’ldoshev was involved in the fitful efforts to deliver nuclear power in Uzbekistan. In 2019, he was in Vienna to inform the International Atomic Energy Agency that the plant would be built in line with the U.N. watchdog’s requirements. In 2020, Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy agency, gave Yo’ldoshev a medal for his contributions to the use of atomic energy. Over his decorated career, Yo’ldoshev contributed to international non-proliferation work, such as upgrading research reactors, developing ways to stop illicit trafficking of nuclear material, as well as the transport and securing of highly enriched spent fuel. His other roles included director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and as a member of parliament.

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As Kazakhstan Marks Constitution Day, What Does the Occasion Really Symbolize?

Kazakhstan marks Constitution Day on August 30, an event inaugurated by the country's second president, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev. The day has taken on a new meaning since the events of January 2022, when violent unrest throughout the country put Tokayev's authority under the spotlight. This newer version of the country's laws is still being tested for strength. The new constitution was adopted following a national referendum in 2022, after the mass riots. The main change within it is the limitation of presidential terms. Under the new law, the president in Kazakhstan is elected once every seven years, and the same person cannot hold the post for consecutive terms. In 2022, when Tokayev was re-elected early under these new norms, there was a lot of talk about political tricks. His presidential term expires in 2029; there is hope that he will fulfil his obligations and simply stand down. The first constitution of independent Kazakhstan was adopted in January 1993. It incorporated laws on people's sovereignty, the independence of the state, recognition of the Kazakh language as the state language, recognition of the President as the head of state, and recognition of the judicial bodies -- the Supreme, Constitutional, and Higher Arbitration Courts. The 1993 constitution was based on the model of a parliamentary republic. The current constitution was adopted on 30 August 1995, again following a national referendum. However, since 1995, it has been amended five more times: in 1998, 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2019. The most significant changes took place in 2022, after the mass unrest of that January. On May 5, Tokayev announced a referendum on amendments to the constitution. According to him, the purpose of the amendments was to transition to “a new state model, a new format of interaction between the state and society ... from a super-presidential form of government to a presidential republic with an influential parliament and an accountable government.” Amendments to 33 articles were prepared. The referendum was held on June 5, 2022, and 77% of those who voted supported the amendments. It is these amendments that are being celebrated today: the constitution that represents the new path that Tokayev's Kazakhstan is taking.

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Jadids in Germany: Uzbekistan Looks to Past to Inspire Young People

At the Tashkent City Mall, a new Greek restaurant promises what it calls an “unforgettable adventure” for foodies. Superhero fans can check out the Deadpool & Wolverine movie at the mall’s cinema. But it’s not all fine dining and pop culture – a multimedia exhibition there traces the saga of students from Central Asia who studied in Germany and fell victim to Stalinist purges in the 1930s. Why was the exhibition, featuring visual and sound installations, installed in a glitzy shopping complex where lots of people, especially young people, relax and mingle? A clue lies in the Uzbek government’s enthusiasm for highlighting the history of the “Jadids,” members of a progressive movement of pious Muslims who pursued secular education, openness to the outside world and early ideas about independence, even as they faced restrictions and oppression under Russian colonial and then Soviet rule. A century later, the Jadids are a model for Uzbekistan, which seeks new international partners as it searches for ways to train and harness its growing population of young people. The three-month exhibition, titled “Jadids. Letters to Turkestan,” was supported by the state Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation. It opened on July 18 and coincides with upcoming days of national commemoration on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. One prominent visitor was Saida Mirziyoyeva, daughter of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and one of his senior aides. Mirziyoyeva said on the X platform that she was impressed by the exhibition’s account of about 70 Jadid (“new” in Arabic) students, “who made significant contributions to our people's science and culture during their short lives.” The students came from Turkestan, an old name for Central Asia. They included Uzbeks as well as Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Tatars. In 1922, as the Soviet Union was taking shape, they traveled to Germany and studied agriculture, textiles, chemistry, electrical engineering, mining, philosophy, teaching and medicine. “At the root of all this was the dream and goal of achieving national development and national independence,” scholar Naim Karimov wrote. The Stalinist regime saw the students’ education abroad and exposure to different ideologies as a threat to Soviet control. Most of the students who returned to Uzbekistan were falsely accused of espionage and executed or exiled. There was a particularly brutal period of repression in October 1938. The exhibition focuses on the letters, many hopeful and idealistic, that the students wrote while they were in Germany. One haunting section is dedicated to the persecution that they suffered when they returned home. There is a display of the names of Jadids who were shot in 1937-1938 – some had gone to Germany and others helped them travel there. An audio segment plays excerpts from the interrogation of a sponsor of the Jadids, who is accused of treason and says: “I want to live, don’t kill me!” One installation depicts a pile of books that were seized by Soviet authorities and set on fire. A father's appeal can be heard: "Don't burn my daughter's books! Her only fault is...

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Tajikistan Promises Toil and Trouble for Witchcraft Clients

Tajikistan is widening the war on warlocks. The Tajik government has previously announced hard labor, heavy fines and other tough penalties for people convicted of fortune-telling, sorcery and witchcraft. Now it is targeting their customers. Legal measures are being taken against more than 150 people suspected of paying soothsayers to commit “criminal acts,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Wednesday. The ministry did not provide details about the legal action, but said it will collect the data and photographs of people who go to fortune-tellers and sorcerers. For years, Tajikistan has warned that fortune-tellers and the like are fraudsters seeking to bilk customers out of their money. There appear to be deeper concerns that deeply rooted beliefs revolving around the supernatural are a threat to stability. Alarming human rights groups, the government has also banned clothing deemed to be foreign to Tajik culture, a purported reference to Islamic clothing such as the hijab. Tajikistan´s efforts to regulate religious expression are part of a bigger campaign against extremism, though critics fear such controls could end up pushing some people toward radicalism.

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U.S. Think Tank Calls on American Politicians to Make Uzbekistan a Valued Partner

Daniel Runde, a senior vice-president at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), has called on American politicians to strengthen the U.S.'s relations with Uzbekistan. He believes that Uzbekistan, a key partner for the United States in Central Asia, deserves more attention from the West. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing competition with China, the U.S. could strengthen ties with Uzbekistan to promote regional stability and counterbalance Russian and Chinese influence. “Uzbekistan seeks more engagement with the United States through bilateral efforts and the “C5+1” (the five Central Asian countries plus the United States) diplomatic platform. We might never become Uzbekistan’s best friend. However, we could become better and more reliable friends. Uzbekistan has five bordering countries, and at one point in the early 2000s, it considered the United States its ‘sixth neighbor,’” Runde mentioned. “When the U.S. government was active in Afghanistan, we supported Uzbekistan’s efforts to develop its economy and invest in its security. With our disengagement from Afghanistan, we need to look at Uzbekistan as the valued partner that it could be and re-engage. We should work towards the day that Uzbekistan considers the United States its ‘sixth neighbor’ again.” According to Runde, there are several goals that the US could assist Uzbekistan in achieving. While some are significantly more difficult to handle, others are relatively straightforward: 1) Uzbekistan wants U.S. support to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), a goal it has pursued for almost 30 years. The U.S. has provided some technical help, and during a recent visit, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai reaffirmed America’s support. For further progress, Uzbekistan could benefit from greater involvement from U.S. institutions like the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Export-Import Bank (EXIM), and U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to strengthen trade ties with the U.S. 2) Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries want the U.S. to repeal the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which restricts regular trade with them. This amendment, initially targeting Soviet-era policies, is now outdated and seen as disrespectful, as it treats these nations as if they are still part of the Soviet Union. Repealing it would show that the U.S. respects their independence and is ready to treat them as equal partners. “Jackson-Vanik now restricts normal trade relations with several existing and former nonmarket economies, including Uzbekistan. For countries like Uzbekistan, Jackson-Vanik is a sign of disrespect that encourages them to take their business to China, Russia, Turkey, or the Gulf,” Runde argues. 3) He notes that many developing countries, including Uzbekistan, would like to see Congress successfully renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a trade preference program. “The GSP benefited many developing countries by providing duty-free treatment for their products. With the absence of this program, trade volumes between Uzbekistan and the United States have not been as impressive as they might have been. Compare U.S. trade with Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan’s trade with China, Russia, or the EU. The lapse of the U.S. GSP has had a real impact on our influence...

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