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Record-Breaking Carpet Unveiled at Tulip Festival in Kazakhstan

A massive felt carpet crafted by 100 master artisans has been officially recognized by the Kazakhstan Book of Records during the international “Qyzgaldaq Mura” (“Tulip Heritage”) festival in the Zhambyl region. Measuring 200 square meters, the carpet was created using the traditional wet felting technique and adorned with tulip motifs, symbolizing the region’s cultural identity. Renowned designer Aidarkhan Kaliev developed the carpet's ornamentation, celebrating both craftsmanship and the region’s natural heritage. The finished work will be installed under protective glass at Auliye-Ata Airport, where it is expected to become a regional cultural landmark. The festival attracted approximately 5,000 participants from Kazakhstan and abroad, including guests from Germany, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Russia, China, Turkey, and India. The event featured historical exhibitions, national games, artisan displays, and a vibrant concert program. The region’s tulip fields, home to 18 species, 10 of which are listed in the Red Book of endangered species, were a highlight for visitors. Despite its cultural success, the festival drew logistical criticism. Numerous attendees reported transportation difficulties, with some being dropped off 10 kilometers from the venue and forced to walk. Aspandiyar Seisebayev, head of the Zhambyl Region Department of Entrepreneurship and Tourism Development, attributed the issues to unexpectedly high turnout and challenging terrain in the mountainous area.

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Soviet Space Probe to Fall to Earth 50 Years After Baikonur Launch

In 1972, the Soviet Union launched a Venus-bound lander probe called Cosmos 482 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which was then a Soviet republic. The probe, which never got out of Earth's orbit, is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in a week or so. “Because the probe was designed to withstand entry into the Venus atmosphere, it is possible the probe (or parts of it) will survive reentry at Earth and reach the surface,” U.S. space agency NASA said on Friday. “It is thought that a malfunction resulted in an engine burn which did not achieve sufficient velocity for the Venus transfer and left the payload in this elliptical Earth orbit. The lander probe orbit has been decaying over time and it is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere around 10 May 2025,” NASA said. Right now, it’s hard to say where the lander will make its return. It’s possible that the spacecraft, or chunks of it, could survive reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere instead of burning up. After all, it has a titanium protective shell originally designed to get through the extreme atmosphere of Venus, which has the hottest surface of any planet in the solar system. Dr. Marco Langbroek, a scientist based in the Netherlands, said on the SatTrackCam Leiden (b)log that he doesn’t think the lander’s parachute deployment system will work during the “uncontrolled” reentry. “There are many uncertain factors in this though, including that this will be a long shallow reentry trajectory, and the age of the object,” Langbroek said. “The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero: with a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact.” Today, Russia operates the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which retains a popular allure for its role in early space exploration and is still a vital part of the Russian space program. On April 20, one NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts made a parachute-supported landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan after a journey back to Earth from the International Space Station. The three men had launched from Baikonur and docked at the station on Sept. 11 last year, spending 220 days in space on that trip.

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May Day in Central Asia: From Soviet Parades to a Celebration of Unity

In Soviet times, May 1 and 2 were public holidays. May 1 was International Workers' Day, marked by large-scale parades celebrating the proletariat, while May 2 served as a day to recuperate before returning to work. Today, three of the five Central Asian republics have preserved the tradition of celebrating May Day, effectively marking the arrival of spring twice, once through Central Asian customs – Nauryz - and again through European ones. Workers of the world, unite! Coined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The Communist Manifesto, this famous communist slogan once appeared on the coats of arms of the Soviet Union and its republics. International Workers' Day became the living embodiment of this phrase. Celebrated on 1 May, May Day began as a European festival of spring but gained global significance through the labor movement. The Second International, formed at the 1889 International Workers Congress in Paris, called for an annual demonstration advocating an eight-hour workday. The date honors the U.S. general strike that started on 1 May 1886 and led to the tragic Haymarket massacre on 4 May. The date became a powerful symbol of working-class solidarity and a yearly tradition across large swathes of the globe. [caption id="attachment_31352" align="aligncenter" width="1174"] Soviet-era poster for International Workers' Day[/caption] Before the Bolsheviks came to power, political agitators in the Russian Empire used May 1 to call for change with slogans such as “Down with the Tsar” and “Give us freedom.” After the October Revolution, May 1 and 2 became official state holidays, with May Day becoming synonymous with International Workers' Day and mandatory parades. Unlike the more formal and solemn celebrations honoring the October Revolution, however, May Day events were often met with genuine enthusiasm. After the collapse The fall of the USSR brought about a widespread reevaluation of Soviet holidays. The celebration of the October Revolution on November 7 was widely discarded, but many post-Soviet republics retained May 1 as a public holiday, albeit with new interpretations and meanings. In Central Asia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan do not officially celebrate May 1. Turkmenistan has developed a distinct holiday calendar, while in Uzbekistan, May 1 is observed symbolically as the Day of Fountains. [caption id="attachment_31353" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Day of Fountains, Tashkent; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] Though celebrations are more modest and it is no longer officially a day off, Tajikistan has retained the holiday’s Soviet-era name, International Workers’ Day. Some traditions, such as honoring outstanding workers, persist. Kyrgyzstan calls the holiday Labor Day, in line with its American equivalent. It is marked by festive events and activities organized by trade unions. Kazakhstan has taken a different approach, reimagining May Day as the Day of Unity of the People of Kazakhstan. The name reflects the country’s emphasis on stability and interethnic harmony, a model promoted by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, an institution established on March 1, 1995, at the initiative of the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Since 2016, March 1 has also been celebrated as Thanksgiving...

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Twentieth Century Travelogue Documents British Women’s Experiences in Central Asia

Interpreting English-language sources accurately for Kazakh readers can be quite challenging. It often requires drawing on the richness, expressiveness, and natural rhythm of the Kazakh language. I came to appreciate this during an internship in the United States. Each evening, on the first floor of our home in Arlington, Virginia, I would spend about three hours in the study, poring over old library books containing historical records about Kazakhs. A quote often came to mind during those long nights: “A person with a good book is never truly alone.” It became both a source of inspiration and motivation. One day, I discovered a remarkable book, published in 1927 in both Boston and New York, titled Through the Jade Gate and Central Asia. Written by Mildred Cable and Francesca French, the book recounts their travels as British female missionaries across northwestern China and Central Asia. It offers a vivid portrayal of life in the region a century ago. The authors journeyed through Gansu, Xinjiang, the Gobi Desert, and visited Mongol and Tibetan settlements. In 1923, Cable, French, and their companion, Evangeline French, traveled more than 2,400 kilometers through Central Asia. They set out from Huozhou, spreading Christianity along the way. During their travels, they opened a mission school, distributed religious literature, and tried to learn local languages, such as Uyghur, to better communicate with Muslim women. However, conversions among local women were rare. The group crossed the desert five times, traversed the Tibetan plains, and eventually reached Zaysan via Shauyeshek. In Zaysan they met with Kazakh families and documented their encounters. For example, one Kazakh man asked if they knew how to operate a sewing machine, likely one he had purchased from Russians. They also met a Nogai man with two wives and a son, one wife being Kazakh and the other from another Turkic group. Throughout the book, the authors include photographs and descriptions of the people they met along the way. Their journey continued along the Irtysh River, where they were moved by a boatman’s song. Upon reaching Semey, they then traveled by train to Novosibirsk and Omsk. On a boat from Omsk, they observed a Kazakh family and were struck by their blend of nomadic tradition and Western education. The family’s Western-style clothing, musical abilities, and refined manners stood out. One Kazakh man even played traditional music on the piano for his child, a moment that so impressed the authors that they included the musical notation in their book. The book also records a striking demographic insight: “We were told the Kazakh population exceeds seven million.” The travelers were clearly impressed by the Kazakhs’ adaptability, modesty, and political awareness, suggesting these qualities would soon position them for greater influence. They were especially taken by the poise and beauty of a Kazakh nurse, who left a lasting impression. In the end, every foreign source that offers insight into our history is an asset. This travelogue stands out as a vivid and respectful portrayal of our ancestors and as...

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Video: From Hardship to Accomplishment – Meet the Kazakh Woman Supporting Female STEM Students

Kalmakhanova Marzhan Seitkyzy is a young professor in Kazakhstan supporting female students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), offering guidance and helping them navigate the realities of research work. Watch her story: [video width="3840" height="2160" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Конкурс-2.mp4"][/video]

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Kyrgyzstan Triples Blood Donation Compensation to Boost Supplies

The Kyrgyz government has tripled financial compensation for blood donors in a move aimed at securing adequate blood supplies for hospitals nationwide. The decision marks the first increase in donor payments since 2009. According to a government statement, the new policy is designed to promote blood donation, enhance the quality of medical care, and ensure consistent availability of blood and its components for hospitalized patients. “Despite technological advances, donated blood and its components remain an indispensable national resource,” officials noted. Under the updated compensation scheme, blood donors will now receive 800 Kyrgyz som, or approximately $9-10, in addition to a free meal on the day of donation. This represents a significant increase from the previous 300 KGS ($3-4). Double immune plasma donations will now be compensated at 1,600 KGS (about $18). Meeting Demand, Especially in Emergencies Representatives of the Republican Blood Center told The Times of Central Asia that while there is generally an adequate supply of blood across the country, occasional shortages occur, particularly with rare blood types and negative Rhesus factors. In such cases, hospitals may issue public appeals via media outlets to solicit donations. “At the moment, we are meeting the needs of all patients. However, certain blood types remain in limited supply. These are usually rare groups with a negative Rhesus factor,” a spokesperson from the center said. “The increased compensation is not only to encourage more people to donate but also to support their health. Donors need to eat well on the day they give blood, and proper nutrition supports faster recovery.” The center publishes up-to-date data on blood availability by region on its official website. Funding for the enhanced donor compensation is being drawn from the state budget, with additional support from a dedicated special account for blood donation programs.