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White Tigers

White Tiger Cubs Born at Ashgabat Zoo

Two white tiger cubs have been born at Ashgabat Zoo and will be shown to the public starting in the spring of next year, according to a Turkmen news report. Digital news outlet Takyk reported this week that the male and female cubs are under close veterinary monitoring alongside their mother at the zoo, whose formal name is the National Museum of Wildlife. The cubs were born to a tiger named Taymaz and a tigress named Narin, according to Takyk. Many people are drawn to the striking appearance of white tigers, but several international conservation groups have said the animals don’t serve any conservation purpose and are primarily bred for entertainment and profit. White tigers are believed to be extinct in the wild, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare group. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), another conservation organization, has said that white tigers are not a separate subspecies of tiger and that those in captivity exist due to inbreeding. “The white tiger is a result of a rare genetic mutation and the most efficient way to breed them is by using two tigers who have the recessive genes needed to produce offspring with a white coat,” said the WWF, adding that white tigers suffer from significant health problems. The Ashgabat zoo encompasses about 40 hectares and is located on the slopes of the Kopet Dag Mountains, just west of the capital. The zoo opened in the city center in 1932 but conditions became cramped, prompting authorities to move it to the more spacious outskirts in 2010.

Small Businesses

Almaty Facade Renovations Leave Small Businesses in the Dust

When Gaukhar Osmonalieva rented a space in central Almaty for a pet grooming salon and coffee shop, renovations to the building’s facade were already underway. She was assured the work would be finished soon. Her business opened in August, but instead of a busy street and an outdoor terrace, she found herself surrounded by scaffolding, a torn-up sidewalk, and constant dust. By mid-October, construction was still underway, and the customers she had hoped to attract by choosing the location were coming less frequently. “At one point, the construction workers dug up the entire road, and foot traffic dropped noticeably. We chose this location because it was convenient and had heavy pedestrian traffic, but those are precisely the advantages we have now practically lost,” Osmonalieva told The Times of Central Asia. Almaty is Kazakhstan’s largest city and commercial hub. In 2026, the city launched a large-scale renovation of residential building facades, many dating back to the Soviet era. The original program covered 176 buildings in three central districts – Almaly, Bostandyk, and Medeu. More than 25.8 billion tenge (approximately $57 million) was allocated for the work. Many of the buildings house cafes, shops, and small businesses on their ground floors. [caption id="attachment_58399" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Classes continue as normal at a language school on Abay Avenue as restoration goes on outside.[/caption] City officials promised to update the facades while preserving the buildings’ architectural features. But questions about how the work was organized emerged as early as spring. Local news outlet Vlast found that construction had begun at some sites in March, before public tenders were announced and contracts signed. Under the tender terms, renovating a single building was supposed to take three to five months. By August, only nine of the 178 buildings listed in updated district administration figures had been fully renovated. Authorities in Bostandyk expected to complete most of the work by September, while those in Almaty targeted October. Osmonalieva was initially told the renovations would take three weeks, then that they would be completed by September. After complaining via e-Otinish, Kazakhstan’s government complaints platform, she was given a new deadline: October 15. “But today is already October 12, and judging by the condition of the facade, I wouldn’t say even half the work has been done,” she said. According to Osmonalieva, there are often only three or four construction workers on the building. Tools are left near the entrance, while workers cut cladding materials beside the salon, filling the area with dust. [caption id="attachment_58396" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] A coffee shop on Kunaev Street, with construction materials stacked outside.[/caption] The coffee shop has suffered most. Osmonalieva had planned to open an outdoor terrace, a popular feature in Almaty, where warm weather lasts for several months. But scaffolding made it impossible to set up tables outside. “As a result, we missed the entire season. This had a significant impact on the coffee shop: demand was lower than expected, and we couldn’t reach our planned targets,” she said. The construction has created additional...

Safety Measures

Kyrgyzstan Road Safety Plan Proposed After 900 Traffic Deaths in 2025

Kyrgyzstan recorded 8,456 road accidents in 2025, leaving 900 people dead and 12,169 injured. Compared with the previous year, the number of accidents rose by 18.8%, while fatalities increased by 21.1%. In response, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has drafted a road safety program for 2027–2030 and opened it for public discussion on October 10. It identifies speeding, driving into oncoming traffic, drunk driving, and violations of rules at intersections and pedestrian crossings as major causes of accidents. Speeding alone resulted in 298 deaths last year. The ministry is proposing the installation of barriers, improving street lighting, creating safer pedestrian crossings, and expanding the network of bicycle lanes. Near schools, the plans include reducing speed limits to 30 km/h, additional traffic lights, and building sidewalks. The program also calls for expanding the network of automated traffic enforcement cameras and introducing digital traffic management systems, as well as developing new rules for using drones to detect traffic violations. Police already use drones for this purpose, but the ministry wants to formalize and expand their use. Separate changes would affect electric scooters and mopeds. In Bishkek, scooters frequently share sidewalks with pedestrians. The ministry proposes designating separate lanes or space along the edges of roads for these vehicles and separating their movement from pedestrians. The program also proposes gradually replacing rental electric scooters with bicycles. Kyrgyzstan is also overhauling its driver training system. Authorities have suspended the operations of private driving schools and transferred training to state institutions, while extending the duration of courses from two and a half months to ten months. The restrictions, introduced in January 2026, have been extended until December 31 as part of a trial program. Officials said the decision was intended to eliminate corruption in the issuance of driver's licenses and improve training standards. In its country profile, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated Kyrgyzstan's road traffic mortality rate at 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 13.9 in Tajikistan, 12.2 in Kazakhstan, 9.3 in Uzbekistan, and 8.0 in Turkmenistan. In the European Union, meanwhile, the rate was 4.5.

Archaeology

Ancient Fortress and Rare Figurine Discovered at Kalzhyr Settlement in Kazakhstan

Fortress walls destroyed by fire, remains of ancient buildings, and a rare ceramic bird figurine with a rattle inside were discovered by Kazakh archaeologists during excavations at the Kalzhyr settlement in the country's east, near the border with China. Archaeological evidence and radiocarbon analysis date the site to the 6th–7th centuries CE, when the first Turkic states were emerging in Central Asia. An expedition from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University studied the settlement in the Zaysan Basin, between the villages of Kalzhyr and Boran. Researchers uncovered the remains of fortifications in the southern part of the 25-hectare site and found evidence that many had been destroyed by fire. The finds include plaster bearing traces of decorative patterns, ceramic vessels, and charred grains of wheat and legumes, giving us an insight into crops available to the settlement's inhabitants. According to the researchers, construction of the fortified settlement may date to the period of the First Turkic Khaganate. This state emerged in the mid-6th century and extended its influence across vast areas of Eurasia. Archaeologists also discovered a much older burial monument – a khirigsuur, a funerary and commemorative structure dating to the Late Bronze Age. Similar complexes are known primarily from Mongolia and Xinjiang in northwestern China. In studying the sites, archaeologists used aerial and thermal imaging alongside other surveying methods. Based on the data collected, they plan to develop three-dimensional models and a geographic information system for the region. The work is being carried out as part of a project studying the archaeological landscapes of the basin. The Times of Central Asia previously reported on the discovery of two rare bronze knives, believed to be associated with the early Saka, in Bayanaul National Park in the Pavlodar region. Other research conducted at the ancient Karakabak settlement in the Mangystau region has provided new evidence of trade links between East and West.

Archaeology

Rare Medieval Coins Discovered in Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul

Archaeologists have discovered rare coins dating to the 10th–11th centuries at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. The coins, from the Karakhanid period, may contain as much as 90% lead, an unusual composition that researchers believe could reflect a shortage of copper. Their discovery is particularly valuable for understanding monetary circulation in medieval Central Asia. The coins were found during underwater excavations at the Toru-Aygyr archaeological complex in northwestern Issyk-Kul. The site contains the remains of a large medieval settlement on the northern branch of the Silk Road. According to the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the settlement existed from at least the 10th to the 13th centuries and was submerged in the 15th century. Expedition co-leader and archaeologist Maxim Menshikov said the coins were poorly preserved. The metal is brittle and porous, with inclusions resembling sand, making the inscriptions difficult to decipher. Their precise composition has yet to be confirmed through laboratory analysis. Archaeologists also discovered part of a cast-iron cauldron, believed to be among the earliest finds of its kind at the site, and large fragments of ceramic vessels. Seven medieval structures built from fired bricks have been discovered at Toru-Aygyr. According to Menshikov, only about six comparable buildings are known from other archaeological sites in Kyrgyzstan. Research at the settlement resumed in 2023, with the latest round of fieldwork taking place in September 2026. Archaeologists are studying remains at depths of around four meters, using underwater imaging and specialized equipment. So far, only 15–20% of the site has been surveyed. One of the expedition's main objectives is to establish why the settlement was submerged. Researchers are investigating two possible explanations: an earthquake that caused part of the shoreline to collapse, or a gradual rise in water levels due to tectonic changes. The remains of a 7th–8th-century Buddhist temple were discovered at the Ak-Beshim archaeological site, the location of ancient Suyab in Kyrgyzstan's Chuy Valley. Suyab was a major Silk Road center and the capital of the Western Turkic Khaganate.

Book Presentation

The Angel of Karaul in Frankfurt: Leyla’s Story as a Call for a World Without Nuclear Testing

The story of a girl from the Kazakh village of Karaul whose life was shaped by Soviet nuclear testing has reached one of the world's largest book events. Roza Mukanova's The Angel of Karaul was presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair, held from October 7 to 11. Originally written in Kazakh as Mäñgilik Bala Beine (The Eternal Child), the work has been reissued in Kazakh and English by publisher Arman-PV. The launch comes in the year marking the 35th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, which was officially shut down on August 29, 1991. Between 1949 and 1989, 456 nuclear tests were conducted there, affecting human health and the environment. For residents of nearby communities, that history did not end when the explosions stopped. This is precisely what Mukanova's work explores. Its protagonist, Leyla, lives in the village of Karaul, near the former test site. The consequences of nuclear testing have shaped her fate: although she is a young woman, she has the appearance of a child. Rejected and misunderstood by those around her, Leyla seeks compassion but often finds comfort only in conversations with the Moon, which she associates with her deceased mother. Through Leyla's story, the writer portrays the tragedy of those whose lives were altered by the Soviet nuclear program. The protagonist's loneliness and her desire to be accepted and loved turn the history of Semipalatinsk into a conversation about human dignity and society's responsibility toward its most vulnerable members. Mukanova attended the presentation at Kazakhstan's national stand, where the new edition was introduced to international publishers and readers. One of Kazakhstan's best-known contemporary writers, Mukanova is an Honored Worker of Kazakhstan and a recipient of the Abai State Prize and the Alash International Literary Prize. Her writing frequently explores complex human relationships, women's lives, and moral conflicts, themes that are central to The Angel of Karaul. Mukanova's story has long been familiar to audiences in Kazakhstan, where it has been adapted for the stage and continues to appear in theater repertoires. Astana's State Puppet Theater is among the venues to have staged the work, using Leyla's relationship with the Moon to explore her isolation and longing for acceptance. The new Arman-PV edition offers a different way to experience the work. Presented in a book-as-performance format, it draws on the story's theatrical history while bringing it to English-speaking readers. Leyla's story is particularly resonant in this anniversary year marking the closure of the test site. The last nuclear test at Semipalatinsk took place in 1989, but the environmental and humanitarian consequences of decades of explosions continue to be studied. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly designated August 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Tests. For international readers, The Angel of Karaul offers an opportunity to see this history through the eyes of someone whose life was changed by events beyond her control. Thirty-five years after the closure of the test site, Leyla continues to pose a question addressed not only to...