Kazakhstan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Eurasian History

How the Golden Horde Changed Eurasia: An Interview With Marie Favereau

French historian Marie Favereau, a professor of medieval history at Paris Nanterre University, has spent more than two decades studying the Golden Horde and its place in Eurasian history. The Horde developed from territories assigned to Jochi, Genghis Khan’s eldest son. Her book, The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World, challenges the familiar image of nomadic societies as forces of destruction. It describes a sophisticated political system in which nomadic rulers built and restored cities while maintaining complex economic and diplomatic relations. Favereau visited Kazakhstan for the launch of the book’s Kazakh translation, published by Steppe & World Publishing with support from the French Embassy. The 1,000-copy edition was presented at the National Academy of Sciences in Almaty and at Maqsut Narikbayev University in Astana. At Cassackia Art Space in Astana, Favereau spoke with The Times of Central Asia about why she views the movement of the Horde’s political center toward Central Asia as adaptation rather than decline and how new research is changing perceptions of its legacy in Kazakhstan. She describes Jochi as a figure who changed the Mongol Empire’s geopolitical order, while portraying the relationship between Golden Horde ruler Tokhtamysh and the Central Asian conqueror Timur, also known as Tamerlane, as more complicated than a simple conflict. TCA: How did you begin researching the Golden Horde? Marie Favereau: I started in Paris when I was a student. I was preparing my master’s thesis during my third year at the Sorbonne, one of the main universities in Paris. At that time, I suddenly learned about the Golden Horde, and it immediately caught my interest. I was studying several languages. I was learning Arabic, I already knew some Russian, and I had also started learning Turkish. So I thought, “Wow, this is a topic for me.” However, there were very few books available in French, so it was quite difficult to conduct research. My supervisor told me that I needed to travel to other countries because there was not enough material available in France. For my master’s thesis, I studied the sources of the Golden Horde, as well as Soviet scholarship and the way the Golden Horde was presented in Soviet historical works. That was the very beginning. It was more than twenty years ago. Since then, I have continued to discover new research interests, new sources, and new questions, and I am still working on the subject today. TCA: What difficulties did you encounter when working with historical sources? Favereau: There were several difficulties. One was language, and another was the different writing systems and scripts used in the sources. There was also a lack of academic supervision. When I was doing my master’s degree, I did not have someone who could consistently guide me in this field. Another challenge was that I had never been to Central Asia. I knew very little about the region. At that time, I did not have a clear image of the area in my mind, so I felt that I needed to travel there. But...

Mining

Kazakhstan Mining Royalty System Delayed Until 2029

Kazakhstan plans to delay a new mining royalty system until 2029, postponing a reform that would tax raw ore more heavily than metals processed inside the country. The government backed the two-year delay, saying parts of the system still need further work. The royalty regime would apply only to new mining licenses issued from 2027 onward for areas where mining rights have not previously been granted. For example, a company receiving a new license to develop a previously unlicensed copper deposit would come under the royalty system, while an existing copper mine would continue paying the current mineral extraction tax, or MET. The main difference is when and how the tax is calculated. Under MET, tax is charged on minerals extracted from the ground. Under the proposed royalty system, the payment would instead be linked to the sale of the mineral product. This approach is more closely tied to actual sales. More significantly, the tax rate would fall as the mineral is processed further. The Tax Code sets a rate of 13% for ore, 10% for concentrate, and 7% for metals. A miner selling raw ore would therefore face almost twice the royalty rate of a company producing metal, giving businesses an incentive to process more of their output in Kazakhstan. Putting the system into practice has proved more difficult. The government says it still needs to decide how royalties should be calculated on minerals recovered from old tailings and other mining waste, and how the rules should treat expensive new projects and valuable minerals produced alongside a mine’s main commodity. The proposed rules will be tested against mining companies’ financial models before they take effect. The Finance Ministry had previously raised concerns about a rapid transition to royalties. In 2024, the State Revenue Committee estimated that applying rates similar to those used in Western Australia could reduce annual budget revenue by about KZT 270 billion ($606 million), while extending royalties to all subsoil users could result in losses of about KZT 450 billion ($1.01 billion). Those estimates do not apply directly to the much narrower reform now planned, which covers only future licenses in areas where subsoil use rights had not previously been granted. They do, however, help explain the government’s caution over changes to subsoil taxation. The State Revenue Committee says tax payments from more than 7,000 subsoil users, including oil and gas producers, account for around 35% of Kazakhstan’s republican budget revenue. The postponement therefore leaves the main structure of the reform intact but gives the government another two years to decide how it will work in practice. The Times of Central Asia previously examined the arguments surrounding the reform and Kazakhstan’s effort to link mining taxation with greater domestic processing.

Sports Education

Kazakh National University of Sports Joins Olympic Studies Network

The Kazakh National University of Sports in Astana says it has become the first university in Central Asia to join a global network of academic Olympic studies centers. It announced the recognition on September 17. The Academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres network connects institutions researching the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. The university says around 80 such centers operate worldwide. Their work includes teaching, scientific events, and the publication of research. The network is coordinated by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne and provides a forum for cooperation between academics in different countries. The university trains coaches, physical education teachers, sports managers, and other specialists. Its training also extends to staff for rehabilitation centers and organizers of mass sporting events. It is now developing a Center for Olympic Studies, Education and Legacy, which will focus on research into the history, values, and long-term impact of the Olympic Movement. Membership in the international network will allow the Astana center to work with universities and research centers overseas and exchange research and teaching practices, the university said. The university said support from the National Olympic Committee was an important condition for recognition. It is already working with Kazakhstan’s committee on projects involving Olympic education and research. The new center is intended to bring students and lecturers into discussion with researchers and sports professionals, making Olympic studies part of the university’s sports science and education work.

FIDE Chess Olympiad

Samarkand Chess Olympiad Hosts FIDE Election as Timur Turlov Outlines His Plans

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, brings national teams together from September 15 to 27. Alongside the competition, delegates will elect the next leadership of FIDE, the International Chess Federation. Three presidential tickets have been approved for the September 26 election. Entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, co-founder of Freestyle Chess with Magnus Carlsen, is running with Malcolm Pein for deputy president. WR Chess founder and WR Group chairman Wadim Rosenstein is standing with Gordon Tang. Freedom Holding Corp. founder and CEO Timur Turlov, who also heads the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, is running with Viswanathan Anand. The Times of Central Asia spoke with Turlov about his experience of chess within his family and his proposals for managing the international federation. TCA: Before we talk about professional chess and FIDE, let’s start at the beginning. What is your personal history with chess? Turlov: I learned to play chess as a kid; my grandfather taught me. He saw it as a parenting tool, and it just became part of the family. Over time I drifted away from the game, but I eventually came back. What brought me back wasn't nostalgia or any urge to win; it was my kids, and the sense that real relationships are built on substance, on actually connecting with and sharing with people. Having six children has been one of the great blessings of my life, and when they started playing and asked me to join them, I had good reason to pick the game back up, this time as a parent, and not as a student. It's a small thing, but it reminded me how much family life keeps you grounded, thinking about someone other than yourself. Chess is one way for people to develop relationships and grow in virtue. TCA: You describe chess as a parenting tool as much as a sport. How does that work in practice? Turlov: With six children, finding one consistent way to connect with all of them isn't easy. They're each unique, of different ages, and with different personalities. Chess turned out to be that common ground for us that could be cultivated year after year. Sitting across the board from your child is different from a conversation at dinner. It's slower, calmer, and it opens the door to talking about things that usually don't come up otherwise. Honestly, some of my favorite moments as a parent have happened over a chessboard, not in spite of the game but because of it. TCA: Can you give an example of what a chess game actually teaches a child that a normal conversation can't? Turlov: Beyond strategic thinking- call it looking ahead- there's something in chess that matters even more: learning how to win, and especially how to lose. Chess is one of the few structured experiences where a child loses clearly, sees exactly why, and has to sit with that calmly, without a tantrum, without blaming anyone else. As a parent, that's also a moment for reflection. You can talk through the...

C5+South Korea

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

The first South Korea–Central Asia summit, held in Seoul on September 16, capped three days of bilateral meetings that produced more than 70 agreements and memorandums. The leaders agreed to meet every two years, a separate C5+1 forum for industry ministers was established, and critical minerals took a central place on the new agenda. The main question now is how many of those documents will translate into mines, processing plants, and long-term contracts. South Korea needs reliable supplies of metals for its automotive, electronics, battery, and energy industries. Central Asia wants to use that demand to develop domestic processing and reduce its reliance on raw material exports. Seoul proposed combining the region’s resources with its own exploration, mineral processing, and manufacturing technologies. President Lee Jae Myung spoke of cooperation across the production chain, from identifying deposits to manufacturing finished products. Rare metals centers being established at key locations in Central Asia are intended to support joint research and specialist training. Until now, South Korea has worked with the region’s countries largely through bilateral ties. The new C5+1 format adds a regional mechanism to those relationships. Kazakhstan will host the next summit in 2028. Kazakh financier and analyst Rasul Rysmambetov believes the value of the new format will depend on the region’s ability to secure tangible industrial results. He sees South Korea as an attractive partner because of its experience with rapid industrialization and its strengths in building industrial facilities. “The priority for Central Asia is to stop selling raw materials. We need to establish processing in the region. The heads of state’s visit to Seoul was highly productive. In fact, all summits in similar formats have been productive. The main question now is how to move away from exporting raw materials and toward joint industrialization,” Rysmambetov told The Times of Central Asia. Uzbekistan put forward a broader regional proposal. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called for an investment alliance for critical minerals, with processing clusters bringing together exploration, mining, and the production of high-value goods. Uzbekistan and South Korea are already developing a joint rare metals center and have agreed to strengthen cooperation throughout the production chain. Kazakhstan offered Korean businesses a broader package covering rare metals, nuclear and clean energy, and artificial intelligence. Urban development was also part of the talks, including the Alatau Smart City project near Almaty. The countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed a memorandum on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The energy agreements also cover conventional resources. In April, South Korea said it had secured 18 million barrels of Kazakh crude oil. In Kyrgyzstan, Korean organizations are working with their Kyrgyz counterparts to identify possible antimony and tungsten projects and strengthen exploration capacity. Tajikistan is also offering cooperation on antimony, as well as precious metals, building on the first Korea–Tajikistan Minerals Forum, which took place in August. The minerals agenda is complemented by Korean willingness to invest in transport and infrastructure. South Korea and Uzbekistan agreed to expand Korean participation in...

Food Processing

Kazakhstan’s Shin-Line Group Plans Food Industry Cluster With South Korean Support

Kazakhstan’s Shin-Line Group, a food manufacturer best known as Central Asia’s largest ice cream producer, plans to establish a food industry cluster modeled on South Korea’s Foodpolis. Korean specialists will help develop its management model and services for producers seeking to enter overseas markets. Under the agreement, the Korean side will provide consulting and expert support on the cluster’s management and development strategy. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture describes it as the country’s first project of its kind. Foodpolis operates in the South Korean city of Iksan. The cluster brings food manufacturers and research laboratories together with centers that help businesses develop and test products. The centers also assist with certification and access to overseas buyers. Shin-Line intends to adapt this system to Kazakhstan’s market. “It is important for us to create not just a standalone site, but an entire ecosystem where producers can access technology and expertise, develop processing, and enter new markets. This is a long-term project, and we are starting by studying and adapting the best Korean experience,” Shin-Line Group President Andrey Shin said in a statement released by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture. Shin-Line makes instant noodles and frozen prepared foods in addition to ice cream. Its total production reached 37,000 metric tons in 2025, the company reported. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture said Shin-Line exported about 14,200 metric tons of ice cream that year, generating more than $49 million in export revenue and accounting for up to 95% of Kazakhstan’s ice cream exports. Its exports reach ten countries, including Central Asian states, China, Mongolia, and markets in the Caucasus. Korean companies also hope to use Shin-Line’s distribution network to enter Kazakhstan’s market. The two sides discussed placing Foodpolis products in approximately 70 CU convenience stores operating in Kazakhstan. This could give the companies a ready-made route into Kazakhstan’s retail market and, eventually, other Central Asian markets. The agreement continues a series of Asian partnerships for Shin-Line. In September, the company established a joint venture with Japan’s Shigemitsu Industry to develop the Ajisen Ramen chain. The partners plan to open up to 50 restaurants in Kazakhstan and other Eurasian countries between 2027 and 2031. A central kitchen will be established at Shin-Line’s facility in the Almaty Region to supply the network. Kazakhstan aims to increase the share of processed goods in its agricultural exports. In 2025, exports from its agricultural and food-processing sector generated $7 billion, up 37% from the previous year. Processed products accounted for about $3.6 billion. Expanding exports, however, depends on more than production volumes. Businesses also need help developing and certifying products, as well as access to retail networks. Shin-Line wants to bring these functions together in the future cluster.