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History

“A Road Not for the Faint-Hearted”: How Austrian Prisoners of War Built a Tourist Path in East Kazakhstan

A winding mountain road in East Kazakhstan has become a point of fascination not only for tourists but also for historians, filmmakers, and researchers. Known variously as the Old Austrian Road, the Austrian Route, or Irek Zhol (“Winding Road”), this nearly 50-kilometer path connects the Katon-Karagai and Markakol districts, cutting through pristine wilderness in a national park and a state reserve. Today the path is being restored, but the road’s true value lies in a dramatic and little-known past that stretches back over a century. A New Chapter for an Old Road In July 2025, authorities announced the launch of extensive repair work on the Old Austrian Road. With a budget exceeding $1 million from the regional government, the project includes rebuilding a damaged bridge near Katon-Karagai, replacing culverts, reinforcing slopes, and rehabilitating impassable sections. The most challenging terrain lies near Lake Markakol, where the route crosses swampy stretches, sharp switchbacks, and granite outcroppings. Yet these obstacles have not deterred growing numbers of visitors, off-road enthusiasts, cyclists, hikers, and even horse riders, eager to explore the wild beauty of Eastern Kazakhstan. [caption id="attachment_35993" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image: TCA/Yulia Chernyavskaya[/caption] The Road’s Origins in War and Captivity Though few know it, this scenic mountain route has deep strategic and historical roots. Long before the 20th century, locals used it as a trail for horses and carts. But by the early 1900s, the Russian Empire decided to formalize the path, partly due to the road’s proximity to the Chinese border. Between 1914 and 1916, the road was reconstructed, largely by Austrian prisoners of war, mainly ethnic Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Galicians, captured during World War I. According to Vienna-based historian Lana Berndl, who has conducted extensive research on the topic, roughly 800 prisoners were transported from Austria via St. Petersburg and Omsk to the Irtysh River and then forced to march to the village of Altai (now Katon-Karagai). Around 600 reached their destination. Construction began simultaneously from Katon-Karagai and Alekseevka. Despite working only in the warmer months, the prisoners built a road whose difficulty rivals Alpine passes. During the harsh winters, many worked on local farms and integrated into village life. Some even married and remained in Kazakhstan permanently. [caption id="attachment_35994" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Image: TCA/Yulia Chernyavskaya[/caption] Tragically, several were later repressed during Stalin’s purges. Among them was Ludwig Fritzen, a Hungarian prisoner who stayed, married a local woman, and was executed in 1937 after being accused of espionage. Remnants of this history remain: roughly 30 graves with Gothic-scripted crosses can still be found in old cemeteries throughout the region, silent testimonies to those who built the road under extreme duress. Film Rekindles Forgotten History In 2016, Austrian filmmaker Ruslana Berndl released a documentary titled The Austrian Road, which brought global attention to the forgotten story. She first learned about the road from a brief mention in a German travel guide that described it as “not for the faint-hearted” and built by Austrian POWs. Intrigued, Berndl, then a doctoral student at the University of...

Archaeology

Underwater Secrets of the Steppe: Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Artifacts in Kazakhstan’s Bogen Reservoir

A team of archaeologists from the Zhanibekov University Research Center has uncovered a trove of ancient artifacts at the Bogen Reservoir in the Ordabasy district of Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region. An unusually dry season significantly lowered the water level, revealing archaeological remains hidden for centuries. Paleolithic Tools and Bronze Age Burials Within just one week of surveying, researchers recovered dozens of Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic stone tools, including chalcedony flakes, cores, and cutting plates. Several Bronze Age burial sites were also excavated. While skeletal remains were poorly preserved, the grave goods were remarkable: decorated ceramics, a gold-plated bronze temple ornament, rings, bracelets, earrings, and hundreds of tiny beads likely used in headdresses. A particularly notable discovery was a burial dated to the 1st century BC-1st century AD. It contained three socketed arrowheads, a utility knife, a belt buckle, and a ceramic jug. Experts say such finds affirm the continuous human settlement of the region over millennia. After analysis, the artifacts will be transferred to a local museum. Bronze Knives, a Saka Ring, and a Lost Medieval City Earlier this year, The Times of Central Asia reported that archaeologists from Margulan University had unearthed two bronze knives near Lake Toraygyr. While attributed to the early Saka period, their design reflects stylistic elements of the Early Iron Age, evidence of both advanced metallurgy and cultural connectivity across Central Asia. At another site, researchers from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University discovered a gold ring from the Scythian era, weighing nearly 8 grams and featuring a lion motif. Experts interpret the human-animal hybrid symbolism as representative of the spiritual worldview of Saka elites in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. The burial also contained the remains of a man and a woman, alongside stone, iron, and gold artifacts. In Zhetysu, archaeologists revealed the ruins of a medieval city likely destroyed during the Mongol invasions. Excavations uncovered preserved brickwork, a defensive tower, and evidence of intense fire damage. Experts have drawn comparisons with other UNESCO-listed sites such as Talgar (Talhiz) and Koilyk. Meanwhile, the Saryarka Archaeological Institute has identified 25 historical and cultural sites in the Shet district of central Kazakhstan. These range from the Bronze Age through the Iron Age and into the medieval period. Excavations are pending, awaiting official permits. The “Golden Man” of East Kazakhstan and the Buddhist Crossroads One of the country’s most celebrated discoveries in recent years remains the 2018 unearthing of the so-called “Golden Man of East Kazakhstan” by archaeologist Zeinolla Samashev. More than 3,000 gold artifacts, including earrings, necklaces, and horse harness ornaments, were recovered from a burial dating to the 7th-8th centuries BC. Further south, in the Aiyrandy Gorge of the Merke district, archaeologists uncovered the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple, including a carved stone head of the Buddha. The find underscores the region’s historic role as a crossroads of religions and cultures along the Silk Road. From Paleolithic tools and Saka-era treasures to lost medieval cities and Buddhist sanctuaries, Kazakhstan’s recent archaeological discoveries reveal an extraordinary continuity of settlement...

Cultural Heritage

UK Gifts Kazakhstan a Copy of Rare 11th-Century Map

Kazakhstan’s National Center for Manuscripts and Rare Books has received a valuable addition to its historical archive, a facsimile of a unique medieval map of Central Asia, gifted by the British Embassy. The original is held at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. The map is a reproduction of the only known copy of Kitab al-Garib al-Funun wa Mulakh al-Uyun (The Book of Wonderful Sciences and Delights of the Eye), an anonymous 11th-century manuscript. Scholars believe the original work was produced in Egypt between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Among the notable features of the map is the depiction of the ancient city of Zhankent, referred to in Arabic sources as “Al-Karia al-Hadisa” (Zhana Qala), located in modern-day Zhetysu, Kazakhstan. Between the 8th and 11th centuries, Zhankent served as the capital of the Oghuz state, a confederation of 24 Turkic tribes. Several other historic cities in southern Kazakhstan are also identified on the map. Digitized in full after its arrival at the Bodleian Library in 2002, the manuscript is now recognized as a valuable resource in the study of Islamic geography and medieval manuscript art. Founded in the 14th century, the Bodleian Library is one of Europe’s oldest and largest academic libraries. It is named after Sir Thomas Bodley (1545-1613), an English diplomat and noted collector of manuscripts. Kazakhstan’s own National Center for Manuscripts and Rare Books continues to expand its holdings. A recent expedition to the Abai region uncovered nearly 1,000 manuscripts from the 19th and 20th centuries, with 27 of those works, ranging from religious texts to early printed books, now integrated into the national collection. Notable additions include a work by Abdullah Rumi in Old Turkic, collections of hadiths, and publications printed in Kazan, Orenburg, and Ufa during the late imperial period. In related cultural developments, The Times of Central Asia previously reported that, in late 2024, the British Library and the John Rylands Library in Manchester transferred more than 100 digitized manuscripts to Central Asian scholars. The collection includes rare works by Eastern luminaries such as Makhtumkuli Fargi, Alisher Navoi, and Fizuli.

History

Kinship Clans in Modern Kazakhstan: Historical Continuity and New Realities

Ancestral ties are seemingly embedded in the DNA of every Kazakh. This tradition, rooted in antiquity, reflects the clan structure that historically shaped Kazakh society. The notions of zhuz (a set of clans) and ru (clan) largely determined the social organization of the nomadic lifestyle. Kazakh society traditionally consisted of three zhuzes, the Older, Middle, and Younger which in turn united many clans. The zhuzes were large tribal unions, a kind of higher-level “horde” that included dozens or even hundreds of distinct clan groups (ru), while ru referred specifically to a group of close blood relatives. Such clan structures formed the basis of traditional society. Historical Roots: The System of Zhuzes and Shezhire The origin of the three Kazakh zhuzes remains a subject of historical debate. In early written sources from the 17th century, the names of the zhuzes had not yet been formalized. Chronicles described only a geographic custom: those living in the upper reaches of a river were called the “Big zhuz,” those in the middle the “Middle zhuz,” and those in the lower reaches the “Younger zhuz.” The 16th-century work Majmu al-Garaib mentions Kazakhs but notes that the terms Uly zhuz, Orta zhuz, and Kishi zhuz were not yet in use. The classical three-zhuz system only fully formed by the late 17th to early 18th century, during the reign of Tauke Khan (1680-1715), when the Kazakhs united under a single Kazakh Khanate. According to a legend recorded by traveler G. N. Potanin, one ruler gathered 300 warriors and divided them into three groups: the first hundred, Uly zhuz, were settled upstream along the Syr Darya; the second hundred, Orta zhuz, in the middle; and the last hundred, led by the chief Alshin, downstream as Kishi zhuz. These legends provide a cultural explanation for the emergence of the zhuzes, though historians stress there is no single agreed version. Hypotheses range from military-administrative divisions into “wings” to the influence of geography and climate across Semirechye, Saryarka, and Western Kazakhstan. Alongside the zhuz system, clan identity was reinforced through genealogical chronicles, shezhire, in which Kazakhs recorded their ancestors’ names and clan history. Knowledge of seven generations (jeti ata) was obligatory for every Kazakh and was absorbed “with mother’s milk”. These genealogies had practical implications: knowing one’s lineage helped determine kinship laws, including prohibitions on marrying within the same clan. The clan was not just a social structure, but a fundamental part of identity. As publicist Khakim Omar wrote: “The main idea of the shezhire is revealed in the close connection of ancestors’ and descendants’ names, in the continuity of generations,” allowing a person, through genealogy, “to define their place in the world”. Transformation of Tradition in the Soviet Era Under Soviet rule, internationalism and a break from “tribalism” were officially promoted. Yet in practice, the clan system continued to operate informally as a mechanism of social mobility and legitimacy. While divisions into zhuzes and clans were no longer legally recognized, they endured as a way of thinking, a cultural filter...

History

Marking 34 Years of Independence: Uzbekistan’s Past, Present, and Future

Uzbekistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 31, 1991, during the final, turbulent months of the USSR's collapse. On that day, an extraordinary session of the Uzbek SSR Supreme Council in Tashkent adopted a Declaration of Independence and passed the law “On the Foundations of State Independence.” The same session resolved that September 1 would henceforth be celebrated annually as Independence Day. The move came just days after the failed Moscow coup attempt (GKChP) against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and in the wake of Ukraine and Belarus declaring their own independence. Uzbekistan’s then-leader Islam Karimov moved swiftly to follow suit. At the time, Karimov served both as the leader of Soviet Uzbekistan and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan. He presided over the landmark session on August 31 and proposed September 1 as the national holiday. Shortly afterward, his administration began establishing the institutions of statehood, including a Ministry of Defense and a National Security Service, both created in early September 1991. Later that year, on December 29, a national referendum overwhelmingly supported independence, and Karimov was elected the first president of the new republic. Karimov’s position in 1991 was not without contradictions. Earlier that year, during a USSR-wide referendum in March, he had campaigned for the preservation of the Soviet Union. At the time, he reportedly warned Uzbeks: “Our rivers will run with milk if we stay within the Soviet Union, but if we leave it, our rivers will fill with blood.” For many Uzbeks, the first Independence Day came as a surprise. The declaration was made hastily, and the celebrations of September 1, 1991, were unlike the orchestrated commemorations seen in later years. According to Kursiv, citizens awoke to an unfamiliar atmosphere, karnay horns echoed through the streets, cars were spontaneously decorated, and celebrations broke out informally. “Citizens didn’t even know they had woken up in a new independent state,” one account recalled. Emotions ranged from pride and elation to confusion and concern. The post-Soviet transition proved challenging: economic hardship and shortages left some wondering whether independence had been a mistake. “People in the villages were very unhappy, a bit scared, and already wondering if independence was a big mistake,” wrote Bruce Pannier in 2016. At the time, Pannier, now a contributor to The Times of Central Asia, was traveling through Uzbekistan in 1992. Others remained hopeful, viewing independence as a long-awaited moment of self-determination. For older generations raised under Soviet rule, the sense of historic transformation was profound. Today, 34 years later, Independence Day remains Uzbekistan’s most important national holiday, marked by public ceremonies and official remembrances. The events of 1991 continue to shape national identity and memory. Islam Karimov is remembered by some as the founding father of the republic; a legacy still debated in public discourse. For those who lived through the early 1990s, memories of watching a new flag rise and hearing a new anthem are inseparable from the hardship and promise of the era. Journalist Aziza Qurbonova reflected...

History

Henry Wallace’s Journey to Central Asia and Its Connection to Kazakhstan

Central Asia has long held significance for the Western world — both in the past century and today. The region is home to ancient peoples and rich indigenous traditions. As a journalist from Kazakhstan, I became curious about the cultural ties between the United States and my country. In 2023, I studied at George Washington University through the Bolashak scholarship program to explore this subject in depth. My research led me to numerous works written by American travelers and scholars. Among them, I discovered a book authored by former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace, based on his journey to Central Asia. [caption id="attachment_35215" align="aligncenter" width="351"] Henry WallaceCredit Hudson Institute[/caption] His book, Soviet Asia Mission, was published in New York in 1946 and reflects observations from that trip. During this special mission in 1944, Wallace first traveled through Siberia, where he studied the conditions of the local population, before continuing on to the Kazakh steppe. Wallace describes the social and political realities of Kazakhstan under Soviet rule, as well as the industrial projects that caught his attention. As a senior American politician, he was particularly interested in production and agriculture. “Down to meet us at the airfield was the director, Georg Georgevich Spitsen. In motorcars, we drove at once to the largest of Karaganda's three big open-pit coal mines. With a sweeping gesture, Spitsen said: “We are digging 6,000 tons of coal a day here. Production began a year ago." A proud shovel operator, scooping up tons of run-of-mine coal to load into steel hopper cars, waved to us. The tracks were driven directly into the cut. We looked closely at the shovel's trademark. It was a Bucyrus Erie electric shovel, one of three at work here, and had been shipped in under lend-lease from the United States.” His journey to Kazakhstan in the previous century demonstrates that U.S.–Kazakh political contacts began earlier than is often assumed.. Although Kazakhstan’s place in the Soviet system was highly constrained, Wallace’s account provides valuable insight into the wartime Soviet republics.. “After lunch at Karaganda, we took off, flying southwest over very dry country. Even the streams were dried out, except in deep valleys where clusters of huts could be seen in the midst of green oases. When still a long distance away, we could see a wide expanse of water ahead. It was Lake Balkhash, bright blue in the midst of gray, treeless country. Along the shore rose the smoking stacks of smelters. On landing at the dirt airfield, we were welcomed to the copper-smelting town of Balkhash by its mayor, Anna Stepanovna Piribinus, president of the city Soviet.” His next stop was Semipalatinsk (today’s Semey). There Wallace spoke with Dimitri Chuvakhin of the Soviet Foreign Office, who accompanied him on the trip. “This kind of thing,” he said, referring to the new towns we had seen, “this kind of thing saved Russia. Trotsky was against it; he thought there had to be a world revolution. Stalin had faith in the moral stamina of...