Whilst the World Nomad Games enliven the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, the days pass in peace and tranquillity on the shores of Lake Song-Köl.

Credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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An autumn scene in an old Soviet neighborhood in the city of Karaganda, Kazakhstan. As is the case throughout the city, the streets of this neighborhood are lined with numerous Khrushchevkas. With their accompanying playgrounds, it’s very easy to get lost among these buildings and their nearly identical courtyards.

Photo credits: Hélène Garnier (France, @suneclat)

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The Ashgabat Wedding Palace opened its doors in 2011, to mark the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence, and quickly became one of the city’s most recognisable and iconic landmarks. 
Located in the south-western part of Ashgabat, this monumental building is recognisable by its five upper storeys, comprising a glass sphere encased within six concrete and white marble Turkmen stars. Maps of Turkmenistan, crafted from titanium, adorn the sphere. Some people like to joke that it resembles a disco ball, which is fitting for this building named ‘Bagt Koshgi’ (Palace of Happiness).

The interior of the palace, decorated in the Turkmen style, comprises, in addition to administrative offices, reception rooms, wedding shops, cafés, a photography studio, a beauty salon and even a 22-room hotel where anyone can spend the night.

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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Sunset over a Tajik village overlooking Lake Alaudin. Nestled in the heart of the Fann Mountains in southwestern Tajikistan, this lake is a popular hiking destination.

Photo: Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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Rarely has Turkmenistan better deserved its reputation as an inaccessible and strange country than in this photograph of a refreshment bar on the edge of the ‘Gate of Hell’ ( Darvaza gas crater).

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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In Kyrgyzstan, the lush green valleys of Lake Song-Kul form the perfect setting for peaceful grazing.

Photo credits : Ilima Termirgalieva (Kyrgyzstan)

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This workshop, located at the Yangiabad flea market in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is brimming with locks and keys. The Yangiabad bazaar, teeming with all manner of goods, is known for its attractive prices and its traditional atmosphere, which remains largely untouched by tourists.

Credit: Madina A’zam (Uzbekistan @madinaazam_photography)

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Nature demonstrates its full resilience by allowing life to flourish even in its most hostile corners. This plant, whose vibrant colour is a testament to its vitality, symbolises the triumph of life in an environment as arid as Fairy Tales Canyon. The Skazka Canyon, on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan.

Credits: Tolgahan Biskin (France, @tolgahan.iso)

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Close-up on the finely detailed features of the Burana Tower, an ancient minaret in Kyrgyzstan. It is one of the last remnants of Balasagun, an ancient city that was notably one of the political and economic centers of the medieval Qarakhanid dynasty (840–1212). In 1041, this dynasty split into two kingdoms, ruled by two khans: one in the east, one in the west. Bukhara was the capital of the western kingdom, while Balasagun was the residence of the eastern king. The city of Balasagun established itself as one of the centers of Turkic-Muslim culture within the dynasty, contributing to the integration of the Turkic language into the Muslim world. This status was notably reflected through works of courtly poetry (or mirrors for princes) such as The Wisdom of Royal Glory (Kutadgu Bilig), written by Yusuf Balasaghuni in the 11th century.

Photo credit: Tolgahan Biskin (France)

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Morning mist – but not just that – hangs over Almaty. In barely a quarter of a century, urban sprawl, coupled with the loss of the city’s green spaces, has created the conditions for trapping the pollution generated not only by heavy road traffic but also by coal-fired power stations.

Credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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In the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz special forces (spetsnaz) soldiers march in rows equipped with Russian AK-74 assault rifles.

Credits : Pierre-Armand Dussex (Suisse)

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Kok-boru carries on an ancient equestrian tradition dating back to the time of Zoroastrianism. The principle of this game, which is very popular in Central Asia and similar to the Afghan game of buzkashi, is as follows: the riders compete for the decapitated carcass of a goat, which they must wrest from their opponents before carrying it to the kazan, the opposing team’s goal.

Photograph taken in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Credits : Salomé Aldeguer-Roure (France)

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The Kutlug Timur minaret, named after a khan of the Golden Horde, towers over the site of Konye-Urgench at a height of 60 metres. 

Konye-Urgench, or Urganj, is a major historical site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the far north of Turkmenistan. 

The city reached its peak between the 10th and 14th centuries as the capital of Khwarezm. Although ravaged in 1221 by Genghis Khan during the Mongol invasion of Central Asia, it was rebuilt and quickly regained its status. However, in 1373, Tamerlane conquered Khwarezm. In 1388, he razed the city to the ground, massacred its population and destroyed the irrigation system. This event, combined with a change in the course of the Amu Darya, marked the beginning of Konye-Urgench’s decline. In the 16th century, the city was replaced by Khiva as the regional capital, and was subsequently gradually abandoned.

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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High in the mountains of Tajikistan, two young girls lead their small herd of cows to pasture.

Photo credit: Cyril Caldero (France)

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In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, temperatures usually exceed thirty degrees in summer. A refreshing break is particularly welcome. The summery colours of the young girl’s outfit in the photograph complement the façades of the houses perfectly.

Credits :  Daria Novikova (Uzbekistan, @dasha.novasha)

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In Khiva, one of Uzbekistan’s most popular tourist destinations, visitors flock to enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city.

Photo credits : Salomé Aldeguer-Roure (France)

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In Almaty, Kazakhstan, stands this monument dedicated to two heroines of the Soviet Union, Aliya Moldagulova and Manchouk Mametova. These two female fighters distinguished themselves through their courage and marksmanship during the Second World War. Manchouk Mametova was killed by German forces on 15 October 1943 at the Battle of Nevel. Aliya Moldagulova, for her part, was killed in January 1944 whilst her brigade was attempting to ambush German troops. This memorial was unveiled on 25 October 1997. Depicted in military uniform by the team of sculptors, the two heroines are marching in step.

Credits : Ana Muñoz

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Just like their human owners, domestic cats have their own distinctive characteristics in every region of the world. Genetic analyses have revealed that the domesticated species (Felis catus) most likely spread from the Near East to Asia through trade along the Silk Roads. It did not finally reach China until around the 8th century AD. Khiva, Uzbekistan.

Credit : Margaret Bullich (Germany)

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Four immaculate pickup trucks race at full speed toward the Derweze crater. Known as the “Door to Hell,” this site in Turkmenistan draws the handful of foreign tourists who manage to obtain a visa each year. Seventy meters across, the Derweze crater has been burning continuously since 1971, when Soviet geologists discovered the site and began setting up drilling infrastructure. The ground beneath a platform gave way, opening up the wide Derweze crater. Once it had collapsed, the pit was set alight to burn off the gas, rendered unusable, and limit the consequences of the vast quantities of methane suddenly venting into the atmosphere. At the time, combustion was not expected to last more than two weeks. The “Door to Hell” has now been an open-air inferno for 50 years: the stuff of photogenic landscapes, and a symbol of ecological disaster. Located in the Karakum Desert, a territory roughly the size of Germany, natural gas reserves are trapped between countless sedimentary layers, ensuring a slow but unrelenting burn.

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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The Bibi-Khanym Mosque in the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan is one of the largest mosques in Central Asia. It is named after one of the wives of the Turkic-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane. Construction of this important building began in 1399 and was completed five years later, in 1404. The haste with which Tamerlane himself, upon his return from a victorious expedition to northern India, insisted on the work being carried out meant that a solid structure could not be built. Indeed, the mosque began to deteriorate very early on and was permanently damaged by the 1897 earthquake. Today, the restoration and preservation of the mosque are the subject of controversy. In 2024, however, Qatar committed to supporting the restoration of the iconic mosque.

Credits : Tristan Bjalon (France, @tristanbja)

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