Kazakhstan
Dust and solitude
View of the Kazakh steppes by a train crossing from Kazakhstan. Credit: Antonin Lechat (France) Find all of our photos of the day here. [...]
Igla: plunge into the underworld of Kazakhstan’s perestroika with the legendary Viktor Tsoi
CENTRAL ASIAN CINEMA. The rock-n-roll film Igla (The Needle in English) is a denunciation of the drug problem that plagued Soviet Central Asia in the late 1980s. But above all,… [...]
Prigorodny dachas
In the suburbs of Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan, located between the international airport and the ultra-modern buildings of the 2017 World Expo, the Prigorodny dachas are living on borrowed… [...]
Chatting at the Zelyony Bazaar
Two saleswomen at the Zelyony Bazaar take advantage of a quiet moment to talk. This market supplies part of the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan. Credit: Antoine Béguier (France)… [...]
Around Baiterek
Nourjol Boulevard is the main pedestrian artery of Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan. The great Báıterek Tower that stands in the middle of the city has become the symbol and the main… [...]
Support Novastan, the European Central Asia magazine
By supporting Novastan, you are supporting the only English, French and German-language media specialising in Central Asia. We're independent and we need your help to stay that way!Kazakhstan: Asqar Mamin reappointed prime minister after uncompetitive election
In its first session, the newly elected parliament of Kazakhstan approved the re-appointment of Prime Minister Asqar Mamin. His is not the only familiar face to return after the ruling… [...]
The steppe train
A traveller tries to break the monotony of a three-day train journey by looking at the sober horizon of the steppes of Kazakhstan. Credit: Antoine Béguier (France) Find all of our… [...]
Central Asia in 2020: the year in review
Coronavirus, border clashes, a political crisis in Kyrgyzstan… Central Asia had a turbulent 2020. Here is Novastan’s overview. In Central Asia as in the rest of the world, 2020… [...]
Waiting for the next train
A platform manager watches the next train arriving at Almaty station in Kazakhstan. This night train will take several days to reach the Caspian Sea.Credit: Antoine Béguier (France)… [...]
Nur-Sultan’s suburb
When you move away from the strange and extravagant hypercentre of Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, the architecture becomes particularly banal. Credit: Antoine Béguier (France) Find… [...]
Central Asian rap in 10 tracks
Hip hop, which appeared in America in the 1970s, has long since become a worldwide phenomenon adapting and evolving in each new environment. Central Asia is no exception, as a… [...]
Glory of the 1970s
Hotel Kazakhstan, in the former capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, was built in 1978. The interior design, with its chic chandeliers and natural stone wall panelling, is reminiscent of… [...]