Kyrgyzstan
What are the underlying reasons for the deadly Kyrgyz-Tajik border clashes?
At least 41 people have been killed and over 27,000 evacuated after a water dispute led to violent border clashes at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border. Novastan talked to a political scientist… [...]
Collecting wood
Asel collects wood which her family is storaging in front of her house. Credit: Irina Unruh (Germany) This photo is part of our series “Central Asia through the lens of …”,… [...]
Car and lake
A soviet car parked on the shore of the Song-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan. Credit: Anir Amsky Find all of our photos of the day here. [...]
Talas and its people: life by a Central Asian river affected by climate change
LIFE BY THE RIVER. Three million people in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan live by the Talas River, where there is less and less water every year. This article was originally… [...]
Between nationalist populism and neoliberalism: Kyrgyzstan and global political trends
ANALYSIS. The political landscape of Kyrgyzstan was tumultuous in 2020. Novastan Deutsch’s founder and editorial manager Florian Coppenrath analyses Sadyr Japarov’s path to the top and ventures an outlook on… [...]
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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!After a round of kok-boru
In Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of a kok-boru training session, a player’s horse rears. Popular in most of Central Asia, this game consists in catching a goat carcass on the… [...]
Buunisa Termechikova
Buunisa Termechikova, 58 years old, stands at the ethnological museum in Sary-Mogol, which she started in July 2020 for tourists. Buunisa specialises in making traditional clothing and other felt products. [...]
A hundred years of Kyrgyz football
The Kyrgyz Football Federation celebrated 100 years on 21 March 2021, but it’s as active as ever. Novastan looks back at the game’s history in the Central Asian nation. This… [...]
Retrun to Sary-Mogol
The village of Sary-Mogol, in south-eastern Kyrgyzstan, has an official population of 5,200 and is located near the 7,134-metre-high Lenin Peak. As the peak is a very popular… [...]
The horse, the economic foundation of Kyrgyzstan
Despite the restriction of horse breeding to collectivised farms during the communist period, Kyrgyzstan remains a major horse breeding country. Horses are bred for travel, work, equestrian sports, meat consumption… [...]
Work in the fields
Near Asel’s village, villagers are busy working in the fields. Credit: Irina Unruh (Germany) This photo is part of our series “Central Asia through the lens of …”, where we present… [...]