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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Wherever you are, when a herd is on the road, cars have to wait. Gharm, Tajikistan. 

Credits: Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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Turkmenistan stands as the most extreme case of authoritarianism in Central Asia. From 1991 to 2006, the Saparmyrat Niyyazov state established a near-total grip on all public and private life, shutting down every library and hospital outside the capital on the grounds that the country had no need of them. By the same logic, Covid-19 never, according to regime sources, reached Turkmenistan. Internet access is severely restricted, cinema and opera are banned, and the bulk of university and religious education was reduced to drilling the precepts of the Ruhnama : a text attributed to Niyyazov blending Quranic doctrine, moral instruction, historical revisionism, and elements of Turkmen folk culture. Niyyazov’s towering legacy was somewhat cut down to size by his successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who cracked the country open to foreign investment and marginally widened internet access, though under tight surveillance. He carried on the tradition of having golden statues of himself erected in the capital’s centre, while quietly shipping his predecessor Niyyazov’s to the outskirts. Autocrats are rarely generous with the limelight.

Photo credits : Anton Pfaller (Germany, @apr_jnr)

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Danil Usmanov will present a photographic reportage at the L’Aléatoire gallery (Paris), taken in the Batken region of southern Kyrgyzstan, exploring the theme of migration. 

Danil Usmanov, a Kyrgyz photojournalist, currently works with major media outlets (Le Monde, The Guardian, Eurasianet, etc.), but here at Novastan we are proud to have featured his debut work back in 2014. The photograph shown on this page is from a report produced south of Lake Issyk-Kul in 2014. In 2020, we featured his work as part of our series “Central Asia through the lens of …”.

Danil Usmanov’s exhibition “The Valley of the Winds” at the L’Aléatoire gallery, from Saturday 6 June 2026 until Saturday 13 June 2026.

Credits : Danil Usmanov (Kyrgyzstan, http://danilusmanov.com/)

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In Konorchek Canyon, about two hours from Bishkek, the mineral landscape unfolds in shades of ochre.

Credits : Salomé Aldeguer-Roure (France)

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The imposing statue of the famous writer Mukhtar Auezov (1897–1961) stands in front of the theatre named after him in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Erected in 1980, this bronze sculpture by the Kazakh sculptor Yesken Sergebayev pays tribute to the author of the novel “Abai”.

Credits : Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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At the foot of the barchan dune, this goitered gazelle breathed its last. Barely fifty years ago, this species was on the brink of extinction. Today, around 5,000 animals once again roam Altyn-Emel National Park, Kazakhstan.

Credits : Gereon Wintz (Germany)

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A classic scene in Tajikistan: at the end of a flower-lined avenue with immaculately trimmed borders, the portrait of President Emomali Rahmon reigns supreme. A former Soviet apparatchik, he carved out a presidential role for himself in the aftermath of the USSR’s collapse. He proved particularly adept at neutralizing opposition forces during the civil war that scarred the country from 1992 to 1997. Since then, he has ruled with a paternalistic iron fist, criminalizing all political opposition. His portrait is plastered across every public space in the country. Post offices, police stations, tennis courts, customs posts, border crossings : all are graced with a likeness of the country’s strongman, tailored, naturally, to the theme of the building. A simple taxi ride is enough for any visitor to get acquainted with President Rahmon: through the window, he’ll catch a glimpse of him here playing tennis, there cradling sheaves of wheat, waving to a crowd, or shaking hands with the leaders of neighboring powers. Here, in the country’s second city, Khujand, he allows himself a bucolic stroll through a field of flowers.

Credits : Marc Brédif (France)

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In summer, the vibrant colours of the Alay Valley in southern Kyrgyzstan are home to a wide variety of bird species. The valley has been recognised as an Important Bird Area by the NGO BirdLife International. A few isolated yurts can be spotted here and there, a sign of life amidst this spectacular natural landscape.

Credits : Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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At an altitude of 3,650 metres, sport—even at a beginner’s level—requires stamina and training. Murghob, the highest town in Tajikistan. 

Credits: Simone Bergonzi (Italy, @simobergz)

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Gagarin appears to be taking flight in this monumental mosaic, which exudes an impressive sense of dynamism. As the first man to fly into space, in a spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Gagarin became the hero of many mosaics across the Soviet Union. Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

Credits: Mathilde Ramkissoon (France, @sovietblocs)

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Three card players are playing a game at the Karakol market in Kyrgyzstan. Intended for the sale of livestock, the Karakol market is held every Sunday from sunrise. A traditional Kyrgyz gathering place, visitors from far and wide come to buy and sell sheep, goats and horses. Cattle and camels are also available, though in smaller numbers.

Credits : Grégoire Chesnot (France, @greg_che)

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In the Rushon raion, the Bartang River is fed by the waters of its tributaries descending from the Pamir peaks, before flowing into the Panj. Sometimes, these glacial waters spread out at the bottom of the valley to form a small emerald-green lake, ‘Sabzi Kul’. Jisev, Tajikistan. 

Credits: Novastan

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In Svetlaya Polyana, a small Kyrgyz village on the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, nestled against the first mountain slopes, halfway between the great valleys of Jeti Oguz and Chonk Kyzyl Suu, Nuray welcomes her guests in a carefully decorated yurt.

Credits: Pierre-Armand Dussex (nomadsland, Switzerland)

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It is in the heart of Kyrgyzstan, in the province of Naryn, that this shepherd tends his flock. This mountainous landscape, dotted with sheep of every colour, exudes a sense of serenity far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Credits : Etienne de Vaumas (France)

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A little further along the road, you will come across the Tamgaly-Tas petroglyphs. Situated on the banks of the Ili River, on the edge of Altyn-Emel National Park, 120 km north of Almaty, these petroglyphs were carved by Tibetan monks in the 17th century, at a time when this region of Kazakhstan was ruled by the Dzungars. Tamgaly-Tas is the name given to the site by the Kazakhs following the expulsion of the Dzungar Khanate from Kazakh lands.

Credits: Ana Muñoz Macías

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