Photo of the day
Khorezmian fortress
“Kyzyl Kala”, an old Khorezmian fortress, is located north of Urgench in southwestern Uzbekistan. The Khorezmian rulers used this and other fortresses in the former Khorezmian region as their seat… [...]
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. [...]
Ruins and camels
Camels roaming around the ruins of Merv in Turkmenistan, once a major city on the Silk Road. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Credits: Konstantin… [...]
The Ustyurt Plateau
The Ustyurt Plateau with its height of 60 to 130 meters stands out strikingly from its surroundings. The plateau extends over the western part of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. [...]
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!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… [...]
Horses in Kyrgyzstan
Maksat explains how important these two horses are for his. For him, life without horses would not be possible in Kyrgyzstan. Credit : Irina Unruh This photo is part… [...]
Chilpik Kala
The fortress “Chilpik Kala” is on the way from Nukus to Urgench. Originally it was a Zoroastrian burial place. The dead were brought here so that the sun and birds… [...]
Cowboy of the steppe
Far-East Cowboy! This septuagenarian gathers his herd at dusk. After a quick chat, he gets on his horse and disappears into the steppe at full galop! Credit : Cyril… [...]
Siblings on horseback
In rural Kyrgyzstan, people learn to ride horses from an early age – like here, two siblings near Issyk-Kul Lake . Credit : Mareike Müller (Germany) Find all of… [...]