Almaty, Bishkek, Bukhara, China, Chuy, Fergana Valley, History, Horse Back, Kazakhstan, Kokand, Kyrgyzstan, Osh, Samarkind, Taraz, Tian Shan Mountains, Trans Alay Range, Uzbekistan

Russian Conquest of Central Asia

The Russian Conquest of Central Asia took place in the second half of the nineteenth century. The land that became Russian Turkestan and later Soviet Central Asia is now divided between Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan across the center, Kyrgyzstan in the east, Tajikistan in the southeast and Turkmenistan in the southwest. The area was called Turkestan because most of its inhabitants spoke Turkic languages with the exception of Tajikistan, which speaks an Iranian language.

Chuy, History, Horse Back, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Prehistory, Russia, Silk Road, Tian Shan Mountains, Trans Alay Range, Uncategorized

Sintashta Culture

The Sintashta culture is widely regarded as the origin of the Indo-Iranian languages. The earliest known chariots have been found in Sintashta burials, and the culture is considered a strong candidate for the origin of the technology, which spread throughout the Old World and played an important role in ancient warfare.  Sintashta settlements are also remarkable for the intensity of copper mining and bronze metallurgy carried out there, which is unusual for a steppe culture