China, History, Horse Back, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Mongol Empire and Division

Mongol Empire (1206–1240s CE) Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes of the steppes and became Great Khan in 1206. Genghis Khan and his successors expanded the Mongol empire across Asia. Under the reign of Genghis' third son, Ögedei Khan, the Mongols destroyed the weakened Jin dynasty in 1234, conquering most of northern China.[ Ögedei offered… Continue reading Mongol Empire and Division

Andijan, China, Fergana Valley, History, Jalal-Abad, Kashgar, Khujand, Kokand, Kyrgyzstan, Osh, Osh Region, Russia, Tajikistan, Uncategorized, Uzbekistan

Khanate of Kokand

The Khanate of Kokand  (sometimes spelled Khoqand) was a Central Asian state in Fergana Valley that existed from 1709–1876 within the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan, eastern Uzbekistan  and  Tajikistan, and southeastern Kazakhstan. Kokand  is located in eastern Uzbekistan, at the southwestern edge of the Fergana Valley.   It is the main transportation junction in the Fergana Valley and has a population of about 200,000 .  The city lies… Continue reading Khanate of Kokand

Bukhara, History, Silk Road, Uzbekistan

Khanate and Emirate of Bukhara

The Khanate of Bukhara was a Central Asian  state from 1506 to 1785, followed by the  Emirate of Bukhara  from 1785 to 1920 in what is now modern-day  Uzbekistan. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, known formerly as Transoxiana. Today the territory of the defunct emirate lies mostly in Uzbekistan,… Continue reading Khanate and Emirate of Bukhara

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.