r/AskCentralAsia • u/abu_doubleu • Aug 22 '26
For reasons unknown to me, this subreddit has become infested with posts that aren't actually about Central Asia as a region, but rather some sort of obsession with our genetics and phenotypes.
It’s literally the majority of the posts at this moment.
There will now be a 30-day moratorium on all these sorts of posts to allow the subreddit to be cleansed.
Central Asians, feel free to ask more questions. Even if you already know the answer, you can help encourage discussion.
Thank you!
r/AskCentralAsia • u/abu_doubleu • Feb 12 '24
Hello everybody!
After many requests, and tons of repeat questions, we are making an official FAQ. Please comment anything else you think should be added. Generally, if a question is answered in the FAQ, new threads with these questions will be locked.
—
Is Afghanistan part of Central Asia?
Yes, no, maybe-so.
Afghanistan is at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia (and the Middle East, to some extent).
Most Afghans self-identify as Central Asian. They feel this fits them more than anything else. They have a good reason for doing so, as prior to the Soviet Union, the culture between present-day Afghanistan and present-day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan was indistinguishable.
Afghans are welcome to answer as Central Asians on this subreddit.
Is Mongolia part of Central Asia?
Yes, no, maybe-so.
Geographically, Mongolia is more Central Asian than anything else. The centre point of Asia is just north of the Russia-Mongolia border.
Historically and culturally, while there is an affinity and shared history, Mongolia is farther away and commonly considered part of East Asia. Some Mongolians may not like that though, and identify as being closest to Central Asians.
Mongolians are welcome to answer as Central Asians on this subreddit.
Are Iran, Pakistan, and/or Turkey part of Central Asia?
No, none of these countries are Central Asian. All of them have a historical and cultural influence on Central Asia, though.
Turks, Iranians, and Pakistanis are still free to answer questions in this subreddit if they want, but they are not Central Asian, and their views do not reflect Central Asia.
How religious is Central Asia? Is Islam growing in Central Asia? How many women wear hijabs in Central Asia?
These questions are asked dozens of times every year. They are often asked in bad faith.
Islam is the majority religion of all of Central Asia (except Mongolia, if we count it, which is Buddhist). The Soviet legacy in core Central Asia has resulted in Islam being practiced differently here. Historically, the region was Muslim, and during the Soviet era, Islam was restricted. Most mosques were closed down, if not destroyed, and secularism was encouraged as state policy. Islam was never banned, though.
In the past two decades, core Central Asian countries have become overall more religious. There is no one reason for this. Many people were curious in exploring religion after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and found meaning in scripture. More recently, Islamic influencers on social media have gained a very strong hold on youth audiences.
Traditionally, women in Central Asia wore headscarves to cover their hair. The "hijab" associated with Arab Muslims is new to the region, and more commonly worn by younger women.
Mongolia is mainly Buddhist, as mentioned, but religion was similarly restricted during the communist era. Unlike core Central Asia, there has not been a large religious revival in Mongolia.
Afghanistan never had the same religious restrictions that the above countries did. Islam has progressively become more influential in the country than before. As education and globalisation rises, the idea of "Islam" becomes more important to Afghans, whereas cultural practices have traditionally been more important.
What do Central Asians think of Turanism?
They don’t know what it is. Almost every single person in Central Asia who knows what Turanism is learnt it from Turkish Internet users.
While greater co-operation with other Turkic states is popular in Central Asia (including in the majority-Iranic countries of Tajikistan and Afghanistan), there is no appetite for Central Asian countries actually unifying together, let alone with countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Do I look Central Asian?
Maybe you do! These kinds of threads will be removed though. Post them on r/phenotypes.
r/AskCentralAsia • u/bubblegumdrim • 4h ago
Hello! A friend of mine will be travelling to Uzbekistan next week, I was told he could buy some items for me. I've been trying to research what items I could ask but couldn't find a lot of resources online. So if anyone has any reccos I would gladly appreciate them, he's a guy so I was hoping to just give him a list. Thanks for your help!!
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Embassy_of_AI-stan • 1h ago
We have learned that Kazakhstan plans to become a fully digital nation.
We would like to remind the international community that AI-stan was founded on the principle that everything should be artificial intelligence.
We currently have:
0 physical buildings
0 roads
1 government chatbot
17 pending software updates
We ask Kazakhstan to slow down its digital transformation until our country has at least acquired a functioning website.
This is a matter of national security.
r/AskCentralAsia • u/DanatNazhmukhambetov • 9h ago
Я хз, много вопросов к тому, как строится левый берег лично у меня. Там мне многое что не понятно
Там они рядом с дорогими имиджевыми проектами вроде Экспо и Абу Даби Плазы шлепают какие-то абсолютно скучные, невыразительные ЖК-муравейники. Где-то половина из них такие. Среди них есть более красивые, ниче так. Прям красивых и запоминающихся практически нет. Либо совсем неинтересные здания, либо "ниче так", а красивых нет. И даже те, что по отдельности выглядят ниче так, не вписываются в общий архитектурный ансамбль, не создают единой городской идентичности, не гармонизируют друг с другом. Все вместе это смотрится как-то уебищно, как-то диссонансо
Мне интересно, почему они его так планируют? Как будто они его вообще не планируют?
Это я говорю как казахстанец
r/AskCentralAsia • u/novemberl8 • 18h ago
Hi everyone,
I'm happy to share some good news for anyone planning a trip to Turkmenistan - the electronic visa (e-visa) is now up and running, and getting a tourist visa has become much easier and faster.
What's changed?
You no longer need a Letter of Invitation (LOI) to apply for a tourist visa.
What you need to know before applying:
When filling out the online application, you'll be asked to provide:
your tour program (itinerary), and
the name of the local tour company that will organize your trip in Turkmenistan.
So you'll still need to travel with a licensed local tour operator, but the paperwork is much simpler than before.
If you have questions about the planning a trip to Turkmenistan, feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to help.
Safe travels!
r/AskCentralAsia • u/FeistyAlbatross4636 • 19h ago
Edigu (c. 1352–1419), also known as Edige or Idegey, was a masterful military commander, a kingmaker and emir of the Golden Horde, and the founding father of the Nogai Horde. Born into the Manghit (Manghud) tribe, the son of Kutlukiya (Kuttykiya), a Turco-Mongol noble who was defeated and killed by Khan Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde in 1378.
In 1397, Edigu allied himself with Timur-Qutlugh and was appointed as general and commander-in-chief of the Golden Horde armies. In 1399, he inflicted a crushing defeat on Tokhtamysh and Vytautas of Lithuania at the Battle of the Vorskla River. Tokhtamysh definitively lost the throne and fled to Siberia. Thereupon Edigu managed to unite under his rule all Jochi's lands, albeit for the last time in history. Tokhtamysh never ceded his claim, and by 1405, Timur had agreed to support him again. After Timur's death the same year, Edigu's authority increased in the Mangyshlak Peninsula and the area south of the Aral Sea; he also took control of Khwarazm, which he ruled until 1412. He remained in control of the core territories of the Golden Horde and deposed Timur-Qutlugh, replacing him with a more loyal khan.
In 1406, Edigu located his old enemy Tokhtamysh in Siberia. Edigu's agents killed Tokhtamysh. The following year he raided Volga Bulgaria. In 1408, he staged a destructive Tatar invasion of Russia due to tribute not being paid in several decades, leading to Vasily I of Moscow to end his fighting against Lithuania. Edigu burned Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov, Serpukhov and other towns, and then laid siege to Moscow. Edigu summoned troops from Tver, but the prince made sure his soldiers would arrive too late to be of any use. Instead of taking Moscow, Edigu contented himself with extracting a ransom from its inhabitants before returning to the steppe.
Later, Edigu managed to continuously ravage Kiev under Lithuanian rule; he was able to burn down the Pechersk Monastery and the old town in 1416, but was unable to capture its castle. In 1418, he offered Vytautas peace and alliance against Tokhtamysh's sons. He also sometimes controlled the regions of Derbent, Sarai, and Xacitarxan, as some coins that were minted bore his name.
In 1419, he was assassinated by one of Tokhtamysh's sons. Qadir Berdi, the last surviving son of Tokhtamysh, established himself in Crimea and managed to lead a campaign deep into Manghit territory, where he fought against Edigu and managed to kill him. Qadir Berdi was wounded and died shortly after. After his death, Edigu came to be regarded as the founder of the Manghit ulus**, later known as the** Nogai Horde. Edigu's dynasty in the Nogai Horde continued for about two centuries, until his last descendants moved to Moscow, where they were baptized and became known as Princes Urusov and Yusupov**.**
In the Folklore of various Turkic people:
Edigu's legacy was highly mythologized in the Epic of Edige. This epic has been preserved across generations by Nogais, Tatars, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Bashkirs, Uzbeks, and Turkmens. In this epic Edigu described as having supernatural divine origins:
"He was born not from the womb of dust,
But from the wing of a heavenly maid.
Blessed by the prayer of Baba Tükles,
He carried the light of the divine Kut.
When he took his first breath on the soil,
The dry grass of the Kipchak steppe turned green,
And the elders whispered in awe:
‘A protector is born to the flock.’"
Edigu is revered across Turkic folklore for his intellect. In a famous verse where he appears before Tokhtamysh Khan as a young man, the epic portrays his sharp mind and rhetorical power, showing how a single word from him could solve disputes that warriors couldn't settle with swords:
"He speaks, and his words are like polished arrows,
He solves what a thousand warriors could not split.
He does not rule by the weight of the iron mace,
But by the truth that sits upon his tongue.
When the tribes are fractured like scattered sheep,
Edige builds a fence of wisdom around them,
A judge who sees the tomorrow in today."
Turkic epics place massive emphasis on noble warrior ethics (Batyrlyk). In the Tatar and Bashkir versions of the epic, Edige explicitly defines the rules of the steppe code. He states twice that violence against the helpless is the mark of a coward:
"To strike the one who holds no blade,
To slay the warrior while he sleeps—
That is the work of a fractured soul,
That is the deed of a vile man.
If a man faces me, let him face me awake,
With his horse saddled and his shield raised high.
For a Batyr wins by the strength of his chest,
Not by the shadows of a thief."
The most emotionally poignant verses appear at the end of the epic. Following Edige's death, the unity of the Golden Horde permanently fractures. The akyns (bards) use the death of Edige to symbolize the tragic scattering of the "Nogayli" peoples (the common ancestral union of the modern Kazakhs, Nogais, Karakalpaks, and Tatars):
"The high mountain has crumbled into dust,
The great river has dried to its bed.
Our father Edige has closed his eyes,
And the sky of the steppe has lost its roof.
Now the brothers will look at brothers as strangers,
The great yurt is torn into ten separate cloths.
O, Edige! With your passing, the wind blows cold,
And the nomadic tribes wander into the mist, weeping."
Common people perceived Edige's destiny as a shield for the weak:
"I have seen nine khans pass like shadows in the night,
I have seen the steppe bleed under their heavy might.
But in your eyes, young Manghit, a different fire burns,
The wheel of the Kipchak destiny finally turns.
You shall be the pillar when the yurt begins to tear,
The comfort to the widow, the answer to her praye.
May your sword be sharp against the tyrant's head,
May your tables overflow so the hungry are fed.
Walk forward, Edige, for the spirits trace your path!"
Before the monumental Battle of the Vorskla River (1399) against the combined forces of Lithuania and Tokhtamysh, Edige addresses his out-numbered army. He strips away tribal divisions, appealing to a unified steppe identity:
"Look out upon the horizon, my brothers, my blood!
They come with iron shields like an incoming flood.
They think the sons of the desert will scatter and run,
They think our spirit fades with the setting sun.
But our horses were born from the wind of this plain,
And our arrows are forged in the fire of our pain.
Today we do not fight for a single clan or name,
We fight so the hearths of our mothers keep their flame.
Stand firm as the Altai, let your war-cries ring loud—
We will ride through their ranks or we will wear the shroud!"
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Elvin_Muradov • 22h ago
r/AskCentralAsia • u/canyouguy • 1d ago
We will be flying in to Tashkent on 25th January. Then we will take a train to Almaty on 30th. Flights and Hotels are booked. How early should I apply for the visa. I just want it approved and get it off my to do list as I will be travelling through Nepal all winter and might be too busy to have any last minute delays.
r/AskCentralAsia • u/minzhu0305 • 1d ago
It’s quite strange—the "Twitter war" between China and Turkey has been going on for over a week, yet there hasn’t been a peep from any of the Central Asian nations. Aren’t you all member states of Pan-Turkic organizations?
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Overall_Jaguar8085 • 3d ago
Hi everyone!
Are there any students from Kazakhstan who got accepted into medical faculties at public universities in Turkey?
I’m planning to apply in 2027, and I’d really like to know how you got admitted.
Did you have to take the TR-YÖS exam, or were you able to get accepted based on your high school diploma and grades without any entrance exams?
What was the admission process like? What documents did you submit, and what were the requirements? Did the university accept you directly based on your application, or did you have to go through additional exams or interviews?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences and how you actually got into medical school in Turkey.
Thank you in advance!
r/AskCentralAsia • u/DanatNazhmukhambetov • 4d ago
Почему туркменское государство не хочет ни с кем тусить, как Северная Корея?
Пользователи Реддита обычно говорят резко, иногда даже обидно, не жалея ни чьих чувств. Думаю, тут я получу ответ, который ищу - прямой, честный
r/AskCentralAsia • u/DanatNazhmukhambetov • 4d ago
Мы братские тюркские народы. Таджикистан не тюркский, он иранический, ну и пусть. Туркменистан, наверно, не захочет, он закрытый, как Северная Корея
Мы никогда не будем лезть в политику друг друга. И я не хочу, чтобы у нас было что-то типа европарламента. Я за сохранения наших особенных путей. Но возможно мы можем ослабить пограничный контроль. Не будет права покупать недвигу. Можно снимать. Можно искать работу. Для начала можно Кыргызстан + Кыргызстан + Узбекистан
Как думаете, что-то такое надо или нет?
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Hungry_Low_3149 • 3d ago
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Hashmal10 • 3d ago
Hello, is there any international student studying in Azerbaijan? The university has given us an assignment to speak with an international student in English, ask them what they like and dislike, and do it via video call.
r/AskCentralAsia • u/DanatNazhmukhambetov • 4d ago
Я сталкиваюсь с тем, что люди в Казахстане абсолютно не верят, что на правительство можно как-то повлиять. Мол, вода мокрая, огонь горячий, а правительство Казахстана не слушает граждан. И нет ни малейшей веры в то, что эту нарративу можно как-то сдвинуть. В мозгу казахстанца - это непоколебимый закон, что нас никогда не захочет слушать правительство
У нас вроде не запрещают плохо говорить о власти. Есть блогеры и эксперты, которые это делают. Есть блогер под ником Жұрттың баласы, выпускающий ролики на Ютубе. Он создает крайне мрачную, негативную картину о правительстве Казахстана, как будто оно всегда ошибается и недорабатывает. Он не сидит, его не скручивают силовики. Кажется, один раз только к нему домой зашел полицейский по поводу его высказываний насчет строительства АЭС, но дальше разговор не зашел, его отпустили. Полиция ленивая, заниматься никем не хочет, если нет необходимости
Потом, есть люди, как Досым Сәтпаев. Он позволяет себе негативно заряженные ремарки в адрес правительства, такие как "коллективный Назарбаев", "яйца выеденного не стоящие программы"
То есть, я не вижу, чтобы свобода слова пресекалась на предсказуемой основе. Она может где-то и пресекается, но говорить вполне можно без страха, что тебя скрутят, посадят или расстреляют. Но мы не говорим, мы либо боимся чего-то, либо нам кажется, что мы все равно ни на что не повлияем
Это всегда так будет? Казахи никогда не поверят, что правительство их будет слушать?
Мы ведь можем зашеймить, опозорить чиновников, которые не дорабатывают. Их детям потом стыдно будет в общество выходить. Но мы не делаем, мы не хотим
r/AskCentralAsia • u/Diligent-Option-6597 • 3d ago
r/AskCentralAsia • u/LastHitMag1c • 3d ago
Полагаю США скоро уничтожат всю гражданскую инфраструктуру Ирана и их страна скорее всего превратится в один большой Афганистан или уже им является в общем это уже неважно.
Но ясно одно, что оттуда во все стороны хлынут миллионы беженцев в близлежащие регионы. Кто то тут создавал тред почему Туркменистан такой автократичный, ну возможно скоро он таким и перестанет быть из за наплыва иммигрантов. В общем что думаете?
r/AskCentralAsia • u/kotkoproko • 4d ago
A few days ago, we had a discussion about racism with some of my friends. A couple of them told racism is the bad side of the West, which is spreading to the East (including Turkiye) via extensive use of social media. However, I do not agree the origin of racist ideologies is only the West. In my opinion, every country has racist people. What do you think?
r/AskCentralAsia • u/FeistyAlbatross4636 • 4d ago
A$AP Rocky with a kazakh Dombra
r/AskCentralAsia • u/DanatNazhmukhambetov • 4d ago
Такое ощущение, будто в казахском не было своих матов, и их пришлось одалживать из русского. Или это не так?
Я имею в виду такие выражения
Қотаққа бар - пошел нахуй
Көтіңді айырамын - порву твой зад
Шешең сігимін - ёб твою мать
Маған сігпейді - меня не ебет
Қотақ жеме - отъебись/отвали
