Cenral Asian Studies

The presented text is devoted to an analysis of the main political concepts which appear in the historic memory of those Soviet citizens who worked in Mongolia in the second half of the ХХ century. Thousands of them have been influenced by their experience in Mongolia – this country was the most visited by Soviet specialists. For a long time, the Mongolian People's Republic was the most availabe foreign country for Soviet citizens– the so-called 16th republic of the USSR. Both everyday practices and attitude to Mongolia in the present time are a result of this perception. We focus on the concept of “progress” as the main ideological idiom of that time. It was «progress” that was seen as the foundation of Mongolia's transition fom feudalism to capitlaism. Some elements of this ideology can be found in contemporary historic and political literature devoted to Mongolia. Besides, an analysis of the concept of Soviet presence in this part of Asia is important for reflection  about “Soviet colonialism”. The author supposes that the Soviet idea of “progress” is in direct opposition to colonialism practices. Large-scale Soviet presence in Mongolia still has not been described in research works. Basically, Mongolia was included into the huge Soviet empire. This empire marked its rule using the same symbols: from Berlin to Ulan-Bator. Specific infrastructure was created to perform some Soviet rituals which were connected with the dominant ideology. Mongoian infrastructure was a continuation of the Soviet one, and visa-free regime between the USSR and Mongolia was  an indirect proof for this fact. This is why former Soviet specialists still mention “the great civilizing mission of the Soviet people” towards Mongolia. Drastic socio-economic chnges occurred in Mongolia during the years of the Soviet presence. Industrialization significantly changed the country's landscape.  These changes were described within the “Marxist” model of progress. At that time, all achievements in Mongolia's development were used as an evident proof of how correct the ideas of formational development were. However, these achievements were viewed as negative after the Democratic revolution 1989-1990. During the post-Socialist period, the attitude to Soviet aid was re-viewed in general. Also, the idea of drastic revoluationary transition to a new socio-economic formation was revised as well. As a result, the concept of de-modernization emerged in Russian texts. This phenomenon supposed destruction of the Soviet period infrastrucrure. We view this thesis as a controversial one. This thesis is a result of the post-Socialist trauma which was caused by the demise of the Soviet Union. The research is based on the floowing materials: social media memoires of Soviet citizens who worked in Mongolia is various periods; materials of the Soviet press, data from the Soviet historic narrative.

An investigation into the provenance and history of one of the most popular stories of medieval Europe, which had its origins in the life of the Buddha, as recounted in Buddhist literature. The paper details its transmission through various languages and religions from India to the Iranians of Central Asia, to Abbasid Bagdad, Georgia, Greece and Palestine, to Eastern and Western Europe. The religions include Buddhism, Manichaeanism, Shia Islam, Judaism, and Eastern and Western Christianity. The author argues that the tale is an early expression of values that today can be considered ecumenical and interfaith in scope.

Short version of :
«Zakaspijskaja zheleznaja doroga: standartizatsija istoriko-literaturnykh i ikonograficheskikh reprezentacij russkogo Turkestana» [Le Transcaspien: le chemin de fer comme moyen de standardisation des représentations historiques, littéraires et iconographiques du Turkestan russe], in Shahin Mustafaev, Michel Espagne, Svetlana Gorshenina, Claude Rapin, Amridin Berdimuradov, Frantz Grenet, (eds), Cultural Transfers in Central Asia: before, during and after the Silk Road, Paris-Samarkand: IICAS, 2013, pp. 258-273.

Фильмы Дарежана Омирбаева, пожалуй, самого известного в мире казахстанского режиссера и обладателя наград самых престижных в мире кинофестивалей, дают точный срез времени, анализ нашей казахстанской действительности. Не всегда в хронологическом порядке, но всегда это история «маленького» человека. Тридцать лет Дарежан Омирбаев рассказывает историю этого человека.

Introduction: Serguei A. Oushakine, Traveling People: Nomadism Today.
I. Paths To Transformation.
1. Molly Brunson Wandering Greeks: How Repin Discovers the People 
2. Mikhail Rozhanskii Towards the Gleaming Dawn: Looking for the Real.
3. Emil Nasritdinov Spiritual Nomadism and Central Asian Tablighi Travelers.
II Spiritual Body-Movements. 
4. Anya Bernstein On Body-Crossing: Interbody Movement in Eurasian Buddhism.
5. Zhanna Kormina Nomadic Orthodoxy: On New Forms of Religious Life in Contemporary Russia.
III. Domesticating Landscapes. 
6. Michael Kunichika “The Scythians Were Here...”: On Nomadic Archaeology, Modernist Form, and Early Soviet Modernity.
7. Aleksei Popov “We Are Looking for Something We Haven’t Lost”: Soviet “Savages” in Search of Their Place Under the Sun
8. Aimar Ventsel Entrapping History in Space: On Tuundra and Its Masters.
IV. Inadvertent Cosmopolitanism.
9. Maxim Matusevich Expanding the Boundaries of the Black Atlantic: African Students as Soviet Moderns.
10. Marina Mikhaylova A Springboard to a Wider World: Reactive Nationalism as an Ideology of Survival.
V. Nomadism For Sale.
11. Stephen M. Norris Nomadic Nationhood: Cinema, Nationhood, and Remembrance in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan.
12. Melanie Krebs From a Real Home to a Nation’s Brand: On Stationary and Traveling Yurts.
VI. Politics and Poetics of Nomadism.
13. Piers Vitebsky Wild Tungus and the Spirits of Places
14. Olga Burenina-Petrova Circus: A Culture on Wheels.

This article providers a brief description of the contribution of Academician Galina Anatolyevna Pugachenkova in the development of the humanities in Uzbekistan and neighbouring Soviet republics. Demonstrating a kind of universalism for Central Asian studies that was still possible in her time, she covered many themes in the history of ancient and medieval archaeology and art in Central Asia. Today,  whatever the topic, any researcher will certainly come across the works of Pugachenkova. In an effort to supplement her published works with
unpublished documents, the international observatory Alerte Heritage has created a virtual archive of G. A. Pugachenkova’s work. This Open Access internet archive was opened on 16 May, 2020 (http://pugachenkova.net).

Turfan Bek Manggalik was a ruler of Turfan area with the support of the Zunghars. When the Qing army attacked Dawaci, he surrendered to the Qing Empire and ended the long-term history of Turfan’s freedom from the rule of Dynasties on the Central Plains. The submission of Manggalik provided the Qing army with an important military and logistics base in the western regions and accelerated the process of defeating the Zunghars and the control of the Uyghur regions. After that, the Qing Empire began to adjust the local ruling order that had formed during the long-term following of Zunghar and moved Emin Khwaja back to Turfan to contain Manggalik’s power. The political pattern of dividing the East and West was formed in Turfan. After Manggalik was involved in a rebellion and was killed, his followers were temporarily put under the control of Emin Khwaja. In order to control the Emin Khwaja families’ power, the Qing Empire adjusted the political structure of Turfan many times, and set up the Grand Minister Superintendent of Pichan and the Leading Grand Minister of Turfan to separate powers, which reflected the Qing Empire’s extremely flexible and pragmatic border governance strategy.
吐鲁番伯克莽噶里克是准噶尔任命的吐鲁番地区统治者，于清军征讨达瓦齐之际归附清朝， 结束了吐鲁番地区长期游离于中原王朝统治之外的历史。莽噶里克的归附使清军在西域有了重要的军事和 后勤基地，加速了准噶尔的灭亡和控制回部的进程。莽噶里克归附后，清朝着手调整当地在长期追随准噶 尔期间形成的统治秩序，将额敏和卓迁回吐鲁番，牵制莽噶里克的势力。又为其编设旗佐，将扎萨克制度 引入，吐鲁番形成了东西分治的政治格局。莽噶里克卷入叛乱被杀后，其部众暂时被交由额敏和卓管束。 为了防止额敏和卓家族在吐鲁番一家独大，清朝又多次调整吐鲁番政治格局，设置辟展办事大臣、吐鲁番 领队大臣等予以分权，反映出清朝极为灵活务实的边疆统治策略。

This study will analyze main security threats in Central Asia. It is obvious that since the end of Cold War, there have been many security threats in Central Asia as internal weakness of Central Asian states, terrorism, transnational crime, economic insecurity, environmental issues, drug trafficking, ethnic violence, regional instability. This study will propose that with increasing interdependence, states need each other to solve these global security problems. In that sense, regional and sub-regional cooperation between Central Asian states and with other regional actors has been witnessed. It is clear that the withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan will destabilize Central Asia. This study will investigate overall security situation in Central Asia and affects and contributions of regional organizations to Eurasian security.

Research into the origins of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) indicates that ii achieved its historical position alter a migration of tribes from Southwest Asia to the oases of Central Asia. The BMAC provides the best candidate for early Indo-Iranian expansions and its abundant evidence for ritual behavior provides critical evidence for preZoroastrian religion in Central Asia.

The sentence (i)ki (ä)r(i)g WDŞRW s(a)nčdı in the line east 36 and north 2 of Köl Tigin inscription has been interpreted differently so far. The reason why the sentence is interpreted differently is that the structure and meaning of the phrase written in the form of WDŠRW is not fully determined. The reproductions, which provide a copy of the inscriptions, have allied with the signs in the phrase. Therefore, there is no difference in the reading of the phrase. The article lists the previous readings and interpretations for the phrase. After the reading and interpretation proposals were analyzed, the reading and meaning of the problem phrase were re-evaluated.

It has been over 70 years since Qutadγu Bilig was edited. During this time, many new readings and explanations have been presented about this edition and edition's index. Arat tried to understand the Qutadγu Bilig in the most accurate way and tried to translate it to Turkish. However, Arat was not always able to make an accurate meaning in such a long text like Qutadγu Bilig. igdiš and igdišči are problematic in terms of meaning. It will focus on these words in edition.

Russia and China have been advancing their cooperation for the last quarter century. Nonetheless, Sino-Russian relations are mostly seen through the prism of a zero-sum geostrategic game, whereas opposing views tend to be dismissed as “geopolitical utopianism.” China and Russia seem to have managed to avoid open competition so far; however, observers continue to recognize Central Asia as the most plausible site and cause of Sino-Russian tensions and rivalry over political, military, and economic influence. Beijing’s increasing presence in Central Asia not only reshapes the politics of the region, but also introduces new layers and aspects into Sino-Russian strategic relations. This piece aims to address the following aspects of Sino-Russian confrontation in central Asia: (1) how China took over Central Asia; (2) why Russia is reluctant to accept China’s growing power; and (3) what to expect of Sino-Russian strategic relations in the coming years.

Rahim İbrahim, Afganistan Özbeklerinin değeri bilinmeyen büyük bir şairi ve yazarıdır. Akademisyen kişiliği ve gazeteciliği ile de tanınan Rahim İbrahim’in, Özbekçe ve Darice (Afganistan Farsçası) ile kaleme aldığı onlarca kitap ve makale bulunmaktadır. Aynı zamanda bir insan hakları savunucusu ve insan hakları hukukçusu olan Rahim İbrahim maalesef yaşadığı coğrafya sebebi ile gerektiği gibi bilinmemektedir.
Bu çalışmamızda Rahim İbrahim’in kısaca hayat hikayesine kısaca yer verildikten sonra eserleri tanıtılmış ve şiirlerinden örnek alıntılar yapılarak, O’nun Türkiye’deki akademik çevrelerce daha iyi tanınması amaçlanmıştır.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Rahim İbrahim, Afganistan Özbek Edebiyatı, Özbek Edebiyatı, Dari ve Fars Edebiyatı
ABSTRACT
Rahim Ibrahim is a great forgotten poet, author, journalist in Afghanistan, especially among Afghanistan Uzbeks. He is an author of many published and unpublished works, including his poems, articles, books, books for children. He graduated from the Department of Dari Language and Literature at Kabul University. After his graduation, he worked as a teacher, lecturer in several high schools and universities. He worked as a journalist in several newspapers, journals, radio, and TV companies. He was lived during war years in Afghanistan.  He had to immigrate to Pakistan. After the Taliban regime, he returned back to Afghanistan and currently he is living in Mazar-e Sharif City and continues for his academic, lingual, and literature researches.
In this study, it is aimed to introduce this academic, author, and poet to the academic word of Turkey.
Key words: Rahim Ibrahim, Afghanistan Uzbek, Uzbek Literature, Dari Literature, Afghanistan Uzbek literature.

The article considers the campaign of the Macedonian King Philip II against the Scythians in 339 B.C. The principal objectives of this study were to determine the plans of King Philip II and the balance of the forces of the opposing parties. The study also analysed the course of the military operations and the results of the campaign. The study uses a multifaceted approach to probe the ancient narrative sources. It also makes a content analysis of the data, retrieved from various national scientific schools. The analyses reveal that Philip conducted a military campaign against Ateas with the help of small expeditionary forces that moved from Byzantion to the mouth of the River Istros (Danube).  Philip's enemy Ateas was a ruler of a small Scythian kingdom in Dobrudzha. The primary goals of the Macedonian king’s campaign were to capture booty and help the local allies. A desire to morally compensate for the unsuccessful completion of the sieges of Perinthos and Byzantion was the central motive of the campaign. The result of the war was determined in a single pitched battle. Despite the defeat of the Scythians in Dobrudzha, Philip could not deliver the captured booty to Macedonia because of the limited forces. The Triballoi captured this booty, and this devalued the success of the whole Scythian campaign.

The article is aimed to follow the process of establishment and development of national approach of such international actors as Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia to the new international subsystem within Central Asia taking place at the first decade after the Soviet Union collapse. The authors focus on analysis of detailed and pragmatic fundamentals of political drivers of Islamic countries' implementation of the foreign policy course in Central Asia. The work focuses on the identification of the idealistic and pragmatic motives of Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia during the implementation of the Central Asian vector of foreign policy. It may be noted that in the last decade of the 20th century geopolitical motives occupied a dominant position in the foreign policy of Islamic countries. During the 1990s Saudi Arabia formed two lines of cooperation with Central Asian countries. The first line is " geo-religious " as promotion the development of the religious revival of the peoples of Central Asia and their accession to the global Muslim community led by SA. The second line is economic as rising Arab capital and business on the regional markets in order to advance the interests of Saudi Arabia. Iran's foreign policy in Central Asia proceeded from three major reasons. " Geo-economic " is the development of economic projects in the field of transport and energy for the unification of markets of Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. " Civilizational " is the reactualization of the historical involvement of the peoples of Central Asia in the Persian cultural and historical values. " Real-political " is the formation of a loyal regime of interaction with Russia and China in the region as a counterweight to the Western anti-Iranian policy. Turkey's foreign policy in Central Asia was based on economic interests conserning the Caspian and Central Asian hydrocarbons and regional lidership as head of Turkic peoples kinship project. The Muslim powers have shown the greatest activity and consistency in the implementation of the Central Asian direction among all international actors in the region. This renewed Islamic interest to the problems of Central Asia promoted to forming The Central Asia regional complex with own agenda in Post-Cold war world.

The present article suggests general characteristics of Old Turkic statehood, which reflecting on the Early Medieval coins of Central Asia. The analysis of these coins was found some titles belonged to Western Turkic qaghanate (jabgu, jabgu-qaghan, qaghan) and other Turkic dynasties of oasis states of Pre-Islamic Central Asia (khatun, tegin, elteber, tudun, tutuq, tarkhan and others).

· Inspiracje orientalne w literaturze polskiej od średniowieczna do współczesności.
· Podróże polskich pisarzy do krajów muzułmańskich: ich świadectwa, diagnozy, fascynacje.
· Literackie obrazy Azji Centralnej, Krymu, Powołża – Idel-Uralu, Bliskiego Wschodu i
Afryki Północnej (w literaturze polskiej).
· Orientalne gatunki literackie (rubai/rubai’jjat, kasyda, gazela, makama, etc.) i ich
transformacja na gruncie polskim.
· Sarmatyzm, dialog oświecenia z Orientem, „islamskie aspekty” romantyzmu i Młodej Polski.
· Literatura polska wobec literatur narodów muzułmańskich (tatarskiej, krymskotatarskiej,
arabskiej, tureckiej, perskiej, etc.)
· Klasycy literatur orientalnych w przekładach poetów polskich (Rumi – Miciński, Çoban-zade
– Chazbijewicz i inni).
· Piśmiennictwo Tatarów Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego oraz współczesna literatura polskotatarska
(ujęcia historyczno- i teoretycznoliterackie, tekstologiczne, kulturoznawcze,
socjologiczne i inne).
· Folklor Tatarów polskich (niekanoniczne modlitwy, zamówienia, zaklęcia, baśnie i legendy).
· Publicystyka i ruch wydawniczy polskich Tatarów.