Content area
Full Text
Contextualizing Central Asia
Central Asia which lies in the broader context of the Eurasian region, extends from the Caspian Sea in the west to Central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. The physical characteristics of Central Asia can be divided into the vast grassy steppes of Kazakhstan in the north and the Aral Sea drainage basin in the south. The region mainly consists of deserts, the important ones being the Karakum and the Kyzylkum lying in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan respectively. Agriculture is limited along the margins of the two major river systems-Amu Darya and Syr Darya. These two rivers which supply most of the hydro-resources in the region drain into the Aral Sea. Availability of water in the region is inadequate making the distribution of population very uneven. The demography is, thus, very scattered with majority of the Central Asians residing along those areas which are near to the river, while the vast arid expanses of central and western Kazakhstan and western Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are inhabited by scarce population. The roles played by ancient sedentary peoples like the Tajiks, Pashtuns, Pamiris and other Iranian groups in the history of Central Asia have been crucial. Later on, with the expansion of the Turkic people, Central Asia became the homeland of several Turkic groups like the Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Uyghurs1. This is the reason why Central Asia, at times, is also called as Türkistan. The influence of Islam in the region has been pervading with most of the followers belonging to the Sunni branch. Large number of Russians and Ukrainians are also present in the region because of its historical ties with first Russia and then Soviet Union.
The region has once been at the crossroads of civilizations, historically, acting as a medium of connectivity for trade and ideas among the people of West Asia, Europe, East Asia and South Asia. Over the past several millennia, the great Silk Road has brought many traders to Central Asia facilitating the movement of goods, cultures and ideas. The Silk Route system provided a trans-continental bridge facilitating multilateral exchanges between Central Asia, China, West Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It was a unique example of intercontinental cooperation...