Central Asian History

In a vast expanse of arid grasslands, under the endless canopy of the Mongolian steppe, a legend arose. This wasn't just any legend, but a tale that would span continents and generations, altering the course of history. Genghis Khan: The Saga of the Mongol Conquests invites you on a riveting journey to rediscover the life, triumphs, and enduring legacy of one of the world's most enigmatic leaders: Genghis Khan.

Through a lyrical narrative of her journey to Tibet in 2007, activist Canyon Sam contemplates modern history from the perspective of Tibetan women. Traveling on China's new "Sky Train", she celebrates Tibetan New Year with the Lhasa family whom she'd befriended decades earlier and concludes an oral-history project with women elders.

Zakia and Ali were from different tribes, but they grew up on neighboring farms in the hinterlands of Afghanistan. By the time they were young teenagers, Zakia, strikingly beautiful and fiercely opinionated, and Ali, shy and tender, had fallen in love. Defying their families, sectarian differences, cultural conventions, and Afghan civil and Islamic law, they ran away together only to live under constant threat from Zakia's large and vengeful family, who have vowed to kill her to restore the family's honor.

Most Americans think of the Taliban and al Qaeda as a bunch of bearded fanatics fighting an Islamic crusade from caves in Afghanistan. But that doesn't explain their astonishing comeback along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Why is it that eight years after we invaded Afghanistan, the CIA says that these groups are better armed and better funded than ever? Seeds of Terror will reshape the way you think about America's enemies, revealing them less as ideologues and more as criminals.

Discover the Lost Legacy of Uyghur Buddhism—an Ancient Faith Shaped by Adventure, Art, and the Spirit of the Silk Road. Imagine standing in the windswept deserts of Central Asia, where caravans once carried treasures, ideas, and spiritual traditions. This is where Uyghur Buddhism took root, blending diverse cultures and philosophies into a faith as rich as the Silk Road itself. Uyghur Buddhism for Beginners is your guide to this forgotten chapter of Buddhist history—a story of resilience, artistry, and the enduring power of spiritual exploration. Unlock the Mysteries of a Spiritual ...

The Kushans began as nomadic steppe warriors who eventually grew tired of constantly migrating and subsequently put their skills and experience to use by conquering Bactria and creating a kingdom that was stronger economically than it was militarily. Taking advantage of their location on the Silk Road trade routes, the Kushan kings charged fees and tolls for goods passing through. But silk, textiles, gold, silver, and other commodities were not the only things that entered the Kushan Empire from the East and West; it was a focal point for the spread of ideas, diplomats, and diseases.

In recent years, Pakistan has changed from being a state of regional strategic significance to one of major global importance. Its geographical position and delicate religious mix, coupled with a complex political structure and its status as a nuclear power, have ensured that its actions - and inactions - have attracted close scrutiny since 9/11 and the declaration of the "War on Terror". Yet there remains widespread disagreement among political and military analysts as to the real position of this enigmatic nation.

Genghis Khan was the most unlikely of conquerors. An orphan of the Mongolian Steppes, his rise went all but unnoticed by all the great powers around him. His people had been divided and discounted by the Chinese dynasties to his south and completely dismissed by the encroaching Islamic empires to his west. Known as little more than bandits and nomads, Genghis Khan and his Mongolian horde would shake kings and emperors to their very core as they descended like locusts upon all four corners of the known world.

The first rule of warfare is to know one's enemy. The second is to know thyself. More than 15 years and three quarters of a trillion dollars after the US invasion of Afghanistan, it's clear that the United States followed neither rule well. America's goals in Afghanistan were lofty to begin with: dismantle al Qaeda, remove the Taliban from power, and remake the country into a democracy.

Республика Узбекистан — молодое государство, но его история уходит корнями в глубокую древность. На протяжении веков этот край был местом пересечения культур и невероятных событий. Здесь проходил Великий шелковый путь, развивались зороастризм, буддизм и ислам. Тимур превратил Самарканд в крупнейший культурный центр региона, где жили, работали и трудились многие ученые мужи того времени. Отметились на этих землях и армии великих завоевателей прошлого — Александр Македонский и Тамерлан. "Пока народ жив, земля не иссякнет" — гласит народная пословица. Да будет так!

'In a Nutshell', the new audiobook series from Naxos AudioBooks, continues with a fascinating history of Tibet. Part of China for many years, yet with a clearly distinctive culture (with the central devotion of its people being to Buddhism and the Dalai Lama), Tibet has a unique character in the panoply of world nations. Here we have an independent view of its history and the customs and beliefs of its people - and a commentary on the current situation.

Throughout the past three decades East Asia has seen more peace and stability than at any time since the Opium Wars of 1839-1841. During this period China has rapidly emerged as a major regional power, averaging over nine percent economic growth per year since the introduction of its market reforms in 1978. Foreign businesses have flocked to invest in China, and Chinese exports have begun to flood the world.

With all eyes on Ukraine and the Middle East, Taiwan is emerging as the next geopolitical tinderbox. Despite sitting at the heart of the tense relationship between China and the US, Taiwan’s history and its people have long been overlooked and misunderstood. In Ghost Nation, Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton tells their stories and explores why this diplomatically isolated country has become such an important player on the world stage. As China’s military preparations continue apace, the stakes have never been higher.

Though history is usually written by the victors, the lack of a particularly strong writing tradition from the Mongols ensured that history was largely written by those who they vanquished. Because of this, their portrayal in the West and the Middle East has been extraordinarily (and in many ways unfairly) negative for centuries, at least until recent revisions to the historical record.

Genghis Khan was the Mongol emperor who has expanded his region to the biggest empire on the face of the Earth ever. His empire stretched from East Asia all the way to various European countries, the Middle East, and beyond. You will learn more about his early life, his relationships, marriage, families and children, his attacks, his unification of the Mongolian Federations, his death, succession, and the continuing of the Mongolian Empire after his death.

In the last months of the Korean war the US Marines had transitioned into a near stationary force manning the main battle line in a serious of forward outposts. In this position they were under near constant bombardment and engaging in ongoing patrol battles. This book is a study of the outpost war concept through official documents and anecdote.

Convinced in 1838 that Britain's invaluable empire in India was threatened by Russia, Persia, and Afghan tribes, the British government ordered its Army of the Indus into Afghanistan to oust from power the independent-minded king, Dost Mohammed, and install in Kabul the unpopular puppet ruler Shah Shuja. Expecting a quick campaign, the British found themselves trapped by unforeseen circumstances; eventually the tribes united and the seemingly omnipotent army was slaughtered in 1842 as it desperately retreated through the mountain passes from Kabul to Jalalabad.

Born in Britain, Saira Shah was inspired by her father's dazzling stories to rediscover the now lost life their forebears knew for 900 years within sight of orchards, snow-topped mountains, and the minarets of Kabul. This is Saira, part sophisticated and sensitive Western liberal, part fearless (even fierce) life-gulping Afghan, falling in love with her ancestral myth, chasing Afghanistan.

China’s meteoric rise to economic powerhouse might be charted with dams. Every river in the country has been tapped to power exploding cities and factories - every river but one. Running through one of the richest natural areas in the world, the Nujiang’s raging waters were on the verge of being dammed when a 2004 government moratorium halted construction. Might the Chinese dragon bow to the "Angry River"? Would Beijing put local people and their land ahead of power and profit? Could this remote region actually become a model for sustainable growth? Ed Grumbine traveled to the far corners of China’s Yunnan province to find out.

Казахстан – непосредственный сосед России, которого объединяет с нашей страной непростая судьба, полная взлетов и падений. Казахи помнят победы Чингисхана и голод начала XX века, индустриализацию и постройку Турксиба, карательные экспедиции первой половины XIX столетия и переселенческую колонизацию…. Привычные нашему уху имена российских и советских деятелей – художников, поэтов, ученых, военных, - были напрямую связаны с Казахстаном.