Central Asia

1. Central Asia

2. Countries • Kazakhstan • Kyrgstan • Tajikistan • Turkmenistan • Uzbekistan Did you notice the last four letters are STAN?

3. Geographical Features • Flat, • grassy plains(steppes)with fertile soil. Important agricultural area, grazing land. • deserts(Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum. • mountains (Pamir) • River Amu Darya • Land-locked so little rain because moisture are blocked • Flat, • grassy plains(steppes)with fertile soil. • deserts(Kara Kum and Kyzyl Kum. • mountains (Pamir)

4. Main farming products • Wheat • Corn • Cotton • Tobacco ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Main industries • Oil • Natural gas • Coal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Main minerals • Chrome • Gold • Iron ore

5. Languages • Russian: main language • Turkic: spoken by Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Turkmen • Dialect of Farsi: Tajiks ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Religions • First Religion to arrive – Buddhism • Second – Zoroastrainsm • Then came Christainity • Last was Islam People were not allowed to follow their faiths openly. All the churches and mosques were closed

6. Muslims in Central Asia • Islam was introduced in Central Asia first by Muslim armies then by Muslim traders and merchants .(silk and spice route) • Today we have about 82.707% of Muslim populations • The Mongols ruled Central Asia and converted it into Islam in the 1200s • In 14th and 15 centuries it was ruled by Timurid dynasty

7. In the past the people were nomads, in modern times life changed when the steppes were used for agriculture purposes. During the Soviet rule the people had to work in towns and factories. Now the young go to schools and will help in developing the countries. Other institution are helping in developing the countries like AKDN

8. Culture and heritage Samarqand:- • Timur made Samarqand his capital city. • Under the rule of Ulugh Beg Samarqand became a major learning centre for astronomers, mathematicians and other scholars • Ulugh Beg made a madarasah. Main subjects taught were mathematics and astronomy

9. Bukhara:- • Great scholars studied here in its madrasah. • In the 10th century a famous poet Rudaki lived here. • In the 11th century, IbnSina wrote one of the most important books on medicine, which was used by doctors in Muslim and European lands for several centuries.

10. In Madarasah the subjects taught were:- Study of the Quran and hadith. The life of P. Muhammad. Sciences related to Muslim law. Students from all over the world came to Bukhara to be Jurists (judge, lawyer, or legal scholar).

11. Ulugh Beg was a renowned(famous astronomer). • He built an observatory in Samarqand. • The observatory was 3 storey high. • In this place Ulugh Beg plotted the position of over a thousand stars. • Europeans and Chinese astronomers used this chart because it was accurate

12. Buildings like the Registan square in Samarqand are reminder of glorious past of Central Asia. • The past are remembered in poems, dances and songs

13. The carpet were made from silk and wool( karakul sheep). The silk and wool were hand-noted into compiled pattered carpets of all shades and colors.