German Travelers in Russian Turkestan ‚Discover‘ the Bukharan Jews
The following post is a longer version of the article „Anti-Semitism and Orientalism in German-language Travelogues of Turkestan“ published by Oxus Society on 27 May 2021. In the German language accounts of Central Asia from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, one finds many different descriptions of the region…
Impressions of the Duab (Russian Turkestan)
A reflection on Wilhelm Rickmer-Rickmers‘ famous 1907 lecture to the Central Asian Society The region, which is the subject of the following piece and about which the German explorer Wilhelm Rickmer-Rickmers reports in his lecture text, is the Turkestan General Government, in Russian Туркестанское генерал-губернаторство or Туркестанский Край. It was established in 1868 in the…
Uzbek Saturday mood in Shakhrisabz
The use of urban space in the early 2000s before the start of the tourism boom The more than 2000 year old city was a stage of the old Silk Road, which connected China and Europe via the Middle East. In 2000, it was declared a World Heritage Site, not least for its many exceptional…
A brief portrait of the city of Termez – situated on the periphery of today’s Uzbekistan
The city of Termez is located in Uzbekistan rather peripherally and is less visited by tourists than the Tashkent-Samarkand-Bukhara-Khiva axis. It is located in the southeast of the country on the border with Afghanistan, on the northern bank of the Amu Daria. Going to Termez requires some patience Due to its eventful history, it is…
A look back at the splitting of the Aral Sea – The Kyzylorda region in 2006
A small overview: Conflicts over water in Central Asia All major rivers in Central Asia pass through at least two countries from their source to the estuary or the point where they dry up. Besides, the majority of the population of these states live along these rivers and the adjacent water systems. Thus the entire…
Stefan Applis | Photography | Spaces, Places & Practices 