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Presents an unparalleled overview of the sophisticated culture of pastoral nomadic populations who lived on the territory of present-day Kazakhstan from roughly the middle of the first millennium BCE to the early centuries CE.--Book Jacket.

Two Iron Age settlements, Tuzusai and Taldy Bulak 2 (ca. 500 BC to 1 CE), located in southeastern Kazakhstan on the Talgar alluvial fan north of the Tian Shan range, have yielded a small collection of bone, antler/horn, bronze, and stone artifacts with an affinity to the nomadic art of the first millennium BC. Both settlements date within the period of late Saka culture. Two pieces have decorative ornamentations with zoomorphic imagery: a small carved fragment with carved images of a wing and an ear and a perforated bone disk with the carving of three birds’ heads. The other artifacts include objects associated with Saka weaponry or nomadic economy, such as two horn psalias (cheek pieces) and a bronze amulet. A carnelian bead will also be described as an imported object. These special finds were found on the occupation floors of mud brick houses and in the pit houses of settlements, not in grave or burial contexts. The objects were placed in a stratigraphic sequence in the settlement sites. The method for placing these objects within the chronological framework of “animal-style art” is through comparisons with similar objects found throughout Eurasia—a method used in Soviet and post-Soviet archaeology. The results show that the functional and stylistic elements of the six objects indicate that the Talgar settlements were part of a larger world-system of trade and communication along the early Silk Route(s).

Ancient Irrigation Systems in the Aral Sea Area is the English translation of Boris Vasilevich Andrianov's work, Drevnie orositelnye sistemy priaralya, concerning the study of ancient irrigation systems and the settlement pattern in the historical region of Khorezm, south of the Aral Sea (Uzbekistan). This work holds a special place within the Soviet archaeological school because of the results obtained through a multidisciplinary approach combining aerial survey and fieldwork, surveys, and excavations. This translation has been enriched by the addition of introductions written by several eminent scholars from the region regarding the importance of the Khorezm Archaeological-Ethnographic Expedition and the figure of Boris V. Andrianov and his landmark study almost 50 years after the original publication.

The Iron Age Saka population of the eastern Eurasian Steppe is considered one of the earliest of the Scythian groups to emerge at the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE, consequently producing some of the earliest expressions of ‘animal style’ art. Recent excavations of burial mounds (kurgans) in the East Kazakhstan region have provided invaluable data on the depositional contexts of such objects. This paper combines contextual archaeological data and visual analysis with data on the chemical composition and technological production (through X-ray fluorescence and optical microscopy) of some of the gold artefacts from the Eleke Sazy funerary complex in East Kazakhstan. It is demonstrated that the positioning of wearable ornaments within undisturbed archaeological contexts can give vital information about their form and function, while evidence of production techniques and use-wear indicate the time investment and status the objects may have held. It is concluded that the Saka engaged in a complex process of design and execution of their art, depicting many different elements of the natural world. Further research is needed into understanding Saka lifeways and belief systems in relation to large-scale processes of climate change, land use, time, and society from securely dated and well-documented funerary and domestic archaeological contexts.

Her milletin uzun asırlar içinde oluşmuş, duyuş, düşünüş ve yaşayış tarzları ile gelenek ve göreneklerini yansıtan, kendilerine has kültürel değerleri vardır. Tarihsel süreçte ağırlıklı olarak konargöçer yaşam tarzını benimsemiş olan Kazak Türklerinin de kökleri tarih öncesine dayanan kültür birikimi, somut ve somut olmayan kültürel mirası, araştırılması gereken hazinelerle doludur. İnsanlık tarihinde somut kültürel miras çalışmaları arasında giyim-kuşam kültürü önemli bir yer tutar. Kullanıldıkları çağların zevklerini ve inceliklerini de barındıran giysiler, genelde insanlığın özelde ait olduğu milletlerin kültür dünyasındaki değişiklikleri temsil etme ve yansıtma işlevlerini üstlenmiştir. Giyim kuşam, kılık kıyafet kültürünün araştırılmasının ulusal ve evrensel kültür kodlarının çözülmesine önemli katkılar sunacağı yadsınamaz bir gerçektir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmada Kazak Türklerinde giyim kuşam kültürünün bir cephesini teşkil eden geleneksel baş giysilerinin kullanım biçimleri ve işlevleri hakkında bilgi verilmeye çalışılmıştır. Başın vücudun önemli bir kısmı olmasının yanı sıra Türk dünyasında daha da özel ilgiye sahip olduğu, Türkiye Türkçesindeki “baş tacım, başköşe, başım gözüm üstüne” gibi tamlamalardan ve Kazak Türkçesindeki “bastık, bas kuda, baseke” gibi adlandırma örneklerinden anlaşılabilir. Başı kutsayan Kazaklar için baş giysilerinin de önemi büyüktür. Kazaklar baş giysilerini hep yüksek yerde tutarlar, kendilerine ait baş giysilerini de hediye olarak vermezler. Kutsama nedeniyle baş giysilerinin yapıldığı hayvan derisi ve kuş tüylerinin de özel anlamları vardır. Yani herhangi bir hayvanın derisi veya kuşun tüyü kullanılmaz. Baş giyimlerinin yapımında kutsal ve pahalı olan hayvan derisiyle, özel anlamlar yüklenmiş kuşların tüyleri seçilir. Mesela Kazaklarda böri olarak adlandırılan kurt, tüm Türk boyları ve halkları için en önemli ve sembolik hayvanlardan biridir. Börinin derisiyle börikler yapılmıştır. Börik, daha çok kışın giyilen baş giysisi olmanın yanında süs için de özel günlerde kullanılmaktadır. Yazımız “Giriş, Kazak Kültüründe Erkeklerin Geleneksel Baş Giyimi, Kazak Kültüründe Kadınların Geleneksel Baş Giyimi, Kazak Çocuklarının Geleneksel Baş Giysileri ve Sonuç” şeklinde ilerleyen alt başlıklardan oluşmaktadır. “Giriş” bölümünde giyim kuşamın tanımı, tanımları, tarihçesi, felsefesi üzerinde durulduktan sonra, neden bu konunun seçildiği, niye böyle bir çalışmanın yapıldığı, bu çalışmanın alanda hangi eksikliği gidereceğine yönelik açıklamalar yapılmıştır. “Kazak Kültüründe Erkeklerin Geleneksel Baş Giyimi” alt başlığı altında; Börik, Jalgabay, Kalpak, Kulakşın, Külapara, Malakay, Murak, Takiya, Tımak isimleri ile bilinen baş giyimlerinin, başlık ve şapkaların, hangi malzemelerden ve nasıl yapıldığı ile hangi yaş gruplarının giydiği ve başlıkların tarihsel arka planı ile sembolik anlamları üzerinde durulmuştur. “Kazak Kültüründe Kadınların Geleneksel Baş Giyimi” alt başlığı altında; Börik, Jaulık, Jırga, Karkara, Kasaba, Kimeşek, Oramal, Saukele, Soraba, Takiya baş giyimlerinin özellikleri ve tercih edilme nedenlerine değinilmiştir. Kadın ve erkek baş giyimine göre daha az seçenek barındıran “Kazak Çocuklarının Geleneksel Baş Giysileri” alt başlığı altında ise Telpek olarak adlandırılan baş giyiminden bahsedilmiştir. Sonuç bölümünde ise baş giysilerinin coğrafya ve iklim ile ilişkisi, benzeyen, ayrılan yanları, kullanılma sıklıkları ve nedenleri, yaş, sosyal durum ve cinsiyete göre sınıflandırılmaları, halk inanışları ile ilişkileri, sembolik anlamları gibi çalışmadan elde edilen veriler bir araya getirilmiştir. Geleneksel giysilerin tarih boyunca değişebildiği ve yeniden şekillendiği gerçeği de gözetilerek, nesilden nesile aktarılan baş giyimlerinin varsa otantik ve modern yanları da çalışmanın kapsamı içinde görülmeye ve gösterilmeye çalışıldı. Dağınık olanı toparlama ve bir araya getirme şeklindeki geleneksel bilimsel yaklaşımın benimsendiği yazıda, doküman incelemesi yöntemi ve betimsel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. İlaveten saha araştırması ve kaynak taramasıyla elde edilen veriler halk biliminin bağlamsal ve işlevsel kuramları çerçevesinde incelenip, sahadan elde edilen görsellerle desteklenmiştir. Each nation has its own distinct cultural values that have evolved over generations to represent its views, thinking and living styles, as well as their traditions and customs. Kazakh Turks, who have historically embraced a largely nomadic lifestyle, are also rich of treasures that must be discovered, such as their cultural history, both physical and intangible, which stretches back to ancient times. Clothing culture has a significant role in the history of humanity's concrete cultural heritage studies. Clothes, which also carry the tastes and delicacy of the eras in which they are worn, has taken on the role of portraying and reflecting changes in the cultural worlds of the countries to which mankind belongs in particular. It is an evident truth that studying dress culture will make significant contributions to decoding national and worldwide cultural rules. In this context, this study attempts to provide information about the use and functions of traditional headdress, which serves an important part of the Kazakh Turks' clothing culture. In addition to being an essential part of the body, the head has a unique value in the Turkic world, as seen by expressions like \"bas tacım, bas köşe, başım gözüm üstüne\" in Türkiye Turkish and examples like \"bastik, bas kuda, baseke\" in Kazakh Turkish. Headdresses are also of great importance for the Kazakhs who bless the head. Kazakhs always keep their headscarves in high places, and they do not give their own headdresses as gifts. Animal skin and bird feathers, from which headdresses are made for consecration, also have special meanings. In other words, no animal skin or bird feathers are used. In the production of headwear, sacred and expensive animal skin and feathers of birds with special meanings are chosen as materials. For example, the wolf, which is called böri in Kazakh, is one of the most important and symbolic animals for all Turkic tribes and people. Böriks were made with the skin of the böris. Börik is mostly used as a headdress in winter, as well as for decoration on special occasions. The article consists of sub-headings as \"Introduction, Traditional Headwear of Men in Kazakh Culture, Traditional Headwear of Women in Kazakh Culture, Traditional Headwear of Kazakh Children and Conclusion\". In the \"Introduction\" section, after focusing on the definition, history and philosophy of clothing, explanations were made about why this subject was chosen, why such a study was carried out, and what deficiency this study would fill in the field. Under the subheading of “Men's Traditional Headwear in Kazakh Culture”; headwear, caps and hats known as Börik, Jalgabay, Kalpak, Kulakşın, Külapara, Malakay, Murak, Takiya, Tımak, from which materials and how they are made, which age groups wear them, and the historical background and symbolic meanings of the headgear are emphasized. Under the subtitle of “Women's Traditional Headwear in Kazakh Culture”; Börik, Jaulık, Jırga, Karkara, Kasaba, Kimeşek, Oramal, Saukele, Soraba, Takiya headwears and reasons for preferring such headwear are mentioned. Under the sub-heading of \"Traditional Headwear of Kazakh Children\", which has fewer options than women's and men's headwear, the headwear called Telpek is mentioned. In the conclusion part, the data obtained from the study such as the relationship of headwear with geography and climate, similar and different aspects, frequency and reasons for use, classification according to age, social status and gender, relations with folk beliefs, and symbolic meanings were brought together. Considering the fact that traditional clothing can change and reshape throughout history, the authentic and modern aspects of headwear, if any, passed down from generation to generation were tried to be seen and shown within the scope of the study. Document analysis method and descriptive scanning model were used in the article, in which the traditional scientific approach of tidying up and bringing together the found data was adopted. In addition, the data obtained through field research and literature review were examined within the framework of contextual and functional theories of folklore and supported by visuals obtained from the field.

Recent excavations at the prehistoric and historic encampment at Mukri, in the foothills of the Dzhungar Mountains of eastern Kazakhstan, challenge the view that it was a small, isolated pastoralist camp situated in an ecologically marginal territory. When viewed as a strategically situated node within a dynamic ecology of pastoralist activity, the site's archaeology reveals shifting patterns of land use and networks of interaction that contributed to socio-political change and material diffusion over millennia. This article draws on the granular archaeological evidence of continuity and change at Mukri to understand how pastoralist societies, in local contexts, resonated broader trends in the documentary history of Inner Eurasia. We highlight the effectiveness of pastoralists' strategies in order to reconsider common paradigms of extensive nomadic migrations and episodic conquest as appropriate explanatory models for Eurasian pastoralists throughout antiquity.

India and Central Asia have shared a geo-cultural affinity and a long tradition of historical contacts that dates back to antiquity. There is convergence of views and interests between the Central Asian Republics and India, on fundamental issues such as; (a) need to maintain social harmony and equilibrium by promoting inter-ethnic harmony and peaceful co-existence; (b) commitment to secularism and democracy and opposition to religious fundamentalism; (c) recognition of threat to regional security and stability from trans-border terrorism, arms and drug trafficking, religious extremism and ethnicreligious secessionism; (d) commitment to the principles of territorial integrity of nation states and inviolability of state borders; (e) promoting economic, scientific and cultural cooperation and (f) ensuring peaceful and tranquil neighbourhood in Afghanistan. The Central Asian Republics, being cautious and wary of dominating influence of the powerful neighbours like Russia and China look towards India as a friend and partner, which does not have any political or territorial ambitions in the region. India is also expected to play a balancing role in the big power games in Central Asia.