Tag: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s railway system, the backbone of its vast transportation network, stretches impressively across the sprawling landscapes of Central Asia. With over 16,000 kilometers of rail lines, traversing arid steppes, bustling cities, and remote outposts, these tracks serve both as practical passage for locals and as an adventurous experience for travelers. Trains remain the lifeblood for many communities, offering a reliable and affordable way to cross enormous distances that would be daunting by road. The national operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTP) / Қазақстан темір жолы (ҚТЖ), continuously modernizes the rolling stock and infrastructure, blending traditional charm with growing efficiency.

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Turkistan, nestled in the southern steppe of Kazakhstan, is a city that immediately captivates travelers with its blend of ancient legacy and vibrant modern life. Walking through its wide avenues and bustling bazaars, you can feel centuries of history etched into the very stones beneath your feet. As one of the oldest settlements in Central Asia, Түркістан has been continuously inhabited since at least the 4th century, growing from a simple caravan stop into a major hub along the Silk Road. Its strategic location meant that merchants, poets, and scholars from across Asia and beyond converged here, making the city a living crossroads of cultures.

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Continuous learning about history is a necessity. Even concerning a devastating phase like World War II, collective memory is already blurring. In the Western world people start to think, the United States of America have won the war, in other parts of the world Russia is seen as the victor. But we should not forget that it was the entire Soviet Union that paid the highest death toll to slay fascism. The people of Central Asia had a big stake in this; 600,000 Kazakh people died in World War II – a significant share of the population. That’s the reason why they remember their soldiers like the 28 Panfilov guardsmen, but there are more stories to share.

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Are you the modern kind of traveller just uploading photos to social media and sending them via messenger services to your beloved ones at home? Or are you a bit nostalgic and still sending postcards around the globe? I’m the latter kind and sending postcards is often quite a challenge these days as it becomes more and more unusual. At Kazakhstan, people will ask you directly why you intend to do such a stupid thing – tradition is the only accepted answer. At Kazakhstan, sending postcards is nowadays very uncommon and relatively costly (2200 Tenge per card!). But it is perfectly doable.

Continue reading “From Kazakhstan with love”