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Vambery’s Travels in Central Asia describes the author’s celebrated journey through Central Asia in 1863, motivated by linguistic research. Disguised as a dervish and travelling with a party of Muslim pilgrims, he succeeded in crossing the dreaded Turkoman desert via the ancient bed of the Oxus, and visiting the cities of Khiva, Bokhara and Samarkand without detection. As well as describing these cities during their final years of independence (all were annexed by Russia within ten years of his visit), Vambery gives considerable details of the social and political relations, character and customs of the region. Finally, he provides a vivid narrative of caravan life, and of a remarkable journey in which he went in constant danger of exposure. This edition maintains all the material from the original 1864 edition, including the various tables, and illustrations. Only the map has been reduced in scale.

This book is about an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, who worked his way up through life, chasing his dreams. It is about taking risks, challenges, innovation, employing an entrepreneur and freedom of doing something that gives satisfaction. The book covers the author’s early childhood, schooling and his impressions about the National Defence Academy, the Indian Navy and Merchant Navy as also the learning experience with an international crew in the oilfields. The author has travelled to over seventy countries, across all continents savouring the uniqueness of each country. The book is more of a travelogue and covers his personal travel experiences, adventures, beautiful places and peoples and quaint cultures; yet within this bewildering diversity, he could sense the essential unity. The author made friends with people while walking on the roadside, in a bus, cycling, sailing in yachts and boats and cruise ships both on rivers and on the sea, on flights, and while visiting small quaint villages as also the usual touristic places. It is about some places that people would have on their travel wish-list and the book should motivate them further. Some not so popular places are also covered. However, all places could not be covered in this volume. The author plans to cover these in a second volume. The narration is supplemented by a photo-section, a bonus for the reader.

Crossing Borders examines how translocal, transnational, and internal borders of various kinds distribute uneven capabilities for moving, dwelling, and circulating. The contributors offer nuanced understandings of the politics of mobility across various kinds of borders and forms of cultural circulation, showing how people experience and practice crossing many different borders. Several chapters draw on interviews and ethnographic methods to analyze transnational migration, while others focus on material relations and cultural practices. Rather than the usual narrative of mobility as a kind of freedom, border crossing emerges here as an instrumental practice for building translocal livelihoods, a tactic for simply getting by, and a material practice potentially generating new forms of future sociality. Ultimately these diverse perspectives on crossing borders offer new ways to think about the mobility of political relations and the politics of mobile relations in a world of growing circulation across borders, but also flexible forms of (re)bordering. This book was originally published as a special issue of Mobilities.

Excerpt from Central Asia: Travels in Cashmere, Little Thibet and Central Asia The name "Central Asia" correctly describes, in a geographical sense, the heart of that continent. It is separated from the river-system of the Aral and Caspian Seas, on the west, by almost impassable mountain-ranges; from the affluents of the Indus and Ganges, on the south, by the chain of the Küen-lün, the rival of the Himalayas, and from the rivers of China to the eastward, by the great Desert of Gobi. A line drawn from Constantinople to Peking, and another from the latitude of Cape Comorin to that of the Polar Sea, bisecting the former line, would very nearly indicate the central portion of the region, as also of the continent. Here - partly, perhaps, on account of its remote and nearly inaccessible situation, and also partly from concurrent traditions - many ethnologists have placed the original cradle of the Aryan race. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In 'Through Russian Central Asia' by Stephen Graham, the reader is taken on a captivating journey through the heart of Central Asia during the early 20th century. Graham's descriptive prose and attention to detail provide a vivid account of the landscapes, cultures, and peoples encountered along the way. The book is not only a travelogue but also a reflection on the political and social dynamics of the region at the time, making it an invaluable literary work for understanding the historical context of Central Asia. Graham's writing style is engaging and immersive, allowing the reader to feel as though they are experiencing the journey firsthand. Stephen Graham, a British travel writer and journalist, drew inspiration from his own travels and experiences in Central Asia to write this book. His firsthand knowledge of the region shines through in his meticulous observations and insights. Graham's deep understanding of the cultural nuances and historical significance of the area enriches the narrative, making 'Through Russian Central Asia' a must-read for anyone interested in Central Asian history and culture. I highly recommend 'Through Russian Central Asia' to readers who appreciate well-researched and eloquently written travel literature. Graham's exploration of Central Asia offers a unique perspective and valuable insights into a region that is often overlooked in Western discourse.

For those adventurous souls yearning to visit Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Turkestan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as China's western Xinjiang region and the northern Karakoram Highway, Lonely Planet provides expert guidance on every aspect of safe and creative travel as well as offering solid historical and cultural information, maps, and thrilling color photos. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Central Asia, the 'heart' of the Eurasian landmass, has through the centuries been the hub of diverse and varied cultures. These cultures have encompassed pre-Islamic religions and Islam, sedentary and nomadic lifestyles and lived through rapid transitions from feudal, capitalist and socialist economies, from Tsarist to Soviet and post-Soviet formations. The essays in this volume examine the cultural exchanges and encounters that have occurred in the region through a vast timeline that extends from the premedieval to the medieval and modern periods. The writers are academics, as well as art practitioners and independent researchers who belong to a wide spectrum of disciplines: Central Asian and Russian Studies, Architecture, Ethno-Musicology, History, Painting, Film Studies, Art History, Textiles, Literature and International Relations. The volume presents a colourful mosaic of views on the many cultural histories of Central Asia.

"This is the first volume to fully explore the relationship between Tourism and National Identity and multiple ways in which cultural tourism, events and celebrations contribute to national identity. By doing so the book provides important insights into how planners and managers can better manage attractions and events in the future. The book achieves this by reviewing core topics critical to the understanding of this relationship including: tourism branding, stereotyping and national identity; tourism-related representation and experience of national identity (such as when tourists travel to particular nations and what this means in relation to their identity); tourism visitation/site/event management; and, the relationship to cultural tourism. The book looks at a range of international tourist sites and events, combines multidisciplinary perspectives and international cases to provide a solid thorough academic analysis. Written by an international team of leading academics this book will be of interest to students, researchers & academics in Tourism and related disciplines such as Events and Cultural Geography"--

In a unique survey, based on new census data, this book highlights the region's geographic, economic and ecological problems since 1945.

In this linked essay collection, award-winning author Jeff Fearnside analyzes his four years as an educator on the Great Silk Road, primarily in Kazakhstan. Peeling back the layers of culture, environment, and history that define the country and its people, Fearnside creates a compelling narrative about this faraway land and soon realizes how the local, personal stories are, in fact, global stories. Fearnside sees firsthand the unnatural disaster of the Aral Sea— a man-made environmental crisis that has devastated the region and impacts the entire world. He examines the sometimes controversial ethics of Western missionaries, and reflects on personal and social change once he returns to the States. Ships in the Desert explores universal issues of religious bigotry, cultural intolerance, environmental degradation, and how a battle over water rights led to a catastrophe that is now being repeated around the world.