Who is crying for Tashiev? The end of Kyrgyzstan's ruling duo TURAN TALK with Aksana Ismailbekova, a Kyrgyz anthropologist and research fellow at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO)

In the new episode of Turan Tales, we look at the fall of Kyrgyzstan’s ruling duo: President Sadyr Japarov and security chief Kamchybek Tashiev. Joining us is Aksana Ismailbekova, anthropologist and research fellow at the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient turantales.substack.com/p/who-is-cry...

Rainbow Almaty: The end of a queer dream As Russia’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law spreads across the region, queer spaces in Kazakhstan’s second-largest city are disappearing – and with them, the city’s creative pulse.

As Russia’s anti-LGBTQ propaganda law spreads across the region, queer spaces in Kazakhstan’s second city are disappearing – and with them, the city’s creative pulse. Check out the new audio doc/long read by Turan Tales with the amazing photos by Danil Usmanov
turantales.substack.com/p/rainbow-al...

Episode 34: Tengrism in Central Asia. From ancient belief to cultural phenomenon TURAN TALK with Abigail Scripka, a doctoral candidate at the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History

This week on the Turan Tales podcast, we focus on Tengrism, the ancient belief system which is still widely misunderstood. Joining us is @abbyscripka.bsky.social, a doctoral candidate at the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History
turantales.substack.com/p/episode-34...

Episode 31: Why is Kazakhstan rewriting its Constitution? TURAN TALK with Dmitriy Mazorenko, a journalist and co-founder of the Superstructure research centre.

This week on the Turan Tales podcast, we look at Kazakhstan’s new draft constitution and what it could mean for the country’s future. Joining us is Dmitriy Mazorenko, journalist and co-founder of the Superstructure research centre turantales.substack.com/p/episode-31...

Don't miss the new Turan Tales with @aga-pik.bsky.social 👏👏👏

Episode 30: Goodbye, old Dushanbe. Hello, AI hub? TURAN TALK with Sher Khashimov, a journalist and Dushanbe native

Dushanbe has been on a path toward modernisation. New buildings, many of them Chinese-funded, have dotted the city, transforming its traditional architecture. Will Dushanbe become a new AI hub as the government wants? Listen to the new episode of Turan Tales turantales.substack.com/p/episode-30...

Why Was a Kazakh Lawyer Stripped of His License? Murat Adam tried to defend the rights of his client, an editor under fire, and found himself in the state’s crosshairs.

My latest on why Murat Adam, a prominent Kazakh lawyer, lost his license and the limits of freedom of speech in Kazakhstan thediplomat.com/2026/02/why-...

Episode 29: The human rights system is in peril. What does it mean for Central Asia? TURAN TALK with Mihra Rittmann, senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch

This week on Turan Tales podcast, we’re looking into the newly released 2026 Human Rights Watch report and how a shifting global order is reshaping human rights across Central Asia. Joining us is Mihra Rittmann, Senior Central Asia Researcher at Human Rights turantales.substack.com/p/episode-29...

Good education: The rise and fall of Hizmet schools in Central Asia They promised world-class education to a region shattered by the Soviet collapse. Twenty years later, Hizmet schools fell prey to Turkey’s internal conflicts - and their own secrecy.

They promised world-class education to a region shattered by the Soviet collapse. Twenty years later, Hizmet schools fell prey to Turkey’s internal conflicts - and their own secrecy.

Listen to our new audio documentary on Substack or wherever you get your podcasts open.substack.com/pub/turantal...

Episode 28: From nomad tents to Soviet walls - The story of Central Asian carpets TURAN TALK with Anushe Dust, founder and editor-in-chief of RugMag magazine

Great listen about rich history of carpetmaking in #CentralAsia from @aga-pik.bsky.social on her Turan Tales Substack. Also check out my book Silk Mirage, where I write about enterprising Uzbeks reviving traditions that were all but stamped out in Soviet times
turantales.substack.com/p/episode-28...

Episode 28: From nomad tents to Soviet walls - The story of Central Asian carpets TURAN TALK with Anushe Dust, founder and editor-in-chief of RugMag magazine

This week on Turan Tales, we talk about carpets in Central Asia: their history, the roles they played, and how the Soviet Union hijacked the practice of carpet making. Joining us is Anushe Dust, a Tajik-born founder and editor-in-chief of RugMag magazine turantales.substack.com/p/episode-28...

Episode 27: The Tajik-Afghan borderland - What’s going on and how we got here TURAN TALK with Mélanie Sadozaï, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Regensburg

This week on Turan Tales, we’re taking a closer look at the Tajik-Afghan border. Joining us is Mélanie Sadozaï, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Regensburg whose work focuses on the Pamir region.
turantales.substack.com/p/episode-27...

Episode 26: The limits of change in the "New Uzbekistan" TURANT TALK with Joanna Lillis, journalist and author of "Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan"

Tune in to my conversation with @aga-pik.bsky.social on her Turan Tales Substack about #Uzbekistan + my book Silk Mirage. We talk about everything from Mirziyoyev's reforms and their limits to former political prisoners' search for justice. And read the book! turantales.substack.com/p/episode-26...

Episode 26: The limits of change in the "New Uzbekistan" TURANT TALK with Joanna Lillis, journalist and author of "Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan"

What’s changed in #Uzbekistan since Mirziyoyev came to power a decade ago + launched the "Uzbek Spring? Many things have, some haven’t. Tune in to a deep dive into my new book Silk Mirage + #Uzbekistan on @aga-pik.bsky.social's Turan Talks podcast on Substack turantales.substack.com/p/episode-26...

Episode 26: The limits of change in the "New Uzbekistan" TURANT TALK with Joanna Lillis, journalist and author of "Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan"

This week on Turan Tales we are looking at Uzbekistan: how the country was shaped under Islam Karimov, and what has changed since Shavkat Mirziyoyev came to power. Joining us is Joanna Lillis the author of "Silk Mirage: Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan"
turantales.substack.com/p/episode-26...

Episode 24: Can modern art flourish in Central Asia? TURAN TALK with Timur Karpov, documentary photographer, curator, founder of the 139 Documentary Centre

This week on Turan Tales podcast, we’re discussing whether modern art can flourish in Central Asia. In other words: can autocracies handle free expression? Joining us is Timur Karpov, a documentary photographer, and founder of the 139 Documentary Centre open.substack.com/pub/turantal...

Episode 23: After the elections - Inside the “New Kyrgyzstan” TURAN TALK with Asel Doolotkeldieva, a research fellow at the University of Potsdam

This week on Turan Tales podcast we're looking at the results of Kyrgyzstan's parliamentary election and how the country has changed since the 2020 revolution and the coming to power of Sadyr Japarov. Joining us is @adoolotkeldieva.bsky.social turantales.substack.com/p/episode-23...

Unpacking the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate — Meduza With roughly a million Ukrainian refugees now residing in Poland and fears about hybrid war and border security unabated, discussions about migration have become entangled with a range of domestic and...

In Poland, officials are pushing tough migration policies and even harsher rhetoric, even as Ukrainians give the country an economic boost and contain Russia on the battlefield next door.

Read The Beet’s last feature story of 2025, courtesy of @aga-pik.bsky.social! meduza.io/en/feature/2...

If anyone knows the complexity of the issue it is @aga-pik.bsky.social . Don't miss this piece.👇

Unpacking the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate — Meduza With roughly a million Ukrainian refugees now residing in Poland and fears about hybrid war and border security unabated, discussions about migration have become entangled with a range of domestic and...

Read my latest story for Meduza’s the Beet about the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Unpacking the paradoxes of Poland’s migration debate — Meduza With roughly a million Ukrainian refugees now residing in Poland and fears about hybrid war and border security unabated, discussions about migration have become entangled with a range of domestic…

Poland’s open-arms policy for Ukrainian refugees has given way to a roiling migration debate deeply entangled with domestic and foreign policy issues. The Beet’s latest, from journalist @aga-pik.bsky.social. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Excellent Turan Tales on the architectural heritage of #Samarkand. @aga-pik.bsky.social has done it again. 👇

Episode 22: Who will save Samarkand? TURAN TALK with Diora Rafieva, a lawyer and human rights activist

This week on Turan Tales podcast, I am joined by Diora Rafieva, an Uzbekistani lawyer and human rights activist who has been at the frontline of the fight to save Samarkand and its architectural heritage from the ongoing demolitions - and bad taste.
turantales.substack.com/p/episode-22...

Agnieszka Pikulicka on telling Central Asia’s stories differently A conversation with journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka on shifting Central Asia reporting away from clichés and toward stories driven by people rather than geopolitics.

A few weeks ago, I sat down with @peterleonard1.bsky.social from CAPS Unlock podcast to talk about Turan Tales, doing journalism in Central Asia, and working with sounds. You can listen to it on Substack or your favourite podcast platform open.substack.com/pub/havli/p/...

Great Turan Tales podcast by @aga-pik.bsky.social about CA soldiers fighting for Russia who are POWs. Excellent investigation.

The Unlikely mercenaries: Central Asians fighting Russia’s war They came to Russia for work, not war. Yet thousands of Central Asian migrants now fight in Ukraine - drawn in by promises, pushed by pressure, and caught in a stark imbalance of power.

They came to Russia for work, not war. Yet thousands of Central Asian migrants now fight in Ukraine, drawn in by promises, pushed by pressure, and caught in a stark imbalance of power. Listen to the new audio documentary by Turan Tales turantales.substack.com/p/the-unlike...

Yurt Jurt Government Podcast · Yurt Jurt - a podcast about decolonizing Central Asia and Beyond produced by Central Asian activists. Hosted by Dr. Diana Kudaibergen, Yurt Jurt dives deep into the decoloniality ...

In the latest episode of YurtJurt podcast, I converse with three fascinating feminist/decolonial Central Asian researchers and authors - fellow sociologist Aizada Arystanbek, political historian Kamila Smagulova, and feminist author Aisulu Toyshibek abt VOCABULARY

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/y...

In case you missed it, there is also this podcast

Thank you! It's best to subscribe to it on turantales.substack.com :) You will get emails with new episodes delivered to your mailbox

Is Turkmenistan finally opening up? TURAN TALK with Ruslan Myatiev, the founder of Turkmen.news

This week on Turan Tales podcast, we discuss whether Turkmenistan - one of the most isolated states in the world - is moving toward greater openness. Joining us is Ruslan Myatiev: a Turkmen journalist, and the founder of Turkmen news
turantales.substack.com/p/is-turkmen...