Cultural Heritage Book Series

РУССКИЙ

The UCA Cultural Heritage Book Series promotes understanding across cultures and generations by supporting Central Asian scholars conduct original and high-quality research, and publish and disseminate their work to regional and international audiences. UCA, with its partners, also supports the development of resources on Central Asian cultural heritage by other publishers.

The custodians of traditional knowledge are aging and with limited resources, this knowledge is under threat from several forces including scarce resources, migration, and outside influences. UCA is committed to make a contribution to preserving the unique and diverse cultural heritage through research, documenting, archiving, and supporting work of regional scholars. A critical part of the mission of UCA is to help the peoples of Central Asia preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions and heritages as assets for the future.

About the Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit and Book Series
Type: Brief
Size: 2MB
Date: February 2020
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Books on Central Asian History and Cultural Heritage

The History of Geographic Study of Kyrgyzstan from the Ancient Times till the Mid-19th Century
7.4 MB

Author: S. Umurzakov

CHHU Book #3, 2020, 180 pages.

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Russian, 2021)

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This work covers the history of research and geographic depiction of Kyrgyzstan from the ancient times until the mid-19th century. Based on archival research, published scientific works and unpublished manuscripts, it gives an overview of the knowledge of the region by ancient authors, Chinese travelers, European, Arab, and Central Asian geographers and thinkers, and Russian researchers for over significant period of time.

The work is intended for a wide range of readers including university faculty, researchers, students and those interested in the history and geography of Kyrgyzstan.

Epistemology of Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna): The Dynamics of Thought from Illusion towards Truth
5 MB

Author: Sunotullo Djonboboev

Editors: Dr. Elmira Köchümkulova, Sadykov R.

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Russian, 2020)

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Summary

This book (in Russian) discusses the logical and epistemological concepts of Abu Ali ibn Sina (980–1037) based on an analysis of his works on practical philosophy, particularly the logical treatises on dialectics, rhetoric, sophistry and poetics from his famous Book Kitab-ul-Shifa. This book has been recently translated and published as the 7th volume of the Collections of Avicenna’s works at the Avicenna Studies Center of the Institute of Philosophy, Political Sciences and Law Academy of Sciences Republic of Tajikistan. This Research Center has already translated 13 books from the Collections from Arabic into Russian and modern Tajik. The value of the treatises in vol. 7 lies in fact that the rationalistic spirit reflected in these works is deeply based on analytical methodology, reasoning, and international speculations, which fundamentally opposes the dogmatic views of his contemporaries. It also challenges the radical views held by religious and political groups that claim ideological monopoly and thinks that reasoning should be limited to the boundaries of the Law (sharia) and to “return to the past cultural heritage”. The later radicalism is well represented by Ibn Taymiyya, Abuhamid al-Gazali and mainly by Hanbalism (the strong opponents of monopoly of Reason presented in Middle ages by Mutazilla), the forerunner of Wahhabism and now so-called Salafism. It excludes the pre-Islamic and Philosophic Cultural heritage of the Islamic period, avoids dialectical arguments, reduces every dispute of the dogmatic schools and disregards the diversity of Islam for the sake of suiting their political goal “The unity of Islam”. The presentation is not about old and modern debates on radicalism, we are talking about the background of this discourse, about the power of Reason and reasoning in the classical time of Islam and its culture, the tradition of reasoning in Central Asia, in Bukhara and Balk in 9th and 10th centuries. Avicenna’s treatises on practical philosophy explore diverse ways to perceive the world, comprehend the laws of thought and seek rational ways to find a favorable solution to scientific, social, religious and political problems. That is to say, he exhibits a beneficial way of shifting from dogmatism and illusion to truth. The author thinks that supporting the tradition of critical and analytical thinking in modern Central Asia are important to sustain development of this region and avoid radicalization of youths.

Key words: Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna), logics, dialectics, rhetoric, sophistry, poetics, Kitab-ul-Shifa, fundamentalism, rationalism, dialectic discussions, truth, illusion, the movement of thought etc.

Tajiks of Huf Valley
11MB

Mikhail Andreev

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia and the A. Donish Institute of History, Archeaology and Ethnography of the Academy of Science of the Republic of Tajikistan (Russian, 2020)

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Unique book in two volumes by Mikhail Andreev, the corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of USSR. Published 60 years ago, it is one of a kind ethnographic research on life and culture of Tajiks in the upper reaches of Amu Darya River. It still remains highly relevant for anthropological research on the cultural history of Central Asia.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Andrei Evlampievich Madji: Half a Century of Scientific Research in Central Asia

Victor Dubovitskiy

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Russian, 2018)

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This biography book tells about the life and career of a Russian orientalist, Andrei Madji, who made major contributions to the world scholarship. It contains about 70 illustrations and reveals unique personal archives and previously unknown works, documenting important events in the region. These materials are valuable for scholars, researchers and anyone interested in the history of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan during the end of 19th, and in the first half of the 20th centuries.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Common Ethno-Cultural Patterns of Kyrgyz and Uzbeks
9MB

Abdymitalip Murzakmetov

Elmira Kochumkulova, Editor in-Chief
Monograph

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (English, Kyrgyz, 2020)

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As Turkic-speaking peoples, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz share common history, culture and religion. Even though the Uzbeks have been the largest minority group in Kyrgyzstan, no in-depth research has been made on their cultural traditions. This monograph is the first study dealing with life cycle events, such as birth, children’s upbringing, marriage and funeral rites of Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, and discusses how they are connected to diverse rituals, folk beliefs and superstitions. These ritualistic practices give meaning to those who practice them widely every day. The study is based on extended ethnographic research on local practices, knowledge and the oral histories of Uzbeks and Kyrgyz, collected during ethnographic fieldwork in southern Kyrgyzstan. The research was conducted together with the author’s students throughout a ten-year period between 2000-2010. This work may be of interest to folklorists, historians, ethnographers, teachers, students and people who would like to better understand the local culture of two ethnic groups, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Architectural Odyssey: The Safarname of Nasir Khusraw
Munavar Mamadnazarov
Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & The Institute of Ismaili Studies (Russian, 2017)
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The book presents the author’s analysis of medieval Islamic architectural monuments described in the Safarname (Book of Travels) of Nasir Khusraw, 11th century Persian and Tajik poet, philosopher, traveler, and preacher. Khusraw travelled from Khorasan to the countries of Near and Middle East, Asia Minor, North Africa and Muslim shrines in Arabia for seven years in search of new knowledge about the world and the essence of life.

Based on Safarname, medieval written sources, and contemporary studies, the author introduces readers to the rich and diverse architectural environment of those cities which Nasir Khusraw visited, identifies the monuments described by the traveler, compares them with the modern conditions of the monuments, determines the history of their construction and dates, and reconstructs their original shape.

The work is valuable for its detailed description of Islamic shrines with stunning architectural forms, rich symbols of architectural language and elegant decorations. The author recreates the architectural environment in the middle of the 11th century by illustrating the phases of Nasir Khusraw’s travels through 300 photographs, drawings, and maps of the traveler’s routes. The book is meant for a wide range of people interested in Islamic arts and cultures including architects, art critics, historians, orientalists, and ethnographers.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

The Music of Central Asia

Edited by Theodore Levin, Saida Daukeeva and Elmira Köchümkulova, 2016 (English)

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & Aga Khan Music Initiative

Textbook published by Indiana University Press (English, 2016)

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This beautiful and informative book offers a detailed introduction to the musical heritage of Central Asia for readers and listeners worldwide. The book balances "insider" and "outsider" perspectives with contributions by 27 authors from 14 countries who explore the diverse musical traditions of nomad and sedentary dwellers; the transformation of music and culture from the past to the present day; and the important role music has played in the history of Central Asia. From the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan to the Kazakh steppe, the old Silk Road city of Bukhara, and the urbane arts scene of contemporary Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, music and musical life come alive through vivid writing, copious illustrations, and 189 audio and video examples available on a companion website. Profiles of musicians, listening guides, study questions, and an illustrated glossary of musical instruments make The Music of Central Asia an indispensable resource for both general readers and specialists.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Books on Pamiri History and Cultural Heritage

Archaeological Map of the Eastern Pamirs (GBAO)

Mira Bubnova

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & The Christensen Fund (Russian, 2015)

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The second in a two-part series on the unique history, artifacts and preservation of archaeological relics of the Pamir mountains, this publication is a comprehensive mapping, including a discussion of the history and challenges faced by the civilization of the Eastern Pamirs from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. Dr Bubanova’s extensive fieldwork has resulted in the compilation of unique maps and illustrations, and original research on 300 monuments, including in the remote Murghab region.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Archaeological Map of the Western Pamirs (GBAO)

Mira Bubnova
Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Russian, 2008)

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Part of the Archaeological Map of Tajikistan series by archaeologist, Mira Bubnova of the Institute of History, Archaelology and Ethnography, Tajik Academy of Sciences, this publication focuses on the Western Pamirs, including the six administrative districts of Darwaz, Vanj, Rushan, Shugnan, Roshtkala and Ishkashim. The map contains information on existing monuments from the Stone Age through the 20th Century, and on destroyed monuments, based on archaeological evidence. The book is an important scientific contribution to the archaeological history of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast.

The Musical Arts of the Pamirs, Vol I-V

Volume I: Musical Heritage of the Pamirian Tajiks,

Volume II: Musical Performance and Dances of the Pamirian Tajiks,

Volume III: Ritual Music: Birth, Wedding, and Funeral

Volume IV: Tales, Epics and Legends

Volume V: Instrumental Music and Lyrical Songs

Nizom Nurdjanov, Fayzulla Karomatov and Bahriniso Kabilova

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & The Christensen Fund (Russian, 2010-2015)

Volume I: View or download PDF (in Russian)
Volume II: View or download PDF (in Russian)
Volume III: View or download PDF (in Russian)
Volume VI: View or download PDF (in Russian)
Volume V: View or download PDF (in Russian)
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The Musical Arts of the Pamirs is a five-volume study on folk music, oral history and theatre traditions from the Pamir region of Tajikistan. Widely viewed as the most comprehensive work on Pamir music and heritage to-date, the series is the culmination of 40 years of field work.

The book series (Volumes I-V) can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Books on Kyrgyz History and Cultural Heritage

Funeral Laments of the Pamiri Kyrgyz Living in Turkey. As Lingua-Folkloristic Primary Source. Analysis and Texts

Sulaiman Kaiypov

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Kyrgyz, 2017)

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This fundamental book deals with koshoks, funeral laments of the Pamiri Kyrgyz living in the Van region of eastern Turkey. The author presents rich and original texts of koshok which he recorded during fieldwork conducted from 1997-2007. The fieldwork covers the language, folklore, and ethnography of the Pamiri Kyrgyz, who first moved from their homeland in the Pamir mountains of Afghanistan to Pakistan in 1978 and then to Turkey in 1986.

The koshok texts presented in this book will serve as valuable ethnological, ethnocultural, and lingua-folkloristic source for ethnologists, ethnographers, folklorists, linguists as well as for students of Ethnology and Philology.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Proverbs and Sayings of the Pamiri Kyrgyz Living in Turkey. As Lingua-Folkloristic Primary Source

Sulaiman Kaiypov

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (2017, Kyrgyz)

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This book presents over 6500 authentic examples of proverbs and sayings that were recorded in their spoken form by the Pamiri Kyrgyz community living in the Van region of Turkey. The work is the result of many years of field work by the author and attempts to record and analyse the multi-faceted genres of oral tradition according to the highest academic standards.

This newest contribution to the field of ethnography and folklore studies is dedicated to researchers as well as a broader public interested in learning more about this under-researched community. It provides new lingua-folkloristic primary source material for linguists, folklorists, ethnographers and university students in the field of folklore and philology.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

"Respect Graces the Living, Lamentation Graces the Dead": Kyrgyz Funeral Laments and Lamenters

Elmira Köchümkulova

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (Kyrgyz, 2014)

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This book presents a comprehensive ethnographic study of the singing of koshok (funeral lamentations) among elderly Kyrgyz women. Koshok is one of the oldest and most enduring genres of Kyrgyz oral poetry. The book includes koshok texts recorded by the author in different regions of Kyrgyzstan in 2003, 2011 and 2013, categorised according to theme and topic. It also includes descriptions of the author’s research methodology and a rare glimpse into the experiences of recording this sensitive ritual.

The author’s discussions of koshok includes excerpts from dozens of interviews with Kyrgyz women who share their own views on and experiences of singing koshok, including concerns over the waning significance of the ritual in modern Kyrgyz society. An accompanying DVD contains over 30 audio examples of koshoks sung by professional lamenters, as well as video footage of Kyrgyz rituals and customs during memorial feasts offered to the deceased. Drawing on the author’s original photographs and audio-video materials, the book aims to attract a wide range of readers, including scholars, students, those interested in Kyrgyz culture, and the principal tradition bearers of koshok singing, Kyrgyz women and aqyns (oral poets).

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Kyrgyz Herders of Soviet Uzbekistan: Historical and Ethnographic Narratives

Elmira Köchümkulova and Mamatkerim Köchümkulov

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & The Christensen Fund (Kyrgyz and English, 2014)

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This book describes the socio-economic history, cultural experience and identity of a group of Kyrgyz herders who worked on collective farms in Soviet Uzbekistan in the second half of the 20th century. It tells the story of the herders and their families, who, for more than 50 years, led a semi-nomadic life, wintering on the collective farms in the Fergana Valley and summering in the high jailoos or summer pastures of the Chatkal and Fergana mountain ranges of Central Asia.

Their historical and cultural experiences emerge through the extraordinary life stories of two people, Köchümkul, son of Mingbay (1906-1986), and his daughter-in-law Kumu, daughter of Düyshöbay (1931-2011). The reminiscences of 20 elderly Kyrgyz herders and their family members further embellish the text. Accounts of key events in Soviet history and rich descriptions of Kyrgyz cultural traditions provide a rich backdrop for these personal stories.

The book contains unpublished folk stories as well as original, valuable ethnographic material about Kyrgyz and Uzbek cultures in the Fergana Valley. It includes a DVD presenting a video film with English subtitles documenting the return of Kumu to the Yspy jailoo in summer of 2009, black and white photographs taken during the 1970s, and color photographs taken between 2009 and 2011 in the same jailoo by the authors. The book is intended for scholars, students, the Kyrgyz public and everyone interested in Kyrgyz nomadic or pastoral life, values, customs, and traditional knowledge on family and kinship relations, nature and livestock raising.

Published with support from the University of Central Asia and The Christensen Fund.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Cities of the Dead: The Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan

Photos by Margaret Morton, text by Nasser Rabbat, Elmira Köchümkulova and Altyn Kapalova

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia & The Christensen Fund

Published by the University of Washington Press (English, 2014)

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The first photographic documentation of Muslim cemeteries in Central Asia, this collection presents ethnographic material from collaborative field research in six regions of Kyrgyzstan by American photographer and Cooper Union Professor Margaret Morton and Elmira Köchümkulova. The book and exhibition will contribute to broadening knowledge of the architectural, visual and cultural record of Central Asia within and beyond the region.

A Kyrgyz cemetery seen from a distance is astonishing. The ornate domes and minarets, tightly clustered behind stone walls, seem at odds with this desolate mountain region. Islam, the prominent religion in the region since the twelfth century, discourages tombstones or decorative markers. However, elaborate Kyrgyz tombs combine earlier nomadic customs with Muslim architectural forms. During the Soviet period, enamel portraits of the deceased were attached to the monuments, adding yet another dimension. In contrast to these elaborate and specific adornments, the cemeteries are overgrown with weeds and unmaintained, since maintaining the graves of the dead is not a Kyrgyz custom.

Architecturally unique, Kyrgyzstan’s dramatically sited cemeteries reveal the complex nature of the Kyrgyz people’s religious and cultural identities. Often said to have left behind few permanent monuments or books, the Kyrgyz people in fact left behind a magnificent legacy when they buried their dead.

Traveling in Kyrgyzstan, photographer Margaret Morton became captivated by the otherworldly grandeur of these cemeteries. Cities of the Dead: The Ancestral Cemeteries of Kyrgyzstan presents the photographs she took on several visits to the area and is an important contribution to the architectural and cultural record of this region.

Hardcover, 128 pages, English.

The book can be purchased from University of Central Asia’s Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit. For more information, please contact publications@ucentralasia.org.

Available in Central Asia for US$20.

Ancient Monuments of the Tian-Shan

Kubat Tabaldiev, 2011 (Russian)

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia

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Based on 20 years of archeological research in the Naryn region, historian and archaeologist Kubat Tabaldiev presents evidence of the rich heritage of the area from the Stone, Bronze, Early Iron and Middle Ages. The publication includes photographs and sketches of historical artifacts, along with accessible narrative on important archaeological discoveries. Through this work, the author intends to raise awareness on the importance of preserving key historical sites in the region.

Kyrgyz Instrumental Music: Analysis, Thoughts, and Opinions, Volumes I and II

Asan Kaibylda uulu, 2011 (Kyrgyz)

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia

Volume I: View or download PDF (in Kyrgyz)
Volume II: View or download PDF (in Kyrgyz)
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This two-volume work written by Kyrgyz ethno-musicologist and komuz player Asan Kaibylda uulu presents findings from over 20 years of ethnographic research on Kyrgyz komuz music. The books contain rich historical material on the Kyrgyz küü, instrumental music played primarily on the three-stringed instrument, komuz, and a comprehensive study of all known and unknown, recorded and unrecorded Kyrgyz instrumental music by master komuz players. The volumes are supplemented by music CDs with over 100 komuz melodies, with narratives on their histories by the author.

Kyrgyz Epic Theatre in New York
4.6MB

Virlana Tkacz
Photographs by Margaret Morton

Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia (English, Kyrgyz, 2008)

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The intrepid Yara Arts Group, a resident company of La MaMa ETC that was recently named "Honored Artist of Ukraine," collaborated with the University of Central Asia to produce a portfolio of stringently composed photographs documenting two productions in New York based on Kyrgyz epics: Janyl Myrza, created by Yara artists, and Sakhna Theatre of Bishkek's production of Testament. Conceived and written by Virlana Tkacz with Kyrgyz translations on the facing pages, Kyrgyz Epic Theatre in New York, doubles as a catalog for a same-titled exhibit that appeared in June 2008 at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Bishkek, the capital of the former Soviet country, located south of Kazakhstan.