Except for the dark days of the 1988-94 Nagorno-Karabakh war, when the number of burial ceremonies grew exponentially, Baku's Martyrs' Lane -- or Shahidlar Hiyabani, as it is known in Azeri -- has generally been a quiet and solemn place that inspires visitors to meditation.
During the Soviet era, Lenin monuments occupied a place of honor in virtually all cities, towns and villages. Over the past 12 years, since Communism's collapse, Lenin statues have lost their luster and have been removed in many areas. Indeed, the Baltic states began dismantling the Lenin legacy even before the Soviet empire officially withered away.
Vessels for whipping the fresh milk, called "cheleks," date back to pre-industrial societies. They usually are sheepskin, smoked with burned pine branches, a mixture that informs kymys' unique taste. Kyrgyzstan houses kymys factories, which produces the fermented milk by machine. Self-proclaimed kymys experts, though, say the ancient method produces the best taste.
Barhal is a hive of rustic activity during the summer, when women with baskets on their backs can be seen weeding their small plots of land. It becomes a virtual ghost town the rest of the year, when most of the village's several hundred residents head off to work in Istanbul and other cities, living thoroughly urban lives.
At one point the number of Molokans reached an estimated 500,000. During the 19th Century, Tsarist officials instituted policies designed to force Molokans from Central Russia to the periphery of the empire. Accordingly, Molokan communities developed in Caucasus and Central Asia.
Since an assassination attempt against Turkmen leader Saparmurat Niyazov last November [for more information see the Eurasia Insight archive] authorities have redoubled efforts to control Turkmenistan's civic and political spheres.
Since an assassination attempt against Turkmen leader Saparmurat Niyazov last November [for more information see the Eurasia Insight archive] authorities have redoubled efforts to control Turkmenistan's civic and political spheres.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there have been few books published that open a window of understanding on Central Asia's intricate history and culture. "Beyond the Oxus," a British Broadcasting Corp.
But many of the libraries that the now independent states of Central Asia inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union have -- over the past 12 years -- fallen victim to neglect, theft, and inadequate funding.
During the war, approximately 900 square kilometers of the conflict zone were sown with landmines. The International Committee to Ban Landmines, citing Armenian government estimates, says up to 80,000 landmines in an around Karabakh remain unaccounted for. Many maps of minefields have simply been lost. In other instances, no maps or records of minefield locations were ever created.
