Rahmon’s unannounced visit from August 15-18 marked his first to the region since at least 34 people were killed in the crackdown on anti-government protests in Khorug and the nearby Rushon district in May 2022, with several activists also being arrested and sentenced to long prison terms.

Carol Bier, a historian of Islamic art, discusses in an interview with Elvira Aidarkhanova for Voices on Central Asia the cultural aspects of geometry in Islamic art, and the beauty of its form, pattern, and structure

The regional authorities in Khorog city of Badakhshan autonomous province in a statement on Friday (April 28) said that the incident took place overnight in Tajikistan's southern city of Khorog.

'The Two Poets and a River' is a film that tells the story of two Wakhi musicians, who share a language, faith, and family network but are separated by the Oxus River.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded the Tajik government "strictly observe its obligations to respect and protect people’s rights to life, and freedom of assembly and the media in any military or law enforcement operations in Tajikistan’s autonomous region.

Since July, the courts have handed down more than 5,000 verdicts with heavy sentences against members of a Shiite Ismaili ethnic group. About 100 detainees, including seven journalists, are awaiting trial. Authorities in Tajikistan have forced the closure of two religious bodies in the capital Dushanbe within a succession of a week, according to media reports. The institutions are the …

Steve Cole, Erin Guiltenane In the largest-ever study of glacial lakes, researchers using 30 years of NASA satellite data have found that the volume of these lakes worldwide has increased by about 50% since 1990 as glaciers melt and retreat due to climate change. The findings, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, will help researchers assessing the potential hazards …

Like Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan also has a swelling state debt and took on billions worth of loans over the last decade from China’s Export-Import Bank for a series of infrastructure plans under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Authorities in Tajikistan are putting the squeeze on the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) organizations and companies.

In addition to needing a male chaperone to go places within the war-torn country, women are now required to bring a male family member with them if they hope to study abroad.

The 50-minute documentary titled “Islam’s Battle Within” gives a rare insight into the Jamia Haqqania Akora Khattak aka the “University of Jihad”, an ideological nerve centre of the Taliban and other splinter groups in Southeast Asia i.e. Jemaah Islamiyah

The Pamir region happens to be the only part of the country where protesters still take to the streets against the government.

In Central Asia, the art of jewellery is far from forgotten. Across the region, jewellers create beautiful works of art that call to mind the masterpieces produced in the century.

Nine hundred pieces from Uzbekistan’s Nukus Museum of Art are now online after volunteers armed with cameras and cell phones created an open catalogue of the works in the hope it will prevent theft from one of Asia’s most unique and valuable art collections.

Regional powers are seeking to fill the vacuum left by the abrupt departure of the US and its Western allies.