Reading Central Asia
A region that shaped world history, produced some of its most luminous poetry, and somehow stayed off most reading lists. A reading list for anyone who realized they knew almost nothing about/from Central Asia and wanted to fix that. Central Asia includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and most of Kazakhstan. Sometimes Afghanistan is also considered a part of it.
created by Maynificient
last updated August, 2026
Comments
Wow, like seeing underread places getting representation! I got some Turkmenistan recs -
- Joe and Azat by Jesse Lonergan - it's a comic!
- Death of the Snake Catcher by Ak Welspar
- Sacred Horses by Jonathan Evan
- The Revenge of Foxes by Ak Welspar - it is set in Russia but it's about a Turkmen man and more interestingly this Author is banned in Turkmenistan. So it's up to you.
Thanks!! The books I looked up were based on history and serious things so a comic rec is an amazing addition. Sincerely hope it's available on GR.
Also, I think I'll let this list be a book which happens in Central Asia or talks about it. So ig I'll skip adding the 4th one 👉👈
But. I thank you so much for mentioning these! <3
Like I said - it's up to you. :))
Oh omg wow I love to see this! (I did want to note in case you weren’t aware that The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud takes place exclusively in the UK; I know the title is probably misleading lol and the titular amulet does play a role but this series was one of my faves as a kid and they never leave the in-universe version of the UK)
Oh, I'll remove it. It was listed under fiction book from Uzbekistan. Probably listed by someone like me lol. Thanks a lot!
Hahaha no problem at all!
I followed you from this list. I didn't say it before, but I'm so thankful you put it together. 🥹 I'm part Tajik, so the little Tajik (sadly I know nothing of that part of me) in me is incredibly happy to see this kind of representation. I really hope it becomes a quest one day! I also love your novelette list, it has so many short reads to pick from. Thank you!
I almost never see any media on central asia, so this is very interesting! Instant save.
oh this is awesome!!
