We received many responses to our callout for readers’ contributions to our special report on the Stans – thanks to all who sent us words or images. While we read and appreciated each submission, we chose to prioritise the voices of those who are from Central Asia, or have lived there.

Q&A Secret Stans: where are the Stans? Show Guardian Cities is exploring in depth the oft-ignored – and exceedingly difficult to report from – cities of the five Central Asian “Stans”: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a quarter of a century after they became independent from the former Soviet Union. From the bizarre architecture of the “trophy cities” to the joys and struggles of everyday urban life in some very unequal societies, our goal is to engage with the people who actually live in the Stans cities by publishing some of our reporting in the languages spoken there: not just Russian, often considered the language of the elite, but Turkmen, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Tajik. You can read the rest of the Secret Stans series here.



‘Even my grandmother tells me to keep my voice down’

Though I have lived abroad for more than 16 years, I was born in Almaty, raised in Bishkek, and spent summer school holidays in southern Kazakhstan, where my mother is from. I clearly remember not understanding what was happening the night the Soviet Union collapsed – I was only seven – and having nightmares of my dad being deported to his native Kyrgyzstan.

It has been fascinating to observe how societies in these two countries have developed after gaining sovereignty. My Kazakh relatives are drunk on oil money, and the superiority that feeling “we are the rich ones in the region” has given them over the years. Very often, they have no access to the funds, having nothing to do with the president’s family – but the feeling has been cultivated nevertheless. To that, my Kyrgyz family would just mumble: “We are simple people, we have no oil.” There’s an ugly condescending attitude the Kazakhs display towards their “little brothers”, all based on nothing else but having been blessed with natural reserves.

Politically, the countries couldn’t be more different. Kyrgyzstan is on its fifth president, while Kazakhstan still enjoys its eternal “leader of the nation”, Nursultan Nazarbayev. I often hear “No one needs democracy when they are rich!” from Kazakhs, who take Kyrgyz attempts at fair elections as a sign of upcoming instability. It’s sad and funny to see everyday Kazakh folk trying not to speak about politics, holding their latest iPhones. “Everyone is under surveillance” is the common fear that is voiced every time I ask if their king is still alive. Even my grandmother tells me to keep my voice down – in her kitchen, in the village with no internet.

Kyrgyzstan is learning its often painful lessons in democracy, having just elected a new head of government. Freedom is born when people have nothing to lose. Do I wish the same fate for Kazakhstan? I do, but I’m not holding my breath. Anon

‘In Dushanbe, everyone has a story to tell’

In Central Asian cities today, young people play video games, fall in love, date, get married and sometimes divorce, meet after work for a cup of tea or go out on a Friday evening to have a beer. Some of them are more privileged, some of them struggle to make ends meet. Does it make them different from the youth living in London, Warsaw or Belgrade? In other words, the lives of people living in Central Asian capitals is very far from the victimising accounts of western journalists, who look for suffering and exoticism.

I am Polish, but have been living in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital city, since 2013. After my studies in Italy, Germany, Russia and the UK, perhaps surprisingly, Dushanbe was where I decided to live. I liked it from first sight. I fell in love with the plane trees, some 50m tall; I love that Dushanbe is (still) far from the European consumerism, from the obsession with expensive brands, Instagram and coffee culture. I like that, when I get back from work, children in my neighbourhood come to give me a hug. In Dushanbe, everyone has a story to tell and you can have a conversation with anyone. It is a big city, but it does not rush in the morning. Karolina Kluczewska

Ben Finch spent last summer in Astana, a new city that, he says, aspires to creating ‘a founding myth of Kazakhstan’: ‘Its purpose is to be great world city that celebrates the nomadic culture of the Kazakh people’

‘The city has begun to wake up again’

I am originally from London – this is my third year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I have noticed several changes after the death of the first president [Islam Karimov]. Many roads used to be closed, for security reasons – dug up with trees put in place of concrete, or simply closed off with a concrete bollard. Now they are beginning to open again, the trees dug up, the city becoming more navigable. That is together with the removal of the trams as roads are widened and new ones built, connecting different parts of the city – new airways for the city to breathe.

There has also been an explosion in the number of coffee shops as more people go out to drink coffee and eat cake – more ladies who lunch. The central boulevard in the city, which was cleared of attractions after 2005, has begun to wake up again with bike rentals, food stalls, and amusements for children.

Tashkent has also become much more developed regarding financial technology. You can pay using your phone (connected to a local bank card) for bills, food and train tickets. For those who at least have money, it has become much easier to buy things, considering local bank cards were only really rolled out four years ago.

But it is still a fairly closed-off city from the rest of the country. It is difficult to get registration to live there, if it is not where you are from. There are changes, but perhaps still only for the few. Nathan Jeffers

Every evening people gather in the courtyards behind Almaty's ul. Tole Bi for games of chess. #SecretStans @guardiancities pic.twitter.com/oc211Mt2NM — Jonathan Campion (@jonathancampion) October 19, 2017

‘First development, then democracy’



I’m from West Yorkshire, but now live in Kyzylorda in southern Kazakhstan. Previously I lived in Astana for several years. Maybe the west should not get hung up on or make value judgements about so-called authoritarian rule, based as it is on a deficit model. It’s just another form of government. Maybe it was always this way. In Kazakhstan a strong person is managing the present and shaping the future. In his own words: “first development, then democracy”. Beneath this umbrella of dictatorship, there is an enormous amount of personal freedom in Kazakhstan. People enjoy life. OK, so there are huge contrasts between north and south, rural and urban, young and old, rich and poor. But is that any different from the west? Kevin Ottley

‘The decline of Russian dominance in Bishkek is striking’

I am British but live and work in Bishkek, a city built on remittances. For the “second-poorest” country in Central Asia, the glitzy downtown can quickly take the uninitiated by surprise with its decent roads, apartment blocks, shopping malls and cafes. The effect soon wears off the further one travels into the suburbs and then the countryside, where poverty is much more evident.

The most revealing aspect of life here has been the juxtaposition of past and present. On the surface the urban professional Kyrgyz have embraced capitalism and all its trimmings, with flashy cars, stylish dress and a taste for luxurious (if cheaply built) apartments that are rapidly replacing the sturdier Soviet buildings. However several of the Kyrgyz that I have met seem to quietly lament the passing of the Soviet days, when infrastructure was better, quality social services were accessible to all, and “buildings were constructed for a purpose and not for a profit”, as has been explained to me. It is interesting that these conversations are only had one-on-one and never in front of an audience.

Similarly, in public at least, there is a strong sense of pride in national culture with the Kyrgyz language, music, theatre and foods all widely visible. Yet in the comfort of their own cars my Kyrgyz colleagues seem to prefer western pop/rock, while the recent opening of Bishkek’s first KFC led to widespread excitement that “progress” was happening, resulting in long queues. In parallel to this resurgence of national pride, the decline of Russian dominance is striking. The elderly Russian Babushkas selling their household possessions are a very sad sight, seemingly cut off from the post-Soviet society, and without any clear direction or future in this new country. Anon

Photographer Marco Barbieri took this image of the canals crossing Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, last year. In the background the Tashkent Tower is visible

‘There’s definitely optimism in the air’



This September I led the first group of foreign journalists to Uzbekistan. The MFA issued nine foreign press visas, including for five British journalists. This is almost unheard of. Tashkent is thriving, finally pulling away from its Soviet shackles into the modern world. Recent economic and political liberalisation has begun to attract much needed investment and brands such as the Hyatt Regency hotel group. There’s definitely optimism in the air, and a young, well-educated, and quite cosmopolitan population who want to see Uzbekistan – and Tashkent – actively participating and recognised on the international stage. Sophie Ibbotson

‘Shopping malls are winning the battle’

I lived in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city and former capital, for over 25 years and I continue to visit often. The city is changing all the time, but the most recent transformations are especially notable. While Europe is stepping away from gas-guzzling private transport towards ridesharing, electric and pedal varieties, Almaty gets rid of its historical tram. Many streets are being converted to one-way speedways to accommodate more traffic. People spend most of their time inside: in their cars, houses, giant stores and their foodcourts. Bike lanes and pedestrian zones are being built too, but shopping malls are winning the battle. Yevgeniy Savoiskiy

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