These resources are compiled from suggestions and recommendations from CESSI alumni, students, speakers, instructors and other community members. These resources are not affiliated with CESSI or necessarily endorsed by CESSI. They are compiled for the convenience of our students and larger community as they study central Eurasia. We thank our community for these suggestions and hope they will assist you as you continue your studies and research.
For information on Central Eurasian language programs, please visit the AAS Language Database page on Central Eurasian languages.
General Language Resources
Short videos in different languages, most with transcripts. Many languages including: Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Mongolian, Tajik, and Uzbek.
YouTube playlist featuring music by Central Asian artists as recommended by 2021 students of the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI). Note: the content of this playlist does not necessarily reflect the views of CESSI, the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia, or its grantors. No official endorsement should be inferred.
History and Culture Resources
Resources for Students of Kazakh
– A detailed resource guide compiled by CESSI alum Dennis Keen, founder of Walking Almaty.
–Short videos about Kazakhstan, most in Russian or English, some with transcripts.
-A list of resources compiled by the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s Russian Language Flagship about Kazakhstan among other things: https://russianflagship.wisc.edu/resources/learning-resources/
-A variety of of world, local cultural and current events presented in Kazakh: www.BAQ.kz, https://www.azattyq.org , http://kaz-tili.kz/wch.htm, https://tilqural.kz/, https://qazaqstan3d.kz/ , http://kazakh-tv.kz, https://nationalgeographic.kz/, https://kazmuseum.com/, https://astanatv.kz/kz/
–Catalogue of available e-books in Kazakh.
–Collection of audio and e-books in Kazakh
-Instagram accounts daily Kazakh language and cultural content: daily.soz, natgeoqaz, kiltiyma, kazakh_language_in
Resources for Students of Tajik
–Short videos about Tajikistan, most in Russian or English, some with transcripts.
-Online Tajik-English Dictionary
-National Library of Tajikistan & useful Phrases used in videos.
-Social Media with Information about Tajikistan (2) Explore Tajikistan | Facebook
-Tajik Language Alphabet guide & Grammar and Phrases guide
-BBC news broadcasts in Tajik & Radio Liberty broadcasts in Tajik
–British Library: Collecting the Heritage of the Silk Road: Tajikistan’s pre-Russian Past in Documents
–Collection of Central Asian Memoirs of the Soviet Era
Resources for Students of Uyghur
–Uyghur Learning site, oriented to Uyghur children but useful for Level 2/Intermediate learners.
-Websites with Materials in Uyghur: Uyghur Archive, a collection, and Turkistan Library.
-A free textbook with some basic lesson in Uyghur.
Resources for Students of Uzbek
–Reading & Listening Exercises in Uzbek (and other languages including Azerbaijani).
–Short videos about Uzbekistan, most in Uzbek or English, some with transcripts.
-List of free online course books, dictionaries, and Quizlet flashcard sets.
-Uzbek language learners Facebook Group.
–Uzbek digital library, including dictionaries, in PDF form.
–Online collection of Alisher Navoiy literature.
–Audiobooks in Uzbek, various genres, some available for purchase (not expensive)
–Films on YouTube (classic and modern)