The cultural route of Turkic-speaking countries in the New Normal

Post corona-crisis tourism features the sharpened trends of the last decades that are skewed to cultural experiences as well as to events and local life participation. Plus higher requirements to safe vacation with social distancing and fresh air opportunities. 

Different variations of Silk Road thematic routes can naturally satisfy these needs and offer crisis-resilient tour-products at local, national and regional levels.

The purpose of this series of articles is to showcase some elements and features of the multi-destination Silk Road tourism corridor across different countries and circumstances It is focusing on the development of sustainable destination management strategies.

An abstract №1 from “Silk Road tourism corridors” case study by Michael Shamshidov:(1)

Within the proposed corridor of Turkic speaking countries (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) the Silk Road represents the rich historical and cultural Turkic heritage. It is based on the field study made in 2019 that covered Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and was focusing on the current and potentials of cultural tourism in these countries and its development, marketing and management strategies. 

Historical background of the corridor

The characteristics of the destinations within the corridor: the similarity of the all five chosen destinations is based on four general pillars of common history, language, identity and culture.(2) The people of present Turkic-speaking countries are historically connected with the Tujue. It is a name that Chinese called nomadic people, who lived in the 6th century CE in an empire stretching from the territory of present Mongolia and the northern border of China to the Black Sea (3). Many powerful kingdoms and rulers referred to themselves as Turks including the Huns, the Timurids, the Ottomans, the Great Mughal Empire. Tamerlane and Babur are among significant historical figures born on the territory of these empires.(4)

Soviet invasion history is strengthening existing bonds with the common geographical and historical identity created around the term of “Central Asia”,

which in the mid 1920s replaced the geographic terms of Turan and Turkestan (the Land of Turks).(5) A common language group serves as a uniting factor. However, the languages of the countries of this study are belonging to three different branches of the Turkic group: the Southwestern (Oghuz branch: Turkey, Azerbaijan), the Southeastern (Uighur-Chagatai branch: Uzbekistan) and Northwestern (Kipchak branch: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan).(6)

Islam is a significant religious issue of common identity. The Turks had spreaded Islam westward.

Prominent theologians from their part of the world greatly contributed to Islamic philosophy: Imam al Bukhari, Baha-ud-Din Naqshbandi, Rumi, Hakim atTermizi, Abu-Nasr al-Farabi.(7)

Several ethnic groups that existed in current territories of Turkic speaking countries were later assimilated into Turks. Their common legacy contributed many discoveries to world science in algebra, mathematics, astronomy, medicine. The names of Al-Khwarizmi, Biruni, Ulughbek, Avicenna are known throughout the world.(8)

Religious tolerance and ethnic diversity are the features of Central Asiaт nations.

Non-Muslims and non-Turks were always comfortable with preserving their religious identity whether in the Golden Horde, the Timurid kingdoms, the Ottoman Empire, or the Great Moghul Empire.(9)

The Great Silk Road for ages was more than just trade routes. It represented the multiple benefits emerged from cultural exchange and as a result, numberless historic and cultural sites remain along its routes.(10) Upon the creation of the Silk Road and Spice Routes map, UNESCO worked-out 100.000 kms of this complex chain routes.

Today it is called the Silk Road, those new discoveries provide endless opportunities to offer new experiences for history seekers.(11) As well as for marketers in the tourism and travel industry. 

One of the examples of historic discoveries is a Golden Man which was discovered in the early 90s in the mountains outside of Almaty near Issiq Lake. that was buried in a full armory in a warrior’s costume which was made of pure gold. The Golden Man became a symbol of present Kazakhstan. Two years ago a similar Golden Man in the eastern part of Kazakhstan was discovered.(12)

Another significant discovery was announced on August 25, 2019 in the media of Uzbekistan as Alexandria on the Oxus. Located 30 km downstream from Termez, Kampyr Tepe was a Macedonian town in Bactria, just north of the river Oxus, founded by Alexander the Great.

The history of tourism development in Central Asia

Central Asian modern tourism development can be divided into two periods - Soviet and post-Soviet, also called Independence time. International tourism in Soviet Union as a specialized sphere of activity started in 1929, when an entity called Intourist (International tourist in Russian) was organized. Tourism was similarly centralized as the whole economy. The head office of Intourist in Moscow distributed the flow of foreign tourists to all the republics.(13)

With political changes called Perestroyka started in 1985, new opportunities for foreign tourism in the USSR had opened. Several previously closed areas became accessible to tourists. Official figures provided by Soviet government confirm a rise of foreigners arrivals from less than 500,000 in 1956 to more than 6 million in 1988.(14)

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the well-located tourist sites of former Soviet Central Asian Republics have got a new opportunity to become popular tourism destinations.

The types of experiences vary from the unique cultural, historical, archeological to natural attractions. The policy and model of tourism development in independent countries of the region is mainly based on improving tourism infrastructure.(15)

To be continued...

Bibliography:

1. The case study has been done for The Developing of Multi-destination Tourism Corridors In The OIC Member Countries report prepared for The 14th Meeting of the COMCEC Tourism Working Group was held on October 31st, 2019 in Ankara, Turkey
2. About Turkic Council. Retrieved from turkkon.org/en/turk-konseyi-hakkinda
3. Encyclopedia Britannica, Turkic peoples. Retrieved from britannica.com/topic/Turkic-peoples
4. Odil Ruzaliev (2006), In search of turkic identity, 47. Retrieved from turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/TPQ2006-4-ruzaliev.pdf
5. Odil Ruzaliev (2006), In search of turkic identity, 47. Retrieved from turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/TPQ2006-4-ruzaliev.pdf
6. Encyclopedia Britannica, Turkic languages. Retrieved from britannica.com/topic/Turkic-languages
7. Odil Ruzaliev (2006), In search of turkic identity, 47. Retrieved from turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/TPQ2006-4-ruzaliev.pdf
8. Odil Ruzaliev (2006), In search of turkic identity, 47. Retrieved from turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/TPQ2006-4-ruzaliev.pdf
9. Odil Ruzaliev (2006), In search of turkic identity, 47. Retrieved from turkishpolicy.com/dosyalar/files/TPQ2006-4-ruzaliev.pdf
10. Developing a Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/826/
11. ETC-UNWTO Seminar on Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes - the Silk Road. Retrieved from https://travel4thoughts.com
12. Interview with Deputy Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Tourism
13.  Pashkova Elena Yurievna (2016), Organization of International Tourism in the USSR on the example of Altai Territory (1960-1980s), 129, doi: 10.22412/1995-0411-2016-10-4-128-132. Retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/organizatsiya-mezhdunarodnogo-turizma-v-sssr-na-primere-altayskogo-kraya-1960-1980-e-gg
14. V. Arefyev, Z. Mieczkowski (1991), International tourism in the Soviet Union in the era of Glasnost and Perestroyka, doi.org/10.1177/004728759102900401. Retrieved from journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/004728759102900401?journalCode=jtrb
15. Bobur Sobirov, Iskandar Tukhliev, Anvar Kholiqulov (2017), The start-up of tourism in Central Asia Case of Uzbekistan, 220. Retrieved from worldscientificnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/WSN-672-2017-219-237.pdf