Going through the newspaper archives of southern kazakhstan newspaper and sometimes, in the midst of looking for something else, one finds themselves.

My first time in eastern Kazakhstan and it’s been incredible! Off to southern Kazakhstan tomorrow and sad to leave 18°C oskemen and semey for 42° Turkistan and shymkent

Spent the last week in mangystau exploring the incredible landscapes and sacred sites in the region. Was lucky enough or visit underground mosques and sites rarely visited and interviewed several healers (емшілер) as well about the late Soviet period. Can’t wait to share what I’ve learned!

Last night in Astana and have been stuffed to the brim with katama nan, manty, samsa, and baursaki

Hello everyone! My name is Abby - I’m a doctoral candidate based in Berlin studying tengrism during perestroika. I’ve been a visiting fellow in Astana for the last few months as I’ve been doing fieldwork. I’m a lover of mountains and have been studying Central Asia for almost a decade!