Kazakh Language, Literature and Culture: Kazakhstan

The Republic of Kazakhstan, situated at the heart of Eurasia, appeared on the geopolitical map in 1991. The name Kazakh, of Turkic origin, is thought to mean “free man” – which is appropriate in a land historically populated by freedom-loving nomads. For thousands of years, these nomads tended vast cattle herds, pasture lands and the fertile soils of the region’s foothills and river valleys. Both the historic Silk Road and Sable Route, along which expensive furs were transported, passed through the region. This made Kazakhstan an important cultural, trade and economic bridge between Asia and Europe.