Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan; key historical events
Page last modified 21 August
2023
See also Russia
See also Mongolia
Kazakhstan
2005, Nazarbayev was �re-elected�
President with over 90% of the vote; Opposition leader Zamanbek Nurkadilov was
murdered.
2003, The private sale of
formerly-collectivised farmland was legalised.
2000, President Nazarbayev was granted
extensive and lifelong political powers.
1999, President Nazarbayev was
�re-elected� for a further 7-year term, in elections widely believed to be
flawed.
1997, The Kazakh capital was moved from
Almaty northwards toAkmola (renamed Astana in 1998), partly to facilitate
greater control over� the ethnic Russian
population in the north of the country.
1995, Legislation permitted the expension
of President
Nazarbayev�s term to 2000, even without elections.
1993, Kazakhstan adopted a new currency,
the Tenge.
1992, Kazakhstan was admitted to the
United Nations.
16 December 1991, Kazakhstan became independent from the former USSR. It was
the last SSR to declare independence.
1990, Nazarbayev was appointed First
President of Kazakhstan.
1989, Gennadi Kolbin (ethnic Russian)
was replaced by Nursultan
Nazarbayev (ethnic Kazakh) as Head of the Kazakh Communist Party
(CPK).
1986, Riots in Almaty, the Kazakh
capital, after the ethnic Russian, Gennadi Kolbin, was appointed as Head of the
CPK,replaceing the ethnic Kazakh, Dinmukhamed Konayev.
1954, The Soviet policy of ploughing the
�virgin lands� of Kazakhstan began; there were dire environmental consequences.
29 August 1949, The Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear
device, at Semipalatinsk, in what is now Kazakhstan. Soviet testing
here ended in 1991.
1941, Russia began deporting, to
Kazakhstan, large numbers of ethnic Germans, Jews, Crimean Tatars, Chechens,
Ingush, and others who were precieved as being potentially disloyal to Moscow
during World War Two.
1936, The Kazakhsta Soviet Socialist
Republic was formally constituted, Meanwhile, Stalin�s enforced
collectivisation of Kazakh farms and resettlement of Russians in the region led
to the deaths of some one million Kazakhs.
1920, Following the 1917 Russian
Revolution, Bolshevik forces secured control of the Kazakh region.
1917, As the Russian Revolution got
underway, civil war in Kazakhstan began between the Bolsheviks,
anti-Bolsheviks, and Kazakh Nationalists. Kazakhstan briefly became an
autonomous Republic, and industrialised rapidly.
1916, An anti-Russian rebellion was
harshly crushed.
1865, Russian domination over Kazakhstan
was complete.
1846, The Senior Zhuz tribe (See https://fehrplay.com/novosti-i-obschestvo/75610-prisoedinenie-kazahstana-k-rossii-istoricheskie-fakty.html
) joined the Russian Empire.
1500s, Various Turkic, Mongol, and Iranian
tribes, including the Kipchak, broke away from the Mongol Golden Horde and
migrated to present-day Kazakhstan. Three tribal groupings emerged; the Senior
Zhuz (=Horde) in the southeast of Kazakhstan, the Middle Zhuz in ther north and
central areas, and the Junior Zhuz in the north-west.
7/751, Battle of Talas, on the Talas River in modern-day Kazakhstan. Chinese
expansion westwards had met Islamic Arab expansion estwards. Local Uighurs
asked the Arabs for protection. The Arab army under Ziadh Ibn Salih was
bosletered by Uighurs and Tibetans, giving it numerical superiority over the
Chinese forcres led by Korean-born General Gao Xianzhi. The Chinese were
attacked in the rear by Turkic nomadic horsemen, the Karluks, and defeated.
Many Chinese were taken prisoner, including two experts in papermaking. From
the Arab world, papermaking technology then reached the West. Maenwhile China
plunged ointo civil war and abandoned iyts expansion intio central Asia,
leaving the region to be Islamicised.
Kyrgyzstan
9
June 2010, Ethnic conflict in
Kyrgyzstan between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks.
1
April 2010,
Major rioting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, caused President Bakiyev to flee.
2005, The �Tulip
Revolution�; Akayev was ousted from power after accusations that he
attempted to rig the Presidential elections. Kurmanbek Bakiyev was elected
President.
1991, Kyrgyzstan became independent from the
former USSR. The President was Askar Akayev, who was already in powerunder
Soviet rule pre-1991.
3 June 1990. Kyrgizstan suffered violence between ethnic Kyrgiz
(50% of the population) and ethnic Uzbeks (30%). The trouble began when 10,000 Uzbeks
protested at plans by 1,500 Kyrgiz to seize farmland near the city of Osh to
build houses.
1924, The Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic was
set up, as part of the USSR.
1 August 1934, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, President of
Kyrgyzstan, was born.
1876, Russia took
control of the Kyrgyzstan area.
1855, Borombei
Bekmuratov, chief of the nomadic Bugu tribe, who lived east of Issyk
Kul, accepted Russian protection. Other tribes in the region were ruled by the
Khanate of Khokand.
700s, Kyrgyz
people began to settle and trade in the Chu Valley, where the present day
Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek (known as Frunze under Soviet rule) islocated. By the
1700s there was a distinct ethnic Kyrgyz culture.
Tajikistan
2006, Rakhmonov was re-elected;
however the election was widely condemned as corrupt.
1998, Islamist rebels signed a peace agreement
with the Tajik Government, and joined the administration.
23 December 1996, After significant intervention by the UN,
President Imomali
Rakhmanov of Tajikistan (Russian backed) signed a ceasefire
agreement with the Tajik rebel leader Sayed Abdullah, Tajikistan had been a key
staging point in supplies for Russian troops fighting in Afghanistan. However
fighting continued.
13 July 1993. Tajik rebels, helped by Afghani guerrillas from
across the border in Afghanistan, attacked Russian troops in
Tajikistan who were there to prop up the local government clinging to power
against Muslim fundamentalists.
1992, Demonstrations forced Nabilev
from power. Civil war began as the Islamic Revival Party attempted to set up an
Islamic Republic. However a former Communist, Imomali Rakhmonov, won power.
1991, Tajikistan became independent
from the former USSR. However the prevuous Communist leader, Rakhmon Nabiev,
won power as the Opposition was excluded from government.
1989, Tajik was made the
official language.
1940, Cyrillic script was
introduced.
1929, The Tajik Soviet Socialist
Republic was set up as part of the USSR (see Uzbekistan, 1924)
1924, Soviet forces gained full
control in Tajikistan.
1873, Russia forced Bukhara and Tajikistan to
submit to being protectorates.
Turkmenistan
2007, Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, the
former Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, was �elected� President in an
�election� with a claimed 89% of the vote, where turnout was claimed to be 99%.
He was the only candidate.
2006, Turkmen human rights
activist Ogulsapar
Muradova died in prison.
21 December 2006, Saparmurat Niyazov, President
of Turkmenistan, died of a heart attack, having ruled since 1990. He had styled
himself �Turkmenbashi�, or �Father of all Turkmen�. He had created a strong
personality cult in Turkmenistan, with his portrait adorning many streets and
his guide to living, entitled Ruhnama,
being adopted as a national guidebook to be studied by all students. He also
had erected a giant gold statue of himself in the capital, Ashgabat, which
revolved once every 24 hours so that it always faced the Sun.
2003, Restrictions placed on all public
and private meetings. The Turkmen Government removed the right of Russians, who
formed 10% of the population, to hold dual citizenship. They were given two
months to decide which nationality to opt for.
2002, Turkmen opposition groups in
exile formed the Turkmen Democratic Front in Vienna. Later in 2002, an armed
coup attempt in Turkmenistan was blamed on the Front, and led to mass
repression and imprisonment of government opponents across the country,
2002, Niyazov
revised the Turkmen calendar, naming the months after himself, his mother, and
his book Ruhnama.
2000, Turkmen became the only official
language within the country.
1999, The Turkmen Parliament
indefinitely extended Niyazov�s term
as President.
1994, The Turkmen Parliament voted to
extend Niyazov�s term as President to
2002. A referendum found that 99.99% of voters were in favour of this.
1992, Niyazov
was re-elected, unopposed, as President,
27/10/1991, Turkmenistan declared itself independent from the USSR.
1990, Niyazov
was elected President of the Tuirlmen Soviet Socialist Republic.
1985, Saparmurat
Niyazov became President of the Turkmen Communist Party.
1948, Earthquake in Ashgabat; 100,000
died.
1924, The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
was constituted.
1921, The Governor-Generalship of
Turkestan was abolished, and replaced with an Autonomous Soviet Socialist
Republic within Russia.
1920, The Bolsheviks secured Turkestan.
1918, After the 1917 Russian
Revolution, an independent Turkmen government was set up, supported by the
British.
31 January 1884, The Russians seized the town of Merv in Turkmenistan, near a disputed
area of Afghan border territory, alarming the British.
24 January 1881, Russia, advancing�
from the north, took the Turkmen fortress of Geok Tepe.
During resistance to the Russians, some 14,000 Takkesh tribesmen died. The
Russians founded the town of Ashgabat as a military and trading centre.
16 January 1881, Russia began an attack on the Turkmen
fortress of Geok Tepe.
1229, Genghiz Khan conquered the
Turkestan region.
Uzbekistan
2005, At a demonstration in
Andijan, Fergana Valley, unarmed protestors against the arrest of 23 local
people charged with �extremism� (in reality, with being members of a banned Islamic
organisation) were shot at by Government troops.750 protestors were killed.
4 January 1995, In Uzbek elections (held 25 December 1994),
the People�s
Democratic Party (PDP), the former Communist Party, won a solid
majority on the 250-seat Supreme Assembly. Some participation by opposition
Parties was allowed to give the impression of multi-Party democracy.
2001, The US set up a base in
Khanabad to help the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. However the USA halted
aid to Uzbekistan after human rights abuses, and Uzbekistan closed down the
Khanabad base in 2005.
2000, Karimov was elected President;
the elections were widely believed to be flawed. On 2002 the Presidential term
was extended from 5 to 7 years.
1999, The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU),
formed in 1996, mounted bomb attacks, leading to the arrest of hundreeds of
dissidents.
1995, Karimov, leading the People�s Democratic
Party of Uzbekistan (PDP), won the elections.
1993, Harrassment of opposition
Parties, including the nationalist Erk (Freedom) Party and the religious Birlik
(Unity) Party, escalated.
1992, Deregulation of prices led
to student riots in Tashkent.
1991, Uzbeikstan became
independent from the former USSR. Karimov was conformed as President.
1989, A campaign by the Birlik
(Unity) Party led to Uzbek being declared the official language.
1959, Sharaf Rashidov became First
Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan. He held this position until
1983.
1941, Uzbekistan enjoyed an industrial
boom, which lasted until 1945.
1936, The Karakalpak SSR,
formerly part of the Russian SSR, was incorporated into the Uzbek SSR.
1925, An anti-Islamic campaign
saw religious schools and mosques closed.
1924, Resistance to Soviet rule
in Uzbekistan by Basmachi rebels was quashed. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist
Republic was set up; it also included what is now the Tajik SSR until 1929.
1923, A change from the old
Turkic language to a new Uzbek language was instituted. The new language was
initially written in Arabic script but this was changed to the Roman alphabet
and then to Cyrillic.
1917, During the Russian
Revolution, attempts were made to set up an independent Soviet Government at
Tashkent.
1916, An armed uprising against
Russian rule was crushed in Samarkand.
1868, Russia occupied Samarkand
(Uzbekistan).
1865, Russia occupied Tashkent.
1500s, The region was loosely
ruled by the Shaybani Uzbeks.
327 BCE, Alexander the Great
conquered the region.