KarachaysThe Karachays or Karachai (Qaraçaylıla or таулула, tawlula, 'Mountaineers') are an indigenous Caucasian-Turkic ethnic group native to the North Caucasus. They are primarily located in Karachay–Cherkess Republic, a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus. Research by Boulygina et al. (2020) shows Karachays' genetic connection to the pre-historic Koban culture. A recent genetic study states the following: "Balkars and Karachays belong to the Caucasian anthropological type.
JadidThe Jadids were Muslim modernist reformers within the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. They normally referred to themselves by the Turkic terms Taraqqiparvarlar ('progressives'), Ziyalilar ('intellectuals') or simply Yäşlär/Yoshlar ('youth'). Jadid movement advocated for an Islamic social and cultural reformation through the revival of pristine Islamic teachings; while simultaneously engaging with modernity.
Zeravshan (river)The Zeravshan (Uzbek: Zarafshon, Tajik: Зарафшон)is a river in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia. Its name, "spreader of gold" in Persian, refers to the presence of gold-bearing sands in the upper reaches of the river. To the ancient Greeks it was known as the Polytimetus. It was also formerly known as Sughd River. The river is long and has a basin area of . It rises at the Zeravshan Glacier, close to where the Turkestan Range and the Zeravshan Range of the Pamir-Alay mountains meet, in Tajikistan.
UrgenchUrgench (Urganch/Урганч/اورگنج, urɡæntʃ; Urgench; گرگانج, Gorgånch/Gorgānč/Gorgânc/Gurganj) is a district-level city in western Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Xorazm Region. The estimated population of Urgench in 2021 was 145,000, an increase from 139,100 in 1999. It lies on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated west of Bukhara across the Kyzylkum Desert. The history of the city goes back to the second half of the 19th century.
BarlasThe Barlas (Barulās; Chagatay/برلاس Barlās; also Berlās) were a Turkicized Mongol nomadic confederation in Central Asia. With military roots in one of the regiments of the original Mongol army, the Barlas spawned two major imperial dynasties in Asia: the Timurid Empire in Central Asia and Persia; and its later branch, the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. According to the Secret History of the Mongols, written during the reign of Ögedei Khan [r.
