Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Iran

Explore the rich tapestry of Central Asia with this comprehensive guide by renowned political writer and historian Dilip Hiro. A Financial Times Book of the Year.

The former Soviet republics of Central Asia comprise a sprawling, politically pivotal, and richly cultured area of the world. In this comprehensive survey, Dilip Hiro offers a lucid analysis that places the modern politics, economics, and peoples of Central Asia and neighboring Turkey and Iran into an international context.

Given the strategic location of this region and its extensive hydrocarbon and other natural resources, this vast expanse of Eurasia is emerging as one of the most potentially influential—and coveted—areas of the globe. Inside Central Asia provides what Karin Esposito of Foreign Policy called "an all-encompassing history of practically everything the average reader of history might want to know about the region."

"Few people know Central Asia the way Dilip Hiron does," commented Luca Anceschi of the Journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. "Inside Central Asia is a major contribution to the study of post-Soviet Central Asia, interesting for both specialized and non-specialized readers for its solid analytical framework, the author's engaging style, and the remarkable amount of information provided."