Steppe 7

A Tale of Two Cities: Kabul and Herat In a time of relative peace and prosperity, there is a battle afoot to prevent the demolition of the historic centres of Kabul and Herat in the name of 'development'. Jolyon Leslie and Habib Noori report from the front lines of this much quieter struggle between heritage and modernisation. Anna Akhmatova in TashkentAnna Akhmatova, one of the twentieth century's greatest poets, was persecuted by the Soviet authorities, yet renowned for her loyalty to her beloved Russia and its citizens. Sian Glaessner describes the poet's evacuation from Leningrad to Tashkent during World War II and the effect it had on her poetry, while Elaine Feinstein imagines a day in the life of the poet during her exile, when she lived in a small room on the top floor of the 'Hostel for Moscow Writers' at 7 Karl Marx Street.. Photographs by Max Penson. Water in Central Asia: From Melons to Madness Water is power in Central Asia. In the second part of our survey into this scarce commodity, Alexander Morrison looks at the many ways in which it is controlled and exploited, from simple wells to gigantic engineering projects. Steppe Guide: Eagle Hunting Hunting with golden eagle on the Eurasian steppe is a tradition dating back centuries, if not millennia. Today it is kept alive and well by Kazakh nomads living both inside and outside the borders of Kazakhstan. Cookery: A Pamiri Harvest Demonstrating that you are what you eat, photographer Matthieu Paley hunts for wild food with Parpi Shah, 'King of the Mountain Grass', in the mountains of southeastern Tajikistan. Top Ten: Small Embroideries Nick Fielding looks at the diversity of these finely-stitched everday objects, from bags for utensils to babies' bibs.