YeinJee's Asian blog

Asian Culture, Lifestyle and Entertainment

Central Asia

Turkmenistan door to hell

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Video of a burning gas crater in Darvaza, Turkmenistan. Locals call it Door to Hell or Gates of Hell.

The diameter of the crater is about 60 metres, and its depth around 20 metres. It has been burning continuously for the past few decades.

The phenomenon is not all natural though. There are a few versions of the event, but in general a failed gas exploration caused the ground to collapse in the 1960’s or 1970’s. The engineers set the place on fire to prevent poisonous gas from leaking to nearby towns, which was a logical decision at that point.

They probably expected the gas to burn out within a few weeks, but it’s been on fire after all these years. Thanks to the accidental “effort”, the place becomes a spectacular attraction for travellers nowadays.

Uzbek photographer found guilty for “negative” images

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Umida Akhmedova, a prominent photographer and film-maker in Uzbekistan has been found guilty of slandering the nation through her work which portrays people in Uzbekistan as backward and poor [more on BBC].

Akhmedova could face up to three years in prison, but the judge said she would automatically be pardoned under an amnesty. Below are some of her photography works in question…

Uzbekistan photos by Umida Akhmedova

[Read more…] about Uzbek photographer found guilty for “negative” images

China’s Kazakh herdmen

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Preview of a Chinese documentary The Herdsmen, made in 2000, about the nomadic Kazakhs in China. Most Kazakhs are residing in Kazakhstan; but there are still a large portion which spread across Central Asia and other places.

There are about 1.5 million Kazakhs in China. They are one of the 56 minority ethnics officially recognized by the Chinese government. Only a few of them are still living the nomadic lifestyle though, as shown in the below video…

It’s an ironic thing; on one hand we might envy the freedom of the herdsmen, on another we might feel sorry for the lack of basic development for these folks.

I mean, I would love to stay with these people and enjoy their culture and nature for perhaps a few days, but it’s a different story if it’s for weeks or months.

Tulpan (2008) movie trailer

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Trailer for acclaimed Kazakh film Tulpan, a gorgeous mix of tender comedy, ethnographic drama and wildlife extravaganza set on the steppes of Kazakhstan…

Directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy, the 2008 movie has won multiple international accolades including the Prix Un Certain Regard at Festival de Cannes, and Grand Prix at Tokyo Film Festival etc.

The movie tells the story of Asa, a former Russian navy who returns to his sister’s nomadic brood in the desolate steep to begin his life as a shepherd.

But before he can tend a flock of his own, Asa must prove his worth as a husband and herder to the landlord, which means he’ll have to win the hand of Tulpan, the only eligible bachelorette for miles.

With references from Zeitgeist Films.

Kazakh woman maybe the world’s oldest

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Sahan Dosova, a woman from the Republic of Kazakhstan is claimed to be 130-years-old, which if true would make her the world’s oldest living person…

She doesn’t have enough documents (beside her passport) to support the claim though; thus the official Guinness World Records for the oldest person/woman alive is still Gertrude Baines from the US at 114 of age.