Books about Central Asia

Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel through Central Asia to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.

These are some of our favorites about Central Asia, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.

You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!

Recommended books to read before traveling to Central Asia:

Adult Fiction:

• The Zahir by Paulo Coelho (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Hurramabad by Andrei Volos (Amazon)
• Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Adult Non-Fiction:

• On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads by Tim Cope (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road by Christopher Aslan Alexander (Amazon)
• The Silk Road: A New History by Valerie Hansen (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road by Kate Harris (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Lost Heart of Asia by Colin Thubron (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Silent Steppe: The Memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin by Mukhamet Shayakhmetov (Amazon)

Children’s Fiction:

• Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan by Hildi Kang (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• We’re Riding on a Caravan by Laurie Krebs (Amazon)
• Stories from the Silk Road by Cherry Gilchrist (Amazon)
• Stranger on the Silk Road: A Story of Ancient China by Jessica Gunderson (Amazon)

Children’s Non-Fiction:

• The Silk Road: Explore the World’s Most Famous Trade Route by Kathy Ceceri (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History by John S. Major (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Central Asia:

GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching Justice on Wheels and World and Me. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.

GEEO utilizes Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!