Rafis Abazov is an adjunct professor at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University. He worked as a Central Asian regional analyst for Moscow-based news agencies and newspapers and contributed annual analytical reports on Central Asia to various international analytical research centers, including the Freedom House and Transition-on-Line. He has published three books, including Historical Dictionary of Kyrgyzstan and Historical Dictionary of Turkmenistan and contributed a number of articles to edited volumes, including about 50 articles to various encyclopedias.

• Introductory Maps * Early History, 6th Century B.C.-6th Century A.D. * Islamic Golden Age * Mongols and Decline of Central Asia * Era of Colonialism and Nation State Building * Post-Communism and Independence

'The atlas serves as a useful reference, valuable for its clarity and wealth of information.' - www.museo-on.com '...as a cheap, up to date, nearly pocket-sized guide to a little-known area of enormous geopolitical importance, this book is unrivalled. It seems to me that most public reference libraries, and academic libraries catering for courses in geography, history, politics or international relations, ought to consider it for acquisition.' - Martin Guha, Reference Reviews '...contains a wealth of clear and easily accessible information; it is a bold attempt to describe and graphically illustrate the history of a complex region and the author is to be warmly congratulated for it. The paperback atlas is an affordable and worthy addition to any library.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society