Russian language in central Asia

Central Asia this land of desert, steppes, valleys, and mountains is populated primarily by people of Turkic ethnicity, such as the Kazakhs, the Kirghiz, the Turkmen, and the Uzbeks. The other major group in the area, the Tajiks, are of Iranian stock. Over the past several millennia, the Silk Road has brought many traders to Central Asia and the area’s location on the vast interior Eurasian steppe has been a continual invitation to empire-seeking armies.