Latest / The Story of Uzbekistan: Silk Road Kingdoms and Soviet Legacy — Fexingo History
Uzbekistan: The White Gold Wars of the Karakum
Episode 243 shifts focus from the political and architectural history of Uzbekistan to its environmental and economic transformation under Soviet rule. We explore the massive engineering project known as the Karakum Canal, initiated in 1954, which diverted water from the Amu Darya river across the desert to irrigate cotton fields in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This 'White Gold' strategy had devastating ecological consequences, including the shrinking of the Aral Sea and soil salinization. The episode examines the human cost borne by local communities, the manipulation of data by…
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