Rafis Abazov

Dr. Rafis Abazov is a visiting professor at Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he also manages a joint program with MDP program of Earth Institute of Columbia University (New York, USA).

He is an expert on cultural, economic and social policies in the great Silk Road region. He has written ten books, including ‘The Culture and Customs of the Central Asian Republics’ (2007), ‘The Culture and Customs of Turkey’ (2009), ‘The Stories of the Great Steppe’ (2014) and has regularly contributed op-eds to The New York Times and QS TopUniversities (UK).

Mr. Abazov enjoys collecting rare books on British exploration of Central Asia and reading travelogues on Central Asia and the Middle East by Eugene Schuyler, Vladimir Bartold and Lord George Curzon. He has also authored photo exhibitions about his trips to Central Asian republics, Turkey, Senegal and Afghanistan.