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I recentlyÌýwent to the very centre of Central Asia in Kazakhstan to find out how the region is dealing with the impact of ever more rapid change from outside and from within.

From the scramble for global energy supplies to the Afghan conflict, the region of Central Asia is steadily growing in strategic importance.

More and more Western politicians travel to the area which have proved vital in supporting the US led alliance fighting in Afghanistan. And when troops and equipment will be withdrawn over the next two years, Central Asia will be the gateway.

Energy hungry economies from China in the East to the EU in the West are striking deals with oil and gas rich nations of Central Asia.

But there's much more that defines the countries of a region with a rich spiritual past. And as the five former Soviet Republics: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan adapt to a new global economic order, the future for many is challenging.

But 'it is better to see once than hear one hundred times' as the local proverb goes.
Here's a film about Central Asia, moving simultaneously towards the future into the 21st centuryÌýand still clingingÌýtowards the past of the 19th century.

Central Asia: On the road toÌýmodernityÌýpart one

Central Asia: On the road to modernity part two

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