Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
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3.2. OIC Tourism Corridors
3.2.1. The Turkic Silk Road Tourism Corridor
Background
The Turkic Silk Road Tourism Corridor is comprised of five countries: Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, all of which share a common history, language,
identity, and culture.367 The people of the present Turkic-speaking countries are historically
connected with the Tujue. “Tujue” is the name the medieval Chinese ascribed to a group of
nomadic people who lived in the fifth century CE in an empire stretching from the territory of
present Mongolia and the northern border of China to the Black Sea. 368 Many powerful
kingdoms and rulers referred to themselves as Turks, including the Huns, the Timurids, the
Ottomans, and the Great Mughal Empire. Tamerlane and Babur are among the significant
historical figures born within the territory of these empires.369
The shared history of the Soviet invasion strengthened the existing bonds between these
countries, and they already shared a common geographical and historical identity created
around the term “Central Asia,” which in the mid-1920s replaced the geographic terms of
“Turan” and “Turkestan” (meaning “the Land of Turks”) .370 A shared language group also serves
as a uniting factor. However, the languages of the countries within our study belong to three
different branches of the Turkic group: The Southwestern (Oghuz branch: Turkey, Azerbaijan),
the Southeastern (Uighur-Chagatai branch: Uzbekistan) and Northwestern (Kipchak branch:
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) .371
Islam is another mutual factor between these countries. The Turks spread Islamwestward, and
prominent theologians from their part of the world contributed greatly to Islamic philosophy:
Imam al Bukhari, Baha-ud-Din Naqshbandi, Rumi, Hakim atTermizi, and Abu-Nasr al-Farabi,
among others. 372 Their common legacy contributed to many discoveries in the worlds of
science, algebra, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. The names Al-Khwarizmi, Biruni,
Ulughbek, Avicenna, are now known throughout the world .373 Religious tolerance and ethnic
diversity are significant features of the area, as non-Muslims and non-Turks have always been
comfortable with preserving their religious identity, whether that be in the Golden Horde, the
Timurid Kingdoms, the Ottoman Empire, or the Great Moghul Empire.374
The Great Silk Road was far more than just trade routes. It represented a multitude of benefits
emerging from cultural exchange, and as a result, numerous historical and cultural sites still
remain along its routes.375 Upon the creation of the Silk Road and Spice Routes map, UNESCO
367 "About Turkic Council," Turkkon, accessed October 13, 2019,
368 The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Turkic Peoples," Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified August 28, 2019,
369 Odil Ruzaliev, "In Search of Turkic Identity," Turkish Policy Quarterly 5, no. 4 (2006): 47.
370 Ibid.
371 Lars Johanson, "Turkic Languages," Encyclopaedia Britannica, last modified April 16, 2014,
372 Ruzaliev, "In Search of Turkic Identity," 47.
373 Ibid.
374 Ibid.
375 "Developing a Sustainable Tourism Strategy for the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors," UNESCO, accessed October 13, 2019,