The Astana Times, an English-language publication in Kazakhstan, has published my article on the long and noble history of nomadic games. You can find a copy here. I will be in Astana from 7-14 September attending the Games and also delivering a paper at the Scientific Conference that is running alongside the Games.

I am very grateful to reader Christian Winkler for pointing out to me that Willie Read, the mysterious hunter I successfully identified last year following my trip to Kashmir, also wrote up his travels for a prestitious magazine. His article, spread across three pages, was featured in the Country Life edition of 11 April 1914. Country Life is the magazine of the landed gentry and in the time before the First World War often featured pieces written by hunters who had travelled in remote places.

There is little in the article that we do not already know. Read writes that he set off from Srinagar on 15th May 1912, meeting his shikari Rahima in Bandipur, downstream on the River Jhelum. “Our route was via Gurais, the Burzil Pass, Godhai, Gilgit, the Kaujut Valley to Merenski”, he writes. He crossed the Killik Pass and after spending 10 days hunting for big sheep and ibex in the Pamir Mountains, made for Kashgar and then Aksu in Chinese Turkestan. From Aksu he entered the Muzart Valley and crossed the pass into the Tekkes Valley in the Tian Shan Mountains before heading on to Kuldja in October. The article is illustrated with some of the images from his magic lantern slides.

It always surprised me that I could not find any article or book that mentioned Read’s journey, which took the best part of seven months and involved a journey of almost 3,000 miles through some of the toughest terrain on earth. Now at least we know that he recorded the journey for posterity in the pages of Country Life.

On 8th September more than 3,000 competitors from over 100 countries will gather in Astana, Kazakhstan to take part in the 5th World Nomad Games. Competitors in 21 different sports will compete for almost 90 medals. The sports include the world-famous Kokpar, in which two teams of 12 compete to deliver a serke (dummy sheep) into a hole at either end of the pitch; Kazak kuresi wrestling, in which competitors seek to throw their opponents onto their back; Alysh (belt wrestling); tug-of-war; the Powerful Nomad Strongman competition; Tenge Ilu, in which riders on horseback attempt to pick up objects on the ground; traditional archery; horseback archery; Kuzbegilik – hunting with birds of prey; and Togyzkumalak – a strategy board game involving beads.

Alongside the Games there will be a scientific conference on nomadism and many cultural events that celebrate nomadic culture.

Horse racing competitions, traditional archery and hunting with birds, as well as horse riding competitions will be held at the Kazanat racetrack and on the Ethnoaul site. The Ushkempirov Wrestling Palace and Alau Ice Palace will host the wrestling competitions, martial arts and folk games, and traditional intellectual games will be held in the Duman complex. The Qazaqstan Athletics Sports Complex will house the WNG Accreditation and Equipment Centers.

The WNG cultural programme will be held in the Universe of Nomads, Ethno-village (Ethno-Aul), which is located on a 10-hectare site adjacent to the Kazanat race course in the south-western side of the city. Cultural activities will also be held at various venues in Astana, including city squares, parks, public gardens, other public spaces, theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and exhibition halls.

As well as covering the events, I will also be presenting a paper at the scientific conference on Historial Images of Nomadism. These games promise to be spectacular and I urge any of you that can to make your way to Astana and enjoy a real treat.