The Centre of Central Asian Studies is the biggest multi-disciplinary research Centre in India, researching 12 different disciplines. The main objective of the Centre is to explore the possibilities for reviving and improving the age-old relations between India and Central Asia. It offers MPhil. and Ph.D. programmes in diverse fields on the following thrust areas:

Ø  Resource Management

Ø  History & Culture

Ø  Regional Cooperation

Ø  International Relations

Ø  Socio-economic Transformation

Ø  Environmental Degradation

Ø  Trade Sector

Ø  Religious Revivalism

Ø  Silk Route Expedition

Ø  Insurgency

Ø  Knowledge Mapping

The Centre is presently engaged in research on the most pressing and contemporary issues about the Central Asian region. The faculty members of the Centre are engaged in individual and joint research projects at the study region. During the conduct of research, the faculty uses all possible sources in the shape of literature, statistical data, fieldwork archaeological excavation and interaction with eminent scholars, subject experts and the area analysts during their foreign visits, seminars, conferences, and workshops. The Centre provides feedback to the policy planners of the country and other countries as well.

The Centre has also a commendable record of publications. It brought out its Annual Journal of Central Asian Studies, which has its international Editorial Board. It has received appreciation across the world for its quality and content. Besides, it has published more than 50 publications on diverse themes of Central Asia.

Over the last few years, the Centre has successfully organized several International Conferences and National Seminars. It is highly connected with several foreign institutes for academic cooperation. To this effect, the University of Kashmir has inked several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), for the Centre, with the most prestigious Universities and institutes in Turkey, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Russia, and France to carry out joint academic and research activities. These MOUs facilitate the exchange of faculty and research scholars for field studies and interactions with the eminent researchers of the region. Besides, eminent scholars and experts of the country and abroad are invited to interact with the faculty and research scholars of the Centre.                                                                  

The enriched departmental library with well-equipped computer and Internet facilities has augmented as a learning resource of the Centre. Besides, the Centre has a museum, called the Central Asian Museum, with a varied collection of rare antiquities, artifacts, and specimens having archaeological and iconographic significance.

 The future academic programmes of the Centre are as under:

• To initiate market-oriented and industry-based research projects.
• To initiate integrated multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects on rational resource management in Central Asia with relevant Area Study Centres of India, Central Asia, and the West.
• To complete the inter-disciplinary projects of the Centre entitled Silk Route: Relevance and Revival.
• To carry forward the archaeological survey of pre-historic sites of Kashmir.
• To focus on the translation work of rare Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit Manuscripts (MSS).
• To introduce a diploma course on Central Asia with Central Asian languages, especially Persian and Russian, etc. as an essential component.
• To sign more MoUs with prestigious academic institutes.

 I look forward to kind cooperation and collaboration to fulfill the academic dreams of the Centre.