The main impetus was the restructuring and independence of the former Soviet republics. Under the new conditions, not only large state collections, such as the "Turkestan Album," whose copies are kept in various places, for example, in the Library of Congress of the USA, but also the collections of museums, libraries, scientific institutes, as well as private collections, which were previously inaccessible or opened only to a narrow circle of specialists, became available for research.

The photographs serve as the main evidence of life in Turkestan at that time. Since cinematographic chronicles appeared only at the end of the 19th century and reached Turkestan later, it is photographs that remain the most visual and important historical sources. Without them, it is sometimes impossible to understand many details of that period's life - from everyday aspects to state policy.