I thought of the acronym “PATTUKK,” which, in order, stands for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. This addresses all the -stan countries by recalling them and their position by using the first letter of each country’s name for the acronym “PATTUKK”. Starting (south to north) from the coast nearest to the southern-most ocean (subdivision of the Indian Ocean: the Arabian Sea) and going from south to north, which is convenient for practical land navigation.
Although I don’t speak Tamil (South Asian language), apparently the expression/term “PATTUKK” can mean “silk” or “for silk”, etc. in Tamil. Informally in the Tamil language, the term can stand for the town Pattukkottai in the state of Tamil Nadu of South India which is a coastal city of the same Indian Ocean (particularly a subdivision of the Indian Ocean: the Palk Strait). Central and South Asia (including all the countries ending in “-stan”) are considered a geographical split (the central heart) of the ancient Silk Road. Pattukkottai translates to “Silk Fort” so the acronym/word “PATTUKK” should be thought to refer to the translations “to silk” or “for silk.” Think it being shorthand for a South Indian coastal city this reiterates the significance of Central and South Asia commonly known as a geographical split (or geographical division) of the famous ancient “Silk” Road. Pattukkottai is in India not too close to where the “-stan” countries are but shares a region with a few of them.
This mnemonic strategy uses an acronym to identify geographical positions and names of all seven countries that end in “-stan”. And the word just so happens to be a phrase or expression in Tamil meaning “silk,” “for silk,” or “to silk” and can be short for a town in South India whose name means “Silk Fort”. Could this acronym help someone identify the Central and South Asian countries all ending in “-stan”? As well as their historical position on the Silk Road and how to mentally position them in relation to each other with their modern borders?
Note: Using a map will clarify the corresponding countries and their order starting from the coast of the Indian Ocean going from south to north. Make sure to keep in mind that an obstacle will be assessing which technique (reference point for geographical position of the countries) to use to determine the ranking of the southernmost countries in relation to all “-stan” countries. A different approach will possibly not read the acronym as “PATTUKK” which is why an internet search of “all the -stan countries from south to north” should avoid inconsistencies.