Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
People & Culture
From gold-toothed Turkmen in shaggy, dreadlocked hats to high-cheekboned Kyrgyz
herders whose eyes still hint at their nomadic past, Central Asia presents a fascinating
collection of portraits and peoples. The most noticeable divide (and a largely amicable
one) is between the traditionally sedentary peoples, the Uzbeks and Tajiks, and their
formerly nomadic neighbours, the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Turkmen. In total the population
of the former Soviet Central Asia is about 65 million. Few areas of its size are home to
such tangled demographics and daunting transitions.
Kazakhs
in...
Kazakhstan:
10 million
China:
1.4 million
Russia:
600,000
Uzbekistan:
500,000
Mongolia:
140,000
Turkmenistan:
80,000
Kyrgyzstan:
40,000
Peoples of the Silk Road
Centuries of migrations and invasions, and a location at the cross-
roads of Asia have added to Central Asia's ethnic diversity. A trip
from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan to Almaty, Kazakhstan reveals an ab-
sorbing array of faces from Turkish, Slavic, Chinese and Middle East-
ern to downright Mediterranean - surmounted, incidentally, by an
equally vast array of hats.
Before the Russian Revolution of 1917, Central Asians usually iden-
tified themselves 'ethnically' as either nomad or
sarts
(settled), as
Turk or Persian, as simply Muslim, or by their clan. Later, separate
nationalities were 'identified' by Soviet scholars as ordered by Stalin.
Although it is easy to see the problems this has created, some Kaza-
khs and Kyrgyz say that they owe their survival as a nation to the
Soviet process of nation building.
Each independent republic inherited an ethnic grab bag from the
Soviet system. Thus you'll find Uzbek towns in Kyrgyzstan, legions
of Tajiks in the cities of Uzbekistan, Kazakhs grazing their cattle
in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmen in Uzbekistan - and Russians and Ukrain-
ians everywhere. Given the complicated mix of nationalities across
national boundaries, Central Asia's ethnic situation is surprisingly
tranquil, for the main part.
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs were nomadic horseback pastoralists until the 1920s;
indeed the name Kazakh is said to mean 'free warrior' or 'steppe
roamer'. Kazakhs trace their roots to the 15th century, when rebellious
kinsmen of an Uzbek khan broke away and settled in present-day Ka-
zakhstan. They divide themselves into three main divisions, or
zhuz,
corresponding to the historical Great (southern Kazakhstan), Middle
(north and east Kazakhstan) and Little (west Kazakhstan) Hordes. To
this day family and ancestry remain crucial to Kazakhs. 'What
zhuz
do you belong to?' is a common opening question.
Most Kazakhs have Mongolian facial features, similar to the Kyrgyz.
Most wear Western or Russian clothes, but you may see women - par-
ticularly on special occasions - in long dresses with stand-up collars
or brightly decorated velvet waistcoats and heavy jewellery. On similar
