Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
federations, the Otuz Uul (30 Sons) of the north and the Ich Kilik of
southern Kyrgyzstan. The southern and northern halves of the country
remain culturally, ethnically and politically divided, as demonstrated
in the violent political upheaval of 2010.
During special events older Kyrgyz women may wear a large white
wimple-like turban (known as an
elechek
) with the number of wind-
ings indicating her status. Kyrgyz men wear a white, embroidered, tas-
selled felt cap called an
ak kalpak
. In winter, older men wear a long
sheepskin coat and a round fur-trimmed hat called a
tebbetey
.
Most Kyrgyz now live in towns and villages but herders still do
make the annual trek with their yurts up to
jailoos
(summer pas-
tures). Traditions such as the
Manas
epic, horseback sports and
eagle-hunting remain important cultural denominators. One linger-
ing nomadic custom is that of wife stealing, whereby a man may sim-
ply kidnap a woman he wants to marry (often with some collusion, it
must be said), leaving the parents with no option but to negotiate a
kalym
(bride price).
Tajiks in...
Tajikistan:
4.4 million
Afghanistan:
7.7 million
Uzbekistan:
630,000
Kazakhstan:
100,000
China:
33,000
Tajiks
With their Mediterranean features and the occasional green-eyed red-
head, the Tajiks are descended from an ancient Indo-European people,
the Aryans, making them relatives of present-day Iranians. The term
'Tajik' is a modern invention. Before the 20th century,
taj
was merely a
term denoting a Persian speaker (all other Central Asian peoples speak
Turkic languages).
Tracing their history back to the Samanids, Bactrians and Sogdians,
Tajiks consider themselves to be the oldest ethnic group in Central
Asia and one that predates the arrival of the Turkic peoples. Some
Tajik nationalists have even demanded that Uzbekistan 'give back'
Samarkand and Bukhara, as these cities were long-time centres of
Persian culture.
There are in fact many regional Tajik subdivisions and clans (such
as the Kulyabis and Khojandis), which is one reason why the country
descended into civil war after the fall of the USSR.
Badakhshani or Pamir Tajik (sometimes called mountain Tajiks) are
a distinct group, speaking a mix of languages quite distinct from Tajik
and following a different branch of Islam. Most Tajiks are Sunni Mus-
lims, but Pamiri Tajiks of the Gorno-Badakhshan region belong to the
Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam, and therefore have no formal mosques.
Most Badakhshani define themselves primarily according to their
valley (Shugni, Rushani, Yazgulami, Wakhi and Ishkashimi), then as
Pamiris, and finally as Tajiks.
Traditional Tajik dress for men includes a heavy, quilted coat
(cha-
pan),
tied with a sash that also secures a sheathed dagger, and a black
embroidered cap
(tupi),
which is similar to the Uzbek
dopy
. Tajik
women could almost be identified in the dark, with their long, psych-
edelically coloured dresses
(kurta),
matching headscarves
(rumol),
striped trousers worn under the dress
(izor)
and bright slippers.
There are almost eight million Tajiks in Afghanistan (about one
quarter of the population) and their language Dari (very similar to
Tajik) has served as the language of government for centuries. There
are also around 33,000 Sarikol and Wakhi Tajiks in China's Tashkurgan
Tajik Autonomous County. Wakhi Tajiks also live in northern Pakistan.
Turkmen
in...
Turkmenistan:
3.6 million
Iran:
1 million
Afghanistan:
650,000
Turkmen
Legend has it that all Turkmen are descended from the fabled
Oghuz Khan or from the warriors who rallied into clans around his 24
