Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HOLY SMOKE
In markets, tations and parks all over Central Asia you'll see gypsy women and
children asking for a few coins to wave their pans of burning herbs around you or the
premises. The herb is called
isriq
in Uzbek, and the smoke is said to be good medicine
againt colds and lu (and the evil eye), and a cheap alternative to scarce medicines.
Some people also burn it when they move into a new home.
grandsons. Most historians believe that they were displaced nomadic
horse-breeding clans who, in the 10th century, drifted into the oases
around the Karakum desert (and into Persia, Syria and Anatolia) from
the foothills of the Altay Mountains in the wake of the Seljuq Turks.
Turkmen men are easily recognisable in their huge, shaggy sheep-
skin hats
(telpek),
either white (for special occasions) or black with
thick ringlets resembling dreadlocks, worn year-round on top of a
skullcap, even on the hottest days. As one Turkmen explained it, they'd
rather suffer the heat of their own heads than that of the sun. Tradi-
tional dress consists of baggy trousers tucked into knee-length boots,
and white shirts under the knee-length
khalat,
a cherry-red cotton
jacket. Older men wear a long, belted coat.
Turkmen women wear heavy, ankle-length velvet or silk dresses, the
favourite colours being wine reds and maroons, with colourful trousers
underneath. A woman's hair is always tied back and concealed under
a colourful scarf. Older women often wear a
khalat
thrown over their
heads as protection from the sun's rays.
The Turkmen shared the nomad's affinity for Sufism, which is
strongly represented in Turkmenistan alongside the cult of sheikhs
(holy men), amulets, shrines and pilgrimage. The Turkmen language
(also called Turkmen) is closest to Azeri. Interestingly, there was a
Turkmen literary language as early as the mid-18th century.
Uzbeks
in...
Uzbekistan:
18 million
Tajikistan:
1.6 million
Afghanistan:
2.6 million
Kyrgyzstan:
690,000
Kazakhstan:
457,000
Turkmenistan:
396,000
China:
14,700
Uzbeks
The Uzbek khans, Islamised descendants of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan,
left their home in southern Siberia in search of conquest, establishing
themselves in what is now Uzbekistan by the 15th century, clashing and
then mixing with the Timurids. The Uzbek Shaybanid dynasty oversaw
the tricky transition from nomad to settler, although the original Mon-
gol clan identities (such as the Kipchak, Mangits and Karluks) remain.
The focal point of Uzbek society is still the network of tight-knit
urban
mahalla
(districts) and
kishlak
(rural villages). Advice on
all matters is sought from an
aksakal
(revered elder, literally 'white
beard'), whose authority is conferred by the community. In general Uz-
beks resisted Russification and emerged from Soviet rule with a strong
sense of identity and cultural heritage.
Uzbek men traditionally wear long quilted coats tied by a brightly
coloured sash. Nearly all wear the
dopy
or
doppilar,
a black, four-
sided skullcap embroidered in white. In winter, older men wear a
furry
telpek
.
Uzbek women are fond of dresses in sparkly, brightly coloured cloth
(ikat)
, often as a knee-length gown with trousers of the same mate-
rial underneath. One or two braids worn in the hair indicate that a
woman is married; more mean that she is single. Eyebrows that grow
together over the bridge of the nose are considered attractive and are
often supplemented with pencil for the right effect. Both sexes flash
lots of gold teeth.
