Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kurds are another WWII-era addition to the melting pot, with
many living in Kazakhstan. Estimates of their numbers in Central Asia
range from 150,000 to over a million. Meskhetian Turks have groups
in the Fergana (the largest concentration), Chuy and Ili Valleys. It is
estimated that there are half a million Uyghurs in the former Soviet
Central Asian republics (having moved there from Xinjiang after Chi-
nese persecution in the late 19th century), with about half of these in
Kazakhstan.
You may see colourfully dressed South Asian-looking women and
children begging or working as fortune tellers. These are Central Asian
gypsies called luli (chuki), who number around 30,000, speak Tajik
and originate from areas around Samarkand, southern Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan.
Daily Life
It's been a social rollercoaster in Central Asia since independence: the
overall birth rate is down, deaths from all causes are up, life expect-
ancies have dropped and migration (most especially emigration) has
reshaped the face of the region. Many older Central Asians lost their
social and cultural bearings with the fall of the Soviet Union. Health
levels are plummeting, drug addiction is up and alcoholism has ac-
quired the proportions of a national tragedy.
But it's not all bad news. Traditional life is reasserting itself in
today's economic vacuum and tourism projects are encouraging tra-
ditional crafts, sports and music. Communities remain strong and
notions of hospitality remain instinctual despite the economic hard-
ships. After 20 years of uncertainty, most people have found their way
in the new order.
kazakhs make up
56% of
kazakhstan,
tajiks 65%
of tajikistan,
kyrgyz 66%
of kyrgyzstan,
Uzbeks 80% of
Uzbekistan and
turkmen 85% of
turkmenistan.
BUZKASHI
In a region where many people are descended from hot-blooded nomads, no one would
expect badminton to be the national sport. Even so, the regional Central Asian variants
of the Afghan game buzkashi (literally 'grabbing the dead goat') are wild beyond belief.
As close to warfare as a sport can get, buzkashi is a bit like rugby on horseback, in which
the 'ball' is the headless carcass of a calf, goat or sheep.
The game begins with the carcass in the centre of a circle at one end of a ield; at the
other end is any number of horsemen who charge toward the carcass when a signal is
given. The aim is to gain possession of the carcass and carry it up the ield and around
a pot, with the winning rider being the one who inally drops it back in the circle. All the
while there's a frenzied horsebacked tug-of-war going on as each competitor tries to
gain possession; smashed noses and wrenched shoulders are all part of the fun.
Not surprisingly, the game is said to date from the days of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan,
a time when it enforced the nomadic values necessary for collective survival - courage,
adroitness, wit and trength, while propagating a remarkable skill on horseback. The
point of the game used to be the honour, and perhaps notoriety, of the victor, but gifts
such as silk chapan (cloaks), cash or even cars are common these days.
Buzkashi takes place mainly between autumn ploughing and spring planting seasons,
in the cooler months of spring and autumn, at weekends, particularly during Navrus or
to mark special occasions such as weddings or national days. Look for a game in Kyr-
gyztan (where it's known as ulak-tartysh ), Uzbekitan (kupkari) and Kazakhtan (kok-
par) . Navrus is the bet time to ind a game on, especially at Hissar (outside Dushanbe)
or the hippodrome at Shymkent in Kazakhtan.
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