Culture of Turkmenistan

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Culture of Turkmenistan
History
People Turkmens
Languages Turkmen
Cuisine
Festivals
Religion
Art Carpets Jewelry
Literature
Music
Media Radio Television Cinema
Sport Football Olympic appearances
Monuments World Heritage Sites
Symbols Flag Coat of arms National anthem
Turkmenistan portal
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The Turkmen people have traditionally been nomads and equestrians, and even today after the fall of the USSR attempts to urbanize the Turkmens have not been very successful. They never really formed a coherent nation or ethnic group until they were forged into one by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. Rather they are divided into clans, and each clan has its own dialect and style of dress. Turkmens are famous for making knotted Turkmen carpets, often mistakenly called "Bukhara rugs" in the West. These are elaborate and colorful hand-knotted carpets, and these too help indicate the distinctions among the various Turkmen clans.

The Turkmens are Sunni Muslims but they, like most of the region's nomads, adhere to Islam.

A Turkmen man can be identified anywhere by the traditional "telpek" hats, which are large black or white sheepskin hats that resemble afros. Traditional dress for men consists of high, shaggy sheepskin hats and red robes over white shirts. Women wear long sack-dresses over narrow trousers (the pants are trimmed with a band of embroidery at the ankle). Female headdresses usually consist of silver jewelry. Bracelets and brooches are set with semi-precious stones.

History

Language

Outside the capital, the national language of Turkmen is the most widely encountered. In Ashgabat and Türkmenbaşy, the Russian language is commonly encountered; however, with recent efforts to revive the ancient culture of Turkmenistan, Turkmen is quickly regaining its place as the chief language of the state.

Literature

Two significant figures in traditional Turkmen literature are the poets Magtymguly Pyragy and Mämmetweli Kemine.

Theatre

There are 10 state theaters in Turkmenistan: 5 in Ashgabat and 5 in regional centers. ^[1]

Music

Turkmen music is very similar to Khorasani music.

Heritage sites

Turkmenistan in the list of World Heritage Sites

Image	Name	Location	Notes	Date added	Type
	Ancient Merv	Baýramaly, Mary Region	a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road	1995	Cultural[2]
	Köneürgenç	Köneürgenç	unexcavated ruins of the 12th-century capital of Khwarazm	2005	Cultural[3]
	Parthian Fortresses of Nisa	Bagyr neighborhood, Ashgabat	one of the first capitals of the Parthians	2007	Cultural[4]

Gallery

• 
  Tekke Turkmen kapunuk (door surround), early 19th century. A kapunuk is designed to surround a door frame, providing a decorative entry to a circular Turkmen yurt.
• 
  Turkmen woman's jewelry, metal and cornelian, 20th century. Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France.
• 
  Turkmen woman's jewelry, silver, gold and cornelian, 20th century. Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France.
• 
  Turkmen man and his son hoist the flag of Turkmenistan while on horseback at the opening ceremony for the 2008 World Nomad Games.

See also

• Akhal-Teke horse
• Yomut carpet
• Turkmen carpet
• Islam in Turkmenistan
• Merv
• Turkmen cuisine
• Turkmen jewelry

References

Further reading

• Blackwell, Carole (2001). Tradition and Society in Turkmenistan: Gender, Oral Culture and Song. Curzon. ISBN 0-7007-1354-9.
• Clement, Victoria (2018). Learning to Become Turkmen. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 978-0822964636.
• Edgar, Adrienne Lynn (2004). Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12799-6.
• Smith, Graham, ed. (1995). The Nationalities Question in the Soviet Union (2nd ed.).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Culture of Turkmenistan.