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Culture, Traditions, and History
"Water is a Turkmen's life, a horse is his wings, and a
carpet is his soul"
The energy-rich Central Asian country revives its most ancient rituals
and customs and discovers old taboos that were thinly papered over during
Communist rule. Many marriages are arranged, but marriages-of-love are
becoming more popular. Muslims in Turkmenistan
are of the Sunni faith, and do not share the Islamic fundamentalism of
their neighbors in Afghanistan and Iran.
Young women with two braids and a small scarf are unmarried; those with
one braid and a big kerchief have been wed...More than 70 diffrent nationalities reside in Turkmenistan...Two
giant earthquakes (10 points on the Richter scale) in 1895 and 1924
flattened Krasnovodsky and Ashgabat respectively.
A 1948 quake destroyed Ashgabat in less than a minute... Yurta, the traditional
tent (it has a collapsable wooden frame and is
covered with reeds and felt) is still used today. The tent is erected in the front yard and used as a summer
house... National dress: men wear 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...The Turkmens are famous for their horses breeding and
training. Princess Anne of Great Britain
purchased Turkmen horses.
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