What is the faith of the Turkmens. Customs and traditions of Turkmenistan. There are Catholics, Protestants, Hare Krishnas and representatives of other traditions in Turkmenistan

Like their relatives in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran are predominantly Muslim. According to the CIA World Factbook, Turkmenistan is 89% Muslim and 10% Eastern Orthodox. The majority of ethnic Russians are Orthodox Christians. The remaining 1% is unknown. A 2009 Pew Research Center report indicates a higher percentage of Muslims with 93.1% of Turkmenistan's population adhering to Islam.

Although the 1995 census showed that ethnic Russians made up almost 7 percent of the population, subsequent emigration to Russia and other countries has significantly reduced this proportion. Most ethnic Russians and Armenians are Orthodox Christians. There are 13 Russian Orthodox churches, 3 of which are in Ashgabat. A priest residing in Ashgabat leads the Orthodox Church in the country, serving under the religious jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Archbishop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. There are no Russian Orthodox seminaries there.

Ethnic Russians and Armenians make up a significant percentage of members of unregistered religious communities; ethnic Turkmen appear to be increasingly represented among these groups. There are small communities of the following unregistered denominations: Roman Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and several evangelical Christian groups, including "Separate" Baptists, charismatic groups, and a non-partisan, non-denominational group.

A very small community of ethnic Germans, most of whom live in and around the town of Serakhs, are reported to be practicing Lutherans. Approximately one thousand ethnic Poles live in the country; they have been largely absorbed into the Russian community and consider themselves Russian Orthodox. The Catholic community in Ashgabat, which included both citizens and foreigners, met in the chapel of the Apostolic Nuncio. There were some foreign missionaries, although the extent of their activity was unknown.

An estimated one thousand Jews live in the country. Most of them are members of families who came from Ukraine during World War II. There are some Jewish families living in Turkmenabat, on the border with Uzbekistan, who are known as Bukharan Jews, in reference to the Uzbek city of Bukhara. There were no synagogues or rabbis, as Jews continued to emigrate to Israel, Russia, and Germany; however, the Jewish population remains relatively constant. Communities gathered for religious ceremonies but did not decide to register as a religious group; and there were no reports of harassment.

Islam and its history in Turkmenistan

Islam came to the Turkmen mainly through the activities of Sufi sheikhs, and not through mosques and the "high" written tradition of a sedentary culture. These sheikhs were holy men critical in the process of harmonizing Islamic beliefs with pre-Islamic belief systems; they were often adopted as "patrons" of particular clans or tribal groups, thereby becoming their "founders". The reformulation of communal identity around such figures constitutes one of the highly localized developments in Islamic practice in Turkmenistan.

Integrated into the Turkmen tribal structure is the "holy" tribe övlat. Ethnographers consider övlat, six of which are active, as an updated form of ancestor worship injected with Sufism. According to their genealogies, each tribe descends from the Prophet Muhammad through one of the four caliphs. Because of their belief in sacred origin and the spiritual powers of the övlat Turkmen representatives of these tribes correspond to a special, sacred status. In the 18th and 19th centuries the övlat tribes became dispersed in small, compact groups in Turkmenistan. They attended and conferred blessings on all important communal and life cycle events, and also acted as intermediaries between clans and tribes. The övlat institution retains some power today. Many of the Turkmen who are revered for their spiritual powers trace their origins to övlat, and it is not uncommon, especially in rural areas, for such people to be present at the life cycle and other communal celebrations.

Hinduism

Hinduism spread in Turkmenistan by Hare Krishna missionaries. Krishnas are a minority community in Turkmenistan. Many of the 600 Indians in Turkmenistan are Hindu.

Turkmenistan is one of the countries closed to outside observers. It is often said that it is hard to live there, there is almost no freedom, and in religious terms, there are almost repressions at all. Is it true?

What faith is the most influential among Turkmens today, and is there such a thing at all? Let's talk about the religion of the Turkmens.

Turkmens are descendants of the legendary Oguz Khan

Let's avoid unnecessary details and focus on the main facts. Turkmens are a Turkic people. Historically, it goes back to the Oguzes, who, according to legend, had the legendary progenitor Oguz Khan.

If there was one, it is not clear exactly when. Researchers give too broad estimates: from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century AD.

Turkmens in national clothes. Photo: advantour.com

Over the centuries, the ancestors of the Turkmens mixed with different peoples and acquired their own distinctive features. Historically, the Turkmens lived on the territory of modern Turkmenistan, but they are settled on a much larger territory: Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.

The state in Turkmenistan interferes in religious life, although it should not

At first glance, if you rely on the Constitution, then religiously everything is fine in Turkmenistan. The state guarantees people freedom of belief, allows them to express and receive the necessary information.

Restrictions apply only to various information constituting a state secret.

The limits of state and religious activity, according to the papers, are delimited and not suppressed. All religious organizations are promised equality before the law and banned from participating in the political life of the country.

Also, religious institutions should not interfere in the educational process, and every person has the right to freely, on their own initiative, get acquainted with their creeds, or not be interested in religion at all. But in fact, everything is far from being so cloudless.

The first serious blow to religious organizations is the requirement for their mandatory registration. Seems like a formality. But, as practice shows, not every community is able to pass this entrance threshold.

Since 2016, a special Commission has been solving religious issues in Turkmenistan.

However, this is not the worst thing. With a favorable development of events, you can even get a license to create an educational spiritual institution. True, it will be necessary to attract competent, graduate specialists to teachers. Otherwise it is impossible.

Register and let everything take its course will not work. In 2016, a law was adopted, according to which, a special Commission studies the activities and materials of religious organizations. In the event of claims against these organizations, serious measures can be taken against them.

In fact, it is this Commission that solves dozens of issues related to religious organizations:

supervises the implementation of legislation;
checks complaints;
approves the head if the center of the organization is outside the country;
organizes religious examinations;
monitors religious literature entering the country;
solves the issues of registration and opening of religious institutions.

A number of issues can also be resolved by local governments. So it is not possible for religious organizations to exist completely autonomously. They remain heavily dependent on the state.

For example, the same religious procession will need to be coordinated. He does not agree - it will be illegal to conduct such a ritual beyond the cult building.

In 1994, the so-called Gengesh was founded. This body supervises various religious organizations. It consists of the following persons:

mufti;
deputy mufti;
Orthodox dean;
civil official.

The reason for this composition is transparent: representatives of the leading religious traditions plus a neutral face.

The Turkmenbashi Rukhy Mosque is the main mosque of Turkmenistan. Photo: advantour.com

Council members were given salaries at public expense. This is strange for a secular state, but we have what we have.

Gengesh conducts expert examinations and gives advice on religious issues. In fact, it is an intermediate organization between secular and religious. It is significant that members of the Gengesh freely and often participate in religious activities.

In ancient times, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity were practiced on the territory of Turkmenistan

In the pre-Islamic period, representatives of 3 great world religions have already visited here. Let's talk a little about each.

Buddhism - the teaching on how to leave the material world, full of suffering. Buddhism is not inherently atheistic, but completely ignores the question of the existence of God. Much more important is the way of life and thinking of a single person. Buddhism is a constant practice, a philosophy of moderation, and the most peaceful religious tradition in the world.

Zoroastrianism is a religion that spun off from Hinduism during the crisis of the Vedas.

The main task of Zoroastrianism was to completely reject the Vedic heritage and create a new religious tradition that would avoid the mistakes of the previous one.

As a result, the prophet Zarathustra created a religion that gave rise to dualistic traditions. Zoroastrianism is the first teaching that divides the world into evil and good. This is where the monotheistic traditions originate. Much in Judaism and Christianity is based on the ideas of Zoroastrianism: there are angels, the Last Judgment, an analogue of the devil, etc.

Christianity needs no introduction. It only makes sense to say that the Turkmens got to know her around the 3rd century.

The religion of 90% of Turkmens is Islam

What is the most popular religion among Turkmens? This is Sunni Islam. This religion was created by the legendary prophet Muhammad. A distinctive feature of Islam is that its Holy Scriptures are not attributed to man. This text is meant to be a direct revelation from God.

Islam is a young religion, but its supporters are convinced that it is the most correct one. The idea is that it was Islam that was practiced on earth from the very beginning. Christianity, Judaism and other religions are teachings distorted by time and people. Muhammad revived the former faith in its original form.

Reconstruction of the appearance of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Photo: god2019.net

Sunni Islam is a tradition that does not honor Muhammad's relatives. In contrast, there is Shia Islam.

Having come to the territory of modern Turkmenistan, the Muslims ousted all other traditions and still retain their leading position.

Almost half a million people are Orthodox among Turkmens

Turkmens are reluctant to change their religion to Orthodoxy. Most of the believers are immigrants. Christian Orthodoxy is represented only by the Russian Orthodox Church.

how many Orthodox there are in Turkmenistan in 2019

Parishioners - about half a million people. This is approximately 9% of the total population, which makes Orthodoxy the second most important religion among the Turkmens.

According to current estimates for the fall of 2019, there were 12 Orthodox grams in Turkmenistan, where only 15 priests served.

Church of the Holy Trinity. Gora-Valdai village in Turkmenistan. Photo: gora-valdai.ru

Gradually, Orthodoxy attracts more and more residents of Turkmenistan. The reason for this in the material for the website "CentrAsia" is explained by one former imam, whose name the journalists preferred not to give:

“The reason is the “stateization” of Islam, which S. Niyazov started about 15 years ago.

I am a deeply religious person, but I can say that when the state begins to interfere in religious affairs, and absolutely does not understand them, it begins to appoint a mufti and responsible persons in each mosque, I’m not talking about worshiping the Rukhname on an equal footing with the Koran, then nothing no good will come of it.

It would be better if the state remains secular than such "support" of Islam. What you are asking about is the main consequence of this intervention.

I am afraid that this trend - the departure of Muslims to other religions - will only grow. After all, our people are not only going to Orthodoxy.

Now there are many different sects that are very actively working with the population and involving people in their faith. And in difficult times, people need spiritual support, and they seek it.

But people who are poorly versed in Islam and do not have the appropriate education are now sitting in mosques. Relating to the service of the Great Allah, as to work.

Therefore, many are disappointed in Islam or simply stop going to mosques, preferring to pray at home.

The other day I watched a TV report about a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. There, Berdymukhammedov demands that the hyakim of the Mary velayat report on the construction of a mosque in Mary.

This means that again the state will decide where to build mosques, who will build them, and, accordingly, will itself appoint imams there.

Why is this? Why are they again interfering in the affairs of religion? One hope is that the Hajj he is doing and his meetings with the leaders of Saudi Arabia will teach our president something.”

12 Orthodox parishes for 2019 operate in Turkmenistan.

Zarina I., an Uzbek woman who converted to Christianity in 2002, tells about more personal reasons for converting to Orthodoxy:

“In the Russian Church, unlike the mosque (where you can come only on Friday), we can come at any time.

The church is open from morning to evening. Here we can talk with the priest, get good advice from him on how to act in this or that life situation.”

There are Catholics, Protestants, Hare Krishnas and representatives of other traditions in Turkmenistan

The religious world of Turkmenistan is not limited to Muslims and Orthodox. Almost all believers of other religions are immigrants who have kept their devotion to their religious traditions.

Of the Christians, there are both Catholics (about 50 people!), And Lutherans. Both of them are officially registered. But the Jehovah's Witnesses were much less fortunate: they operate illegally. At the same time, there are Christian small Christian communities that nevertheless achieved recognition from the state.

There is even a small community of Hare Krishnas in Turkmenistan:

Pentecostals;
Baptists;
Adventists.

In addition to Christian churches, there is also a Hare Krishna community, registered in 2004.

(translation Chronicle of Turkmenistan)

International charitable human rights Christian organization "Open Doors" published the worldwide Persecution Index 2015. The index evaluates 50 countries in which, one way or another, Christians are persecuted for their faith. We publish the translation of the section dedicated to Turkmenistan. The original publication can be found PDF 4.6 MB).

In the global "Index of Persecution" for 2015, Turkmenistan ranked 20th, the same as last year. In the early years, the situation with the Christian minority in Turkmenistan was fairly stable. However, in the future, the pressure of the state and society on Christians intensified, which affected his position in this ranking.

Reasons for persecution

The main reasons for the persecution of Christians in Turkmenistan include " dictatorial paranoia" And " Islamic extremism". Also, to some extent, “Systematic corruption” can be attributed to the reasons.

dictatorial paranoia: An autocratic regime of government reigns in Turkmenistan, which is based on strict state control. The authorities prevent the formation of any independent groups, whether economic, social or cultural (which includes the church). The ruling elite under President Berdymukhammedov is ready to take whatever measures they see necessary to maintain their power and are doing everything they can to suppress groups they consider dangerous to themselves. As in other countries of Central Asia, the government of Turkmenistan uses a variety of methods from the communist arsenal to control certain groups, including Christians. Another similarity with neighboring countries is that nothing can be achieved in the country without a bribe.

Islamic extremism: Despite the fact that at the moment no extremist groups have been noticed in Turkmenistan, it should be noted that Islam is an important part of the Turkmen culture. The previous ruler stated that along with the Koran, it is also necessary to read the Rukhnama. In everyday life, Islam also plays an important role, especially in rural areas. Society and relatives react very painfully when one of the relatives decides to abandon Islam and accept another faith. Many consider this unacceptable and the Christian minority, and especially those who previously belonged to the Muslim denomination, must be prepared for strong pressure from society and the family.

Influences on politics

The rapid development of Turkmenistan began after the discovery of huge reserves of gas and oil in the country. Natural resources brought the country a lot of money, thanks to which Ashgabat became a marble city, at the same time, Turkmenistan became absolutely dependent on the export of fossil fuels. Enriched at the same time only a small group of people close to power.

Turkmens live in various countries: in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, northern Pakistan, Syria, the North Caucasus (Stavropol Territory). Separate groups of Turkmen keep in touch with each other. Turkmen have been seen fighting as Islamic Jihadists in the Middle East (ISIS) and the Indian Subcontinent (Al Qaeda). The ruling regime in Ashgabat, fearing the influence of jihadists returning to the country, is very closely following all religious movements.

Turkmenistan is considered one of the most repressive countries in the world, where there is no freedom of speech and information, all public associations are strictly controlled by the authorities, in addition, the residents of the country have very limited access to foreign sources of information.

Affected groups of Christians

There are 3 groups of Christians in Turkmenistan:

Traditional Russian Orthodox Church, which accepted all restrictions from the government. All church services are allowed to be held, at least sometimes under the supervision of special services. At the same time, the printing and import of Christian literature is prohibited, as is entry for foreign church workers.

Converts to Christianity Turkmen citizens feel the full force of the persecution. In addition to the state, they are attacked by family, friends and society in general. The latter is especially painful, because. affects their daily life.

neo-protestantism- Different currents of Christianity. Not registered in Turkmenistan. Their followers are persecuted by the authorities of the country to the fullest. They are fined, attacked, threatened and imprisoned.

Areas of Life Affected by Persecution

The pressure on Christians in Turkmenistan is generally high, especially in the church sphere and in private life, which are particularly affected by the consequences of religious persecution.

church sphere

Any religious gathering is viewed with suspicion. Unregistered churches are raided and all literature confiscated. The authorities are especially closely watching pastors and church leaders. It is still allowed to receive young people in churches, but it is not allowed to train pastors.

According to the data received by our organization, not only unregistered, but also permitted churches are kept under close surveillance by the authorities. They live under constant pressure and the threat of forced closure. According to the laws, the church can be closed after three allegations of violations.

All Christian associations are required to register their activities. Every unregistered church is outlawed. The authorities use the Council of Religious Affairs to oversee religious gatherings. Whistleblowers are infiltrated into every unregistered and permitted church, and church goers must constantly watch what they say.

The police and security services constantly monitor churches in all regions of Turkmenistan and regularly carry out raids during masses. This applies even to legal churches. Religious education, upon completion of which young priests could receive official diplomas, with the exception of a few mosques and Russian Orthodox churches, is prohibited.

Private life

Christians also experience great pressure in private life. Telling anyone about your faith is extremely dangerous, especially for former Muslim converts to Christianity. They are constantly trying to force them to abandon their new faith, relatives and friends turn away from them. Christian children are attacked in schools by peers and teachers, they are given low grades.

Manifestations of cruelty

In general, manifestations of religious violence in Turkmenistan are surprisingly rare. Only a few such cases have been reported in the media. In the past year, not a single Christian was killed, not a single church was damaged. Since May 2013, no attacks on congregations have been reported and no believers have been detained. As far as we know, at the moment there is only one imprisoned believing Christian in Turkmenistan - Umid Gadzhaev. He was arrested in April 2012 in Dashoguz and a month later he was sentenced to 4 years in prison for hooliganism. Local Christians claim that Gadzhaev was convicted unfairly and was in fact arrested for his faith.

Conclusion

Turkmenistan is the most repressive state in Central Asia after Uzbekistan, and with growing nationalism and a new spiritual leader in the person of a new president, the situation here is unlikely to change.

Turkmens belong to the Turkic-speaking people of ancient Oguz origin. They are the main population of Turkmenistan. The Turkmens living in Iraq, Syria, Turkey are the descendants of the people who moved to the territory of Anatolia, the Middle East from the 11th century. For a long time, the Turkmens were divided into clans and tribes. The ancient ancestor of the people was Oguz Khan, whose grandchildren became the founders of 24 ancient Turkmen tribes, in which later separate clans began to stand out and new tribes were formed. The largest of them:

Gauquelin
salyrs
Tekins (teke)
languages
chovduri
yomuds
alili
ersars

Today, all Turkmens are formed into a single nation, where tribal affiliation is not particularly important. In total, there are about 8 million representatives of this nationality in the world.

Where live

The main part of the people lives on the territory of Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan. Turkmens live in Uzbekistan, Turkey, Pakistan. In the Russian Federation, they live in the Stavropol Territory, Moscow, Moscow, Astrakhan, Samara Regions, St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Krasnodar Territory, Tajikistan. A small part lives in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia.

Language

Turkmen belongs to the Oghuz-Turkmen group of languages and belongs to the Turkic family. Since 1940, in the Turkmen SSR, Russian has been actively used in many areas of public life, which has become not only the official language, but also the language of science and higher education. From birth, the majority adopted this language as a second native. It got to the point that by 1991 in Turkmenistan a large number of indigenous people simply did not know their native language - Turkmen.

Previously, Arabic script was used for writing, but some letters could not correctly reflect the phonetics of Turkmen. In 1922-1924, after the reforms, diacritics were added to distinguish most sounds, which are placed before and after vowels.

In the 1920s, after the romanization project, the transition to Yanalif, the new Turkic alphabet, began. Officially, in 1929, the Turkmens switched to the Latin alphabet. Yanalif continued to be used in literature, schools, government documents until 1940.

The Cyrillicization project began in the late 1930s. In 1940, the first Turkmen alphabet in Cyrillic was published; it was used in Turkmenistan until 1993. Outside the state, it is still used today.

After the collapse of the USSR, a new alphabet was created, which was approved in April 1993. Later, it was changed again and since 2000 it has been the only one allowed in all official spheres of Turkmenistan.

Religion

Turkmens profess Sunni Islam, but are not strongly religious people.

Food

The main dish of Turkmen cuisine is plov “ash”, which has several dozen recipes, but the main ingredients are rice and meat (poultry, lamb). Be sure to add vegetables, spices, dried fruits to pilaf.

A variety of dishes are prepared from lamb:

various types of barbecue "kebap";
fried lamb "govurma";
dried dried meat "kokmach";
omelette with meat "heigenek";
manti "berek";
fried lamb with tomatoes and “chekdirme” potatoes;
lamb with tomatoes “govurlan-et”;
sausages "garyn";
round-shaped pies with meat and onions “ishlekli”.

A variety of soups are prepared from the first courses:

soup with tomatoes "gara-chorba";
rice soup with mastava vegetables;
milk soup with noodles "suitly unash";
pea soup "dograma";
pea soup with lamb "nokhudly-chorba";
flour soup "umpach zashi";
soup with dumplings "etli-borek-chorbasy".

The main difference between Turkmen cuisine and other Central Asian ones is national fish dishes. Fish is cooked on a spit, in special boilers, with rice, pomegranate juice, raisins, sesame, apricots. A very tasty shish kebab is made from sturgeon “balyk-shara”. The fish is fried, then stewed in pots, sometimes added to various dishes instead of meat. There are very complex fish dishes that consist of a large number of ingredients: “cheme”, “balyk-berek”, “gaplama”.

Dairy products and milk are widely used in the kitchen. Camel milk, which is considered very healthy and has a sweet taste, is used to make butter, ghee, yoghurts, ayran. Cheeses, curd mass, feta cheese are prepared from sheep, from cow - cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese "gurt", butter. Turkmens have a huge amount of dairy products.

From the sweet, they prepare halva from the root of a lily plant, sweet shortcakes, donuts with powdered sugar, donuts. Very tasty and fragrant local Turkmen watermelons, melons, fruits. Of the drinks, tea is the most popular. In the East they prefer green, in the north and west - black. In winter, tea is often brewed with milk, mutton fat and butter are added. Berzengi mineral water and various fruit juices are very popular. There is also wine of its own production in Turkmenistan, they drink vodka and cognac from strong drinks.

Appearance

Cloth

Despite the fact that many peoples have switched to urban clothing, the Turkmens have remained faithful to their traditional costume. Men and women wear a shirt, trousers, a long robe made of canvas. The wealthy sew it from imported semi-silk, semi-woolen materials with a thin strip. In summer, women wear only a shirt and long trousers, narrow at the ankles. They wear dresses made of silk, they cover their heads with a scarf or a scarf, a round hood that descends behind a veil, a high Asian headdress (shekele). Of the jewelry, bracelets for legs and arms, necklaces, corals are common. Many women do not take them off at all, even at night. Cases made of silver for talismans are especially valuable. Men wear a fur hat (telpek) wrapped in a turban.

dwelling

The traditional dwelling of the Turkmens is the yurt gara-oy. In the oases there were adobe dwellings of a permanent type, they consisted of 1-3 rooms. There were houses (there) made of raw bricks, with a flat roof. The Caspian Turkmens built dwellings of wood on stilts. Today, the usual rural dwelling of a Turkmen is a 3-4-chamber house with large windows, made of burnt or mud brick, a gable or four-slope roof, made of slate or iron. The house has an aivan - a covered veranda where people sleep and rest in the summer. At the back of the courtyard are utility rooms. Yurts are used as summer dwellings on the estate; they are built by shepherds on distant seasonal pastures.

A life

The traditional occupation of the people is nomadic cattle breeding and irrigated agriculture. Previously, the Turkmens led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, so in the village the population was divided into settled farmers and pastoralists. In the west, cattle breeding was developed, camels, sheep, and horses were bred. The inhabitants of the oasis grew wheat, cotton, gourds, sorghum, and raised cattle. In the middle of the 19th century, the Turkmens began to actively engage in sericulture and carpet weaving. The woman had many household and household responsibilities: caring for children, processing wool, felt, weaving, cooking, collecting firewood for the furnace, caring for livestock.

Today, a small family is common, which usually consists of a wife, husband and children. Sometimes the spouse's parents live with them. Often there are still large undivided families. It is noteworthy that the head of the family is often a woman.

culture

Turkmen music began to develop in the 6th-7th centuries and is distinguished by originality and richness. The people have about 72 musical instruments, of which the most popular are:

dutar
Oscar
gopuz
gijak
tuyduk
barbat (oud)
ikidilli
eve
dilly tuyduk
bozuk

The development of music was influenced by the folklore of the countries of the Near, Middle East, and Central Asia. Genres of folk songs:

household
lullabies
wedding
girlish
labor

The national epic "destan" is popular - legends of a musical and poetic nature:

legends
legends
fairy tales

Singing is carried out in the original manner. The singers sing, strongly straining the vocal cords, in a very high voice, which is abruptly replaced by the quiet sound of the dutar. Due to the nomadic living conditions in the desert and steppe landscape, the Turkmens are used to speaking loudly, hence this manner of singing.

Traditions

For the bride before the wedding, the groom gives money to the bride's relatives, he must bring gifts: dressing gowns, livestock, treats. After the ransom is given, the bride goes to the groom's house, where a special prayer is held and the marriage is formalized. The wedding is celebrated with a feast, horse races, wrestling are held, professional singers "bakhshiev" are invited.

The betrayal of a woman among the Turkmen people is punishable by death right at the scene of the crime. A daughter may be sold into slavery to a man to whom her father is indebted. If a girl from a poor family did not even have a dowry, anyone could marry her. However, she could not count on the support of her family and relatives.

Polygamy was widespread. The position of a woman, especially in large families, is still difficult. It is not easy for a girl after marriage. She has many responsibilities, with no rights at all. Immediately after the wedding, she is told about the rules in the house, prohibitions in relation to her husband's older relatives. Previously, she was required to cover her mouth with the end of a head scarf. Young married women hid their face and figure with a large shawl. It was customary among the Yomuds that in the presence of the husband's older relatives, especially mothers-in-law, the daughter-in-law shut herself at home. One could only speak in their presence in a very low whisper. It was strictly forbidden to contact men who are relatives of the husband directly. If she wanted to tell them something, she had to convey it through the boy. Gradually, with age, the position of a young woman improves when she becomes the oldest “keyvana” in the family. She is considered mistress over her daughters-in-law and her husband's younger wives. Keyvana's opinion is taken into account, her advice is listened to, not only by children, but also by all relatives. After the death of her husband, she becomes the head of the family.

Sons, despite their independence, always come to their mother for advice and listen to her instructions. This is considered extremely important.

In a small family, only the husband is the head of the wife. If desired, he can divorce her without her consent. The wife has the right to demand a divorce only in rare cases. Previously, if a husband disappeared, was captured, went on the run, or hid because of a blood feud, his wife did not have the right to marry again, she had to wait for him at home. You couldn't go far from home. If you need to go to the market - only accompanied by her husband, if she went far away to visit her relatives, she was accompanied by an elderly relative of her husband.

After the death of a spouse, relatives often give their wife in marriage to another man, while the children remain in the husband's house. Levirate is allowed - marriage with the husband's brother. Often the widow agreed to it in order to stay close to her children. She could pay off remarriage, but then the status of a widow was assigned to her for life.

National culture of Turkmenistan Like a sponge, it absorbed the features of the beliefs of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity, but the dominant religious customs with the advent of Islam are the traditions and rituals of Sharia. No less important than religious dogmas are the tribal relations of the Turkmens that have developed over the centuries. The revered and wise elders, the aksakals, enjoy unsurpassed authority. Each tribal group has its own pronounced cultural characteristics, distinctive elements of national clothing, embroidery and jewelry.

Religion of Turkmenistan

To date, the dominant - Islam belongs to the vast majority of the country's population. 89% of the inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, 9% of believers adhere to the customs of Orthodox Christianity.

Economy of Turkmenistan

In terms of GDP, it is the ninety-fourth economy among the countries of the world. Turkmenistan has developed textile, food and chemical industries. Foreign trade is dominated by the export of oil products and gas.

Science of Turkmenistan

State Turkmenistan characterized by almost complete literacy of the population. The modern one is distinguished by a developed system of primary and secondary education, which, along with scientific research, is supervised by the Academy of Sciences. The Academy is responsible for scientific institutes, among which the world-famous Institute of Deserts occupies not the last place.

Art of Turkmenistan

The diversity of the ethnogenesis of the Turkmen people had a significant impact on, in which the motives of the Turkic and Iranian peoples are traced. The most ancient traditions of the country and the symbol of the Turkmen people is the unsurpassed art of carpet weaving. According to ancient legends, it was in this amazing country that the world's first carpet was woven. Carpets of Turkmenistan are distinguished by the special subtlety and purity of traditional “gel” patterns. The skill of carpet weaving is passed down from generation to generation and is the national pride of the country.

Cuisine of Turkmenistan

culture The country is strong in its culinary traditions. Diverse and amazing - fragrant soups umpach-zashi and gaynatma, the splendor of traditional second courses, beshmarbek and, of course, Turkmen pilaf - will not leave true gourmets indifferent. Only in Turkmenistan you can taste the most unusual pilaf in Asia, in which fish is used instead of traditional lamb. coastal geography of Turkmenistan led to a fairly widespread use of seafood in national cuisine.

Customs and traditions of Turkmenistan

Original traditions and customs of Turkmenistan the roots go back to the ancient culture of the Turkic Oguz people and the Islamic religion. Most of the traditions and customs accompany the locals throughout their lives and largely determine their way of life. One of the brightest and most beautiful customs is the tradition of marriage, the preparation for which is a real event in the life of the family. The most colorful and detailed wedding ritual is reproduced in rural settlements.

Sports of Turkmenistan

The Turkmen people are traditionally considered a sports nation - sport Turkmenistan goes back to the ancient traditions of the past. Among the national sports there are various directions and types of wrestling, football is no less favorite among modern Turkmens.