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2024  N9-10(235-236)
TRADITIONS
CARAVAN FROM HEART TO HEART
An interesting paleontological find was made near the village of Gumdag, at the foot of the Gyavurli ridge. The footprints of an ancient camel were clearly imprinted on the flat surface of a huge stone block that once broke away from the mountain. This natural monument is more than two and a half million years old.
Nowadays, it can be said with full confidence that the Turkmen land was one of the centers of camel breeding and their use in economic activities. Meat and milk of these “ships of the desert” were used as food, while wool and pelt were used to make warm clothes and strong shoes. But first of all, people appreciated the draught abilities of these hardy and unpretentious animals. As famous archaeologist Vadim Masson proved, a camel was used as a carriage transport already four and a half thousand years ago. This is evidenced by terracotta details of models of camel-drawn carts found during excavations at the Eneolithic site of Altyn Depe in Akhal province.
The homeland of the two-humped camel – the Bactrian – was ancient Bactria, the northern part of which was located on the territory of modern Turkmenistan, in the old delta of Murghab River. According to the Zoroastrian Avesta, the camel is one of the most revered domestic animals. Even the name of the legendary prophet, Zarathustra, is literally translated as “Owner of golden camels”. During the excavations of another famous monument – Gonur-Depe in Mary province – Victor Sarianidi’s expedition found a lot of items with images of camels – various seals, pins, utensils. Of special value is a large silver cylindrical cup with a relief image of two Bactrians walking one after another. The anatomical accuracy and subtlety of the details are striking.
The camel is a truly versatile animal. The camel was used as a riding, pack and draught animal, whose great strength was used to power a bulky water-lifting mechanism. The camel was also used on an artisanal churn and for ploughing the land for grain crops. They do not require any special conditions of keeping. They are unpretentious in food and can do without water for a long time. These qualities were the determinants in choosing camels among other pack animals for transportation of commercial goods over long distances.
It is no coincidence that they became living symbols of the caravan routes of the Great Silk Road. In the desert, in the most unimaginable heat, they tirelessly walked from one caravanserai to another, managing with the scantiest fodder, carrying up to two centners of cargo, drinking brackish water from local wells. In Turkmenistan, they mainly bred one-humped camels of the Arvan breed, and this is an exceptionally strong and docile animal. The Iner breed is even more powerful. It emerged as a result of crossbreeding of Arvan with a two-humped producer. In the old days, the Turkmens used to say “if there is an Iner in a bundle, then your cargo will not stay on the road.”
Camel wool is considered sacred. It is not used in making carpets, felt rugs or knit socks, i.e. it is not used to make things that people step on. It is used to produce chum ropes (alaja), sometimes with amulets strung on them, which people wear as protection against the evil eye because they believe in the magical properties of such bandages. And blankets made of camel wool are very warm and considered healing, and they are used as protection against colds and rheumatism.
A wedding party is perhaps the most favourite celebration of all nations of the world! In the past, if the bride and groom lived in different villages, Turkmens would arrange a wedding caravan (gelinalydzhi) consisting of several camels and a horse escort, formally acting as a guard. The whole procession was led by one of the most respected people of the clan. Women from the groom’s side also participated in it. The largest and most beautiful camel would be chosen for the bride, preferably a female camel. The caravan was also accompanied by camel cubs.
Last summer, as part of the celebration of the 300th birth anniversary of Magtymguly Fraghi, the State Museum of Turkmenistan organized an exhibition dedicated to an ancient Turkmen custom – festive ceremony of decorating camels for a wedding caravan. It was the first time that the elements of the traditional camel outfit of the XIX–XX centuries were presented for public viewing.
The exhibition was an incredible success among Ashgabat residents and guests of the capital. All exhibits were prepared for the exhibition by the employees of the restoration workshop under the leadership of Kurbanmukhammet Bayramov. Museum employee Nursoltan Ashirova excelled in this work. The bride’s palanquin was reconstructed and mounted on a life-size camel model.
In a real wedding procession, the most beautiful and largest camel – Akmaya with cubs, carrying a festively decorated palanquin (kejebe), was the unconditional dominant of the cortege. This light wooden structure was covered with white fabric and decorated with colored ribbons. A U-shaped curtain was hung on the facade, and the top was completed with a dome decorated with lambrequins and owl feathers. At the base, a place for the bride was arranged with a symbolic name – yurek, meaning “heart” in Turkmen. From the outside, the kejebe resembles a tent or a yurt, and this is a symbol and a desire to have a home for the newlyweds in the future.
Perhaps the most ancient image of a camel with a kejebe can be seen on the relief of the Parthian Temple of Baal in the Syrian Palmyra. Palanquins were also used by the Great Seljuks in the XI–XII centuries. Paleontologist Aman Nigarov discovered rock paintings with a rich plot on the Gorgan Ridge in Western Kopetdag. It features a wedding procession with horses and a camel with a kejebe.
Duebashlyk, a special cape for the camel’s neck, is another mandatory decoration. It is made of homespun fabric. A single piece of fabric was used as a base, onto which lozenge pieces of fabric were sewn using the patchwork technique. The lozenge is the main geometric figure on which the entire design of the duebashlyk is based. A grid consisting of forty lozenges is sewn to the main fabric on each side. And number 40, as is known, has a sacred meaning for many peoples of Central Asia.
Sometimes the places of lozenge joints were decorated with pieces of white hare skin. This signified a desire to have many children. The duebashlyk was made for the wedding day, and after the celebration the cape was hung in the newlyweds’ new yurt as a wall decoration. It became a kind of family chronicle. Braids of the first cut of the child’s hair were sewn onto the canvas. Various amulets were also attached to it to protect family members from the evil eye, evil spirits, protect their health and promote the continuation of the family line.
When decorating a wedding camel, a pair of ornaments called duyekhalyk were also used. They were hung on the sides of the animal. It has a pentagonal, seven-sided and sometimes even octagonal shape. The most common duyekhalyk is made of carpet, but fabric ones are also found, and felt ones are much less common. A smaller duyekhalyk was called keshekhalyk. It was intended for decorating camel cubs. There were also decorations for the camel’s croup (izlik), front knees (dizlik) and neck (boyunlyk).
Various devices for controlling a camel were also presented at the exhibition in Ashgabat. The simplest of them is the burunlyk, consisting of two sticks and ropes. For this, the camel’s nasal cartilage was pierced. With the help of this simple device, the camel became more obedient, docile and obeyed the will of a cameleer without demur. Yet, the camel most often was controlled with a bridle called nogta. At weddings, a special festive bridle – ovsar – was used. It is a beautifully decorated headband with lush tassels and plumes. The festive outfit would be supplemented with a large bronze bell (dunk) that was normally hung on the camel’s neck. Bells (chekgedzhang) jingled behind the ears and bundles of bells (dizdzhang) were attached above the knees of the front legs.
Speaking at the opening of the Ashgabat exhibition, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO Chinar Rustemova spoke about the significant role of camel breeding in the life of the Turkmen people. She noted that camels occupied a special place in wedding ceremonies. In this regard, active measures are being taken to preserve this unique tradition. In particular, it is planned to revive the rite of bringing the daughter-in-law to the groom’s house on a decorated camel. “In cooperation with the State Museum of Turkmenistan and experts in the field of ethnography, work will be carried out to further study and popularize the rich culture of the Turkmen people,” Chinar Rustemova said.
The revival of the tradition of wedding caravans is not only a romantic union of two loving hearts and birth of a new family. It is also that invisible thread that firmly connects history and modernity, the past and the present.

Allanazar SOPIEV


©Turkmenistan Analytic magazine, 2005