The Culture, Traditions, and Heritage of Turkmenistan

The culture of Turkmenistan is slightly different from the cultures of its neighbor Muslim states in Central Asia, but its basic cultural features are somewhat related to the cultural traditions of the Turkic-speaking oguzs, many of which are found in literature. The slight difference between the Muslim state cultures and the Turkmen’s culture is shown by the fact that the Turkmen ancestors were nomadic people while its neighbors were inhabited by farming tribes or groups.

Not only in  literature are the oguz’s traditions found but also in music and folklore. In literature, one example is the national oguz epos, or a number of epic poems, passed orally from one generation to another generation. The epos were written down only in the mid-16th century with the birth of more artists. The kitabi Dede Korkud is another epic poem that reflects the pre-Islamic culture of the oguzs and, later, the influence of the religion from the 11th to 12th centuries. Other epic poems were made by Turkmen national singers and story-tellers. In the 18th century, the poetry of the country used the Chagatai language, which is similar to the Persian language. One of the country’s great poets was Makhtumkuli, whose poetry dealt with philosophical subjects. He was followed by Sietnazar Seyidi, Kurbandurdy Zolih, and later by Berdy Kerbabaev, who was also a novelist and playwright, and one of the popular writers in the country during the Soviet period. In rug-making, the Turkmen people are famous for making gillams, which are elaborate and colorful rugs. They are also noted for using, which are large and made of usually black sheepskin. When you see a woman wearing two braids and a small scarf, chances are she is unmarried, otherwise she is married if she wears one braid and a big kerchief.