Clothing, Traditional—Turkmenistan

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Dress in Turkmenistan developed as a part of Central Asian costume, and the styles and design of clothing were similar to those in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Until the 1880s, traditional clothing had the same basic form—a long, loose, simple tunic style. Styles were similar for all social classes, often differentiated only by the quality of the cloth and accessories, and the quantity of clothing in a wardrobe. The costume, however, was visibly different depending on the individual's age and social status.

The modern Turkmen women's costume includes a colorful, three-quarter-length jacket, or caftan, over a fairly tight-fitting dress with narrow sleeves and a little stand-up collar. The front panel, center front edges, and neckline of the dress are outlined in white embroidery. The jacket's front edge, hem, and bottom of the sleeves are decorated with velvet bands, metal disks, and beads. The cap, or tubeteika, in a bright color matching the jacket, is covered with silver jewelry and hanging coins.

The famous Karakul sheep are bred in Turkmenistan, and their gray, black, or brown wool has always been used extensively in clothing. Cotton and heavy silk were used in traditional clothing for the summer season. Women's costume was usually made from plain fabrics. All colors were used, but yellow, red, green, and blue were especially popular. The most popular color was red, in all its shades.

Everyday clothing was simple and consisted of a long tunic shirt and pants. The upper part of pants was wide, gathered with a lace. Pants were worn very low, almost at the hip level, leaving the belly bared. Pants' legs narrowed from knee level down. Women wore scarves and little woolen dome-shaped caps on their heads. Women's flat, soft, leather shoes or boots had pointed, slightly upturned toes.

An important part of the Turkmen women's costume was silver jewelry with semiprecious stones, which were necessary elements of everyday attire. Women wore rings, earrings, necklaces, and special decorations for forehead, temples, overcap and dress. The jewelry was often heavy with hanging coins. Even women from the poorest families had to have some jewelry—at least a ring—because the Turkmen believed that food cooked by a woman with no ring was bad. Children, both girls and boys, began to wear silver decorations at the age of five. Girls from nine to twelve years old, who were ready for marriage, and married women who had not yet had their first baby, had many more decorations than middle-aged women (thirty to thirty-five years of age).

Until the middle of the twentieth century, basic dress for men included a cotton or woolen shirt in dark colors and black or brown pants tucked into leather boots. The shirt had a rounded neckline with an opening on the right side and was worn over the pants and tied with a brightly colored sash; men would keep little necessities and tools in the pleats of the sash. For outerwear, men wore a three-quarter-length cotton robe or long sheepskin coat. The robe had dolman sleeves (wide at the shoulders but coming to a tight cuff), was decorated with a braid on the outer edges, and could be padded. Every Turkmen man carried arms, which was a part of the costume. A high, sheepskin bonnet, or papakha, was worn during summer and winter.

Today in Turkmenistan people wear a mixture of modern Western dress and traditional costume. The most complete version of the traditional costume can be seen during national holidays or special occasions, such as wedding ceremonies. However, some elements of the traditional costume, such as the tubeteika, and specific textile colors and patterns in the cloth, can be seen every day in the streets of big cities and tiny villages. Women still wear pants under their dresses, and older females always cover their heads with scarves. During the last decade of the twentieth century, after Turkmenistan became independent from the former Soviet Union (1991), the country began to revive its native culture, and interest in the history and style of the traditional costume increased.

Fairservis, Walter, Jr., (1971) Costumes of the East. Riverside, CT: Chatham.