HOUSE, FOOD, AND DRESS.
The house, or fixed dwelling, has never, up to the present day,
gained a firm footing among the nations in Central Asia, not even
in those parts where regular settlements have existed for several
hundred years. Part of the population build houses for themselves,
but they are generally looked upon as gloomy places, producing
feelings of melancholy, and the light, airy tent is in all cases
preferred. It is principally the Œzbeg people who build houses,
an art they have learnt from the original Persian settlers, and,
as they resemble in many points the inhabitants of Iran, the
architecture in Central Asia is in the early Iranic style, and at
the same time very similar to the new Persian.
The first thing before building a _house_, is to level and prepare
the ground by stamping it down with a heavy pounder. Foundations
are only made to large buildings. The common-sized houses are made
with a mud flooring, two feet high, and upon this, after it has
dried hard, the walls are raised with a layer of rushes or wood
underneath, in order to keep them from the damp rising from the
ground. The walls are either "tam," _i.e._, of clay or stone,
or "akchub," _i.e._, of wooden laths, laid crossways, and the
interstices filled up with clay and unbaked tiles. The ceiling
consists of planks, closely fitting together; in the houses of the
poor these are left bare, and in those of the rich they have a
coating of plaster and lime. Small holes serve as windows; they are
open in summer, and in winter are pasted over with oiled paper. The
roof, similar to those in Persia, is like a terrace, and serves as
a sleeping place during the heat of the summer. Regular bricklayers
are seldom met with. Every man is his own architect, convinced
of possessing sufficient knowledge to build for himself a house
suitable to his wants; and the plumb-line being still unknown, it is
not to be wondered at that the walls are crooked and uneven, bulging
either in or out, and soon become dilapidated.
The interior arrangement of a house is as follows: you enter by a
wide gate, which forms the chief entrance, into a covered passage,
called dalar. To the right of the gate are one or two rather large
apartments (mihmankhane), which serve as reception-rooms for guests,
and contain weapons as well as useful domestic utensils. Next to
these are two small rooms, used as store-rooms. To the left are
the stable and the shed for the carts and trucks, whilst a small
door at the back of the dalar, opposite the entrance, leads to the
inner apartments or harem. These are for the most part ayvans, that
is, rooms which are open on one or two sides, and generally look
out upon a garden. In towns they are used as favourite summer
apartments, and it is really pleasant to live in them, especially
during the night, with a peshekhane, a square tent made of gauze,
like mosquito-nets, over one's bed, as a protection against catching
cold, which is as dangerous in Central Asia as it is in Persia. In
the country the dwellings are scattered. The farmstead (havli),
which consists of several different parts, is always surrounded with
a high wall for protection, and looks like a small fortress. The
interior is very roomy; on one side are the buildings, always lower
than the wall, on the other the tents, the fixed dwellings being set
apart here also exclusively for animals and store-rooms. Sometimes
the inner space is so large that a small kitchen-garden has found
room within it. Outside, but near the walls, is a large reservoir,
the edges of which are bordered with plantains, and afford a most
agreeable resting-place. These trees flourish admirably in this part
of Asia, where they are found of an astonishing height and breadth,
and reach the great age of from 300 to 400 years. On hot summer days
they afford the most refreshing shade, and for hours the Œzbeg
is seen sleeping beneath the spreading branches. Not only does the
thick foliage protect him from the burning rays, but the breeze,
which always blows under the plantains, drives away tormenting
insects.
The furnitures of a house are the same as in Persia, and consist of
carpets, coverlets of felt, large chests, painted red, for keeping
clothes, some cauldrons and other vessels for cooking, and holding
water. Splendour or luxury are entirely wanting, and even the modern
improvements in windows and doors, met with sometimes, come from
Persia, from whence some clever and expert slave has introduced
them into Central Asia. Nothing can find its way here from Europe,
it has always to pass through the channel of Turkish and Persian
civilization, And everything travels its customary snail's pace; the
Persian imitates European institutions second hand from the Turks,
and the nations in Central Asia adopt nothing but what reaches them
through the medium of Persia.
The _food_ of the Tartars consists principally of meat. Bread, in
many parts of the country, although not unknown, is yet a rare
luxury. Mutton is the favourite meat; next to this goat's flesh,
beef, and horse flesh; camel's flesh is least valued. Occasionally,
the horse is declared to be "mekruh" by the religious, and is not
eaten, but in the country little notice is taken of it; and the
_Torama_, horse flesh boiled soft and mixed up with onions, carrots
and dumplings, is a very popular dish. It is worthy of remark, that
the water first used in boiling the horse flesh is poured away,
as far too strong and heavy for even Tartar digestion, and that
only the second infusion can be eaten as broth. In some parts of
Central Asia sausages are made of the entrails, and considered a
dainty dish; but I have nowhere found, that the delicate parts of
this animal are held in such high favour among the Œzbegs as is
asserted throughout Persia. Camel's flesh is hard and tough; it is
cut in small pieces, covered with paste, boiled, and then fried in
lard. This dish, called _Somsa_, is not quite tasteless, but to our
digestions like a weight of lead.
The favourite national dish is the _Palau_, also called ash, which,
though related to the pilau of the Persians and the pilaf of the
Turks, by far surpasses both these in savour. I have lived on it for
a long time, and willingly impart to Europeans my knowledge of how
it is prepared. A few spoonfuls of fat are melted (in Central Asia
the fat of the tail is usually taken) in a vessel, and as soon as
it is quite hot, the meat, cut up into small pieces, is thrown in.
When these are in part fried, water is poured upon it to the depth
of about three fingers, and it is left slowly boiling until the meat
is soft; pepper and thinly-sliced carrots are then added, and on the
top of these ingredients is put a layer of rice, after it has been
freed from its mucilaginous parts. Some more water is added, and
as soon as it has been absorbed by the rice the fire is lessened,
and the pot, well-closed, is left over the red-hot coals, until the
rice, meat and carrots, are thoroughly cooked in the steam.
After half an hour the lid is opened, and the food served in
such a way that the different layers lie separately in the dish,
first the rice, floating in fat, then the carrots and the meat at
the top, with which the meal is begun. This dish is excellent,
and indispensable alike on the royal table and in the hut of the
poorest. From here it was introduced among the Afghans; by them to
the Persians, who call it kabuli (kabul). The pilau, if I am not
mistaken, has its origin in Central Asia, and spread from thence far
and wide over Western Asia.
Another national dish of the Tartars is _Tchörek_, a soup with small
dumplings in it, which are filled with spice and minced meat. I say
"a soup," and yet this dish alone suffices for a whole dinner, since
it is partaken of in such quantities that any other dish can be
easily dispensed with. It is known among the Osmanlis, by the name
of tatar börek. Thirdly, _Sheöle_, a porridge of rice mixed up with
meat and dried meat. Fourthly, bulamuk, a dish consisting simply of
flour, water and fat. Fifthly, _Mestava_, rice boiled in sour milk,
a dish exclusively for the summer, as the former is for the winter.
Besides these dishes there are the _Yarma_, corn bruised and boiled
in milk; _Godje_, a kind of porridge, made of the molcussorghum;
and _Mashava_, likewise a porridge of grits, eaten with fat, and
sometimes with oil. Heavy, strong and piquant dishes are generally
preferred, few sweets are eaten, sugar and honey being unknown,
and the many syrups (shires) prepared of grapes, melons, and other
fruits, are rarely used in cooking. Of bread only enough for the
day's consumption is baked, as is the custom everywhere in Asia. The
dough is not made into thin cakes, as in Persia, but into round
thick loaves, such as are used in the neighbourhood of Erzerum, and
are called lavash. There is also a sort of biscuit baked in fat,
eaten when travelling.
Among the settled nations of Central Asia, tea is the favourite
drink, and among the nomads, especially the Kirghis tribe, it is
the _Kümis_. In summer they drink green tea, which thins the blood
and promotes digestion; but in winter a black tea (brick tea) of a
very harsh taste and an extraordinary stimulant; its effects are
for a long time unbearable, and must be very dangerous. Cooling
drinks are the _Airan_, sour milk mixed with water, and various
decoctions made of dried fruit. Coffee is entirely unknown; even in
Persia it is only met with in the southern province of Fars, and in
Irak among the higher classes. Wine and brandy are sometimes sold
secretly in the capitals, by Jews who manufacture both, but the
number of consumers is very small. The Islamitic laws are severe on
this point, and forbid, under pain of death, the use of spirituous
liquors, but they do not prevent the vice of intoxication. Those who
wish for stimulants use opium, teriak, or other narcotic poisons,
and thus, in order to obviate a small evil, the door is opened to a
much larger one, the gratification of which costs health and life.
The wretched poverty among the inhabitants of Central Asia is shown
in nothing more strongly than in their _dress_, and the eye is with
difficulty accustomed to the simple cotton stuff, or silks of
glaring colours, in which every one is clothed, man and woman, young
and old. Cloth or other European manufactures are only exhibited on
extraordinary festive occasions, and are worn by wealthy or great
dignitaries, as a _ne plus ultra_ of luxury. At any other time,
whether winter or summer, a garment, the so-called _Aladja_, is
worn, and the only difference made in the various seasons is, that
they put in a thicker lining, of either linen, wool, or fur. The
cut of it is, perhaps, the most primitive among all the settled
nations of Asia. No one has any idea of dressing tastefully and
yet conveniently, or of setting off their figure to advantage, the
only object is to cover or rather envelope it, and the Persian is
perfectly right when he satirically says of his rude neighbours,
that the whole nation moves about wrapt up in bed clothes. The
_Tchapan_ (upper coat) is the chief article of a man's wardrobe; it
is not unlike our European dressing gowns, and cut out in Khiva so
as to fit the body pretty well; in Bokhara it is already so large
that two people can envelop themselves in it, and in Khokand it is
widest of all. It is a highly ludicrous sight to see a man trot
along in this smock-frock-like garment, full of folds, and puffing
out at every part, and though I can well understand the many folds
round the chest, forming as they do a receptacle for a whole set of
cooking utensils, and all the necessaries for travelling, and food
to last at least for two days, yet it will always be a mystery to
me why the sleeves are twice as long as the arms, and what is the
advantage of tucking them up and making an enormous roll or puff on
the top of the arm. Under the tchapan is worn in summer a _Yektey_
(a thin under dress), and under this the shirt, which reaches down
to the ankles, and is distinguished from other shirts, worn in Asia,
by being open on the left shoulder instead of in front, very much
like a sack. At night the Turkestans have the strange habit, before
going to sleep, of drawing their arms out of their shirt sleeves,
and doubling themselves up. In winter an extra garment, _Tchekmen_,
of ample dimensions and made of coarse stuff, is added to this
costume. In some parts of the country, especially in Khiva, where
the cold is greater, thickly-wadded, clumsy trousers are worn. As
a covering for the head they wear in Khiva the telpek, a broad,
conical-shaped hat of fur, which is very heavy; throughout Bokhara
the turban is worn. It has a very picturesque appearance, with its
long loops hanging down on the left side, and the trim natty way in
which it is put on. In Khokand a small light cap used to be worn
until twenty years ago, not unlike our clergyman's scapula (skull
cap,) but since then it has yielded to Bokhariot civilisation,
and has been supplanted by the turban. As to boots, those made in
Bokhara and Khokand are the best. The leather is good, the shape
rather handsome, but for the ludicrously long and thin heel, the end
of which is scarcely broader than a nail's head. People of rank wear
a kind of stocking made of morocco leather (mest), and over these,
shoes, of which the best are made in Samarkand.
With respect to the dress of the women, it seems as if they
were still more desirous than the men to avoid any approach to
ostentation, luxury or smartness. When in undress, the women wear
in summer a long shirt, reaching down to the ankles, the hind part
of which is made of coarse linen, and the front mostly of a light
coloured strong Russian print. The trousers are in like manner made
of linen down to the knee, and the lower part, which fits close to
the ankle, is made of print, or any other coloured stuff. The women
wear in winter, over the shirt, one or two thickly-wadded jackets,
fastened round the loins with a shawl. When abroad they put over
all this a long garment, not unlike a man's coat, in which the
woman muffles herself, holding it tightly together with both hands
across her chest. The feet are covered with clumsy boots. It is a
sorry sight to see a town woman of Central Asia walk about in this
wretched costume, with her whole attention engrossed by the effort
not to let the over-coat escape from her hands, since she would
be regarded as an impudent woman indeed, if she allowed her under
garments to be seen, and although the boldest stare cannot penetrate
the coarse veil of horse-hair, yet she has to be for ever on the
watch not to attract the looks of the passers by.
In the country, women are allowed to move with less restraint.
Married women are seldom veiled, young girls never. The overcoat
is shorter, and is merely thrown across the shoulder, and the
broad shawl girded round the waist, with long ends fluttering to
the breeze, gives a certain picturesqueness to their appearance.
This indulgence, however, is only enjoyed in Khiva and Khokand;
in Bokhara, even in the country, the tyrannical laws of Islamitic
civilisation are executed with great severity, and it is rare to
meet with an exception.
Among the men, various objects of ornament are seen, those which
hang from the _Koshbag_, such as good knives with silver or other
ornamented handles, gold-embroidered bags for tea, pepper and salt;
further, rings for the fingers, tesbih (rosaries,) seals sometimes,
but rarely, bracelets, gold and silver sheaths for amulets and
watches, which latter are especial articles of luxury, and only to
be found among the great. The objects of ornament among women I
have already mentioned when speaking of the customs at weddings. It
is useless to look for comfort or luxury either in the dwellings,
food, or clothing of the natives of Central Asia, every thing here
bears the impress of very ancient manners and customs, and every one
conforms to them willingly, not wishing for anything better. The
government, supported by the Mollahs, labours to keep up this status
quo of things, by declaring all foreign productions contraband,
and endeavouring to supplant them in the market, for fear the
inhabitants of Turkestan might become aware of their poverty, and
attribute it, not to the natural, but to the social circumstances
of their country. And yet such an endeavour is fruitless, railroads
and steam vessels bring their powerful veto, even in these rude
countries, to bear upon a whole nation's backwardness. The ships
which plough the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the
Lake of Aral, the Volga, and, at the present time, the Yaxartes
likewise, have considerably lessened the distance between Central
Asia and the west of Europe. The locomotives, which on the south run
as far as Lahore, on the north to Nishnei-Novgorod, and astonish
and perplex the eastern nations, are still, it is true, far from
the inland waters of the Oxus and Yaxartes; yet, nevertheless, they
exercise a considerable influence upon the communication of these
countries. The Œzbeg trader need only go as far as Orenburg on
the one, and Peshawur on the other side, and he has St. Petersburg,
Bombay, and the whole of Europe before him. Inaccessible as Central
Asia still is to all scientific, as well as commercial travellers,
yet within the last twenty-five years an essential material
advancement is apparent. We need only look over the custom-house
list of the English and Russian frontier towns, and we should be
surprised at the enormous increase of articles imported from Europe.
From 1840 to 1850 goods were transported across the Russian frontier
of nearly a million pounds sterling in value, and in the year 1860
they amounted already to the value of two millions. Cotton and silk
stuffs have been more largely imported than any other goods, and
in spite of the detestation and horror felt towards the producer,
the productions of the west grow more and more in request, and are
well paid for. Cottons, handkerchiefs and cambrics, as is well
known, are the great forerunners of civilisation, the mute apostles
of western culture, who spread blessings in their path, even though
European arms and military tactics occasionally accompany their
footsteps. And, however much the condition of half savage nations
may be extolled for its happiness by foolish and weak-brained
enthusiasts, yet a practical observer must feel convinced that our
civilisation is preferable, and that it is a sacred duty on our part
to transplant it to every clime and country.