Saryk

Saryk
Sarykly
Drawing of a Saryk man
Regions with significant populations
Marghab Valley (Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan)
Languages
Turkmen (Saryq dialect), Dari
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Turkmens, Afghan Turkmens, Iranian Turkmens

The Saryk (Turkmen: Sarykly) are a tribe of Turkmens in Turkmenistan.[1][2] The Saryk mostly live in the valley of the Marghab River (the ancient Margiana).[3]

Etymology

Suggestions for the etymology of Saryk (also Sarik, Saryq) are the Middle Turkic saryγ ("yellow") or the Kipchak root saryq ("sheep").[4]

History

In the early 19th century the Saryk lived in the Merv region, but from 1830 they were driven further up the Marghab valley by the Teke.[5] Bala Murghab and the Panjdeh became their main settlements.[6]

In 1881, the Saryk came under Russian control after the Battle of Geok Tepe and the creation of the Transcaspian Oblast.[7] In 1885, the Saryk population was estimated at 65,000.[6]

They continued under Russian rule through the Soviet period. Today most live in modern Turkmenistan, with some living over the borders in Iran and Afghanistan.[8]

Art and culture

Like other Turkmen tribes, the Saryk are known as carpet-makers and have their own distinctive style: dark red-brown carpets with the pattern picked out in fine, thin lines.[7] They use a symmetrical (Turkish) knot, like the Yomut do.[9] The Saryk are also famed for their jewellery.[10]

  • Saryk carpet, 19th century
    Saryk carpet, 19th century
  • Saryk carpet, 19th century
    Saryk carpet, 19th century
  • Siawosch Azadi Saryk Ensi. circa 18th century
    Siawosch Azadi Saryk Ensi. circa 18th century

See also

References

  1. ^ "Turkmenistan - Turkmen tribes and Russian invasion | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
  2. ^ Isaacs, Rico; Marat, Erica (September 14, 2021). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Central Asia. Routledge. ISBN 9780429603594 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Olson, James Stuart; Pappas, Lee Brigance; Pappas, Nicholas Charles; Pappas, Nicholas C. J. (November 20, 1994). An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313274978 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Jankowski, Henryk (October 1, 2006). A Historical-Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Russian Habitation Names of the Crimea. BRILL. ISBN 9789047418429 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Office, Great Britain Foreign (November 20, 1887). "Further Correspondence Respecting Affairs in Central Asia" – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b Lansdell, Henry (November 20, 1885). Russian Central Asia. Arno Press. ISBN 9780405030413 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Adle, Chahryar (January 1, 2005). History of Civilizations of Central Asia: Towards the contemporary period : from the mid-nineteenth to the end of the twentieth century. UNESCO. ISBN 9789231039850 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Peoples of the USSR: An Ethnographic Handbook. Routledge. July 28, 2017. ISBN 9781315475400 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Mace, Ruth; Holden, Clare J.; Shennan, Stephen (September 16, 2016). The Evolution of Cultural Diversity: A Phylogenetic Approach. Routledge. ISBN 9781315418599 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ Peyrouse, Sebastien (February 12, 2015). Turkmenistan: Strategies of Power, Dilemmas of Development: Strategies of Power, Dilemmas of Development. Routledge. ISBN 9781317453253 – via Google Books.