The original Turkmen groups arrived from the east of the Caspian Sea into northwestern Afghanistan at various periods, particularly after the end of the 19th century when the Russians moved into their territory. They established settlements from Balkh Province to Herat Province, where they are now concentrated; smaller groups settled in Kunduz Province. Others came in considerable numbers as a result of the failure of the Basmachi revolts against the Bolsheviks in the 1920s.[3]
Though the majority of Turkmens are recent immigrants who crossed the Soviet border in the years between 1915 and 1940, the chronicles of the 18th and even 17th centuries show that large groups of Turkmens were already present in Afghan Turkestan.[4]
Turkmen tribes, of which there are twelve major groups in Afghanistan, base their structure on genealogies traced through the male line. Consequently, senior male members of the family wield considerable authority. The following major Turkmen tribes live in Afghanistan: Ersari, Teke, Alili, Saryks and Salyrs. More than half of the Afghan Turkmens are descendants of the refugees who escaped collectivization in Soviet Turkmenistan in the 1920s.[citation needed]
Culture
Turkmen child's tunic, Northern Afghanistan, early to mid 20th century
Occupation
Formerly a nomadic and fierce warriors feared for their lightning raids on caravans, Turkmens in Afghanistan today are farmer-herdsmen and important contributors to the economy. They introduced karakul sheep to Afghanistan and are also renowned makers of carpets, which, with karakul pelts, are major hard currency export commodities. Turkmen jewelry is also highly prized.[3]
Mostly, Afghan Turkmens are economically well established in the country largely due to significant importance to the Afghan economy of the carpets.[4]
Afghan Turkmens mostly speak the Ersari dialect of the Turkmen language, which itself is a Turkic language of the Oghuz group.[5] It has an estimated five million native speakers in Turkmenistan, and a further 719,000 speakers in Northeastern Iran.[6]
The Turkmen language is closely related to Azerbaijani and Turkish languages, sharing common linguistic features and enjoying a high degree of mutual intelligibility with each of these languages.[7][8]
Turkmens adopted Islam between the 12th and 14th centuries. Sufi orders like the Yasawiya and Kubrawiya greatly contributed to the conversion of the Turkmens to Islam.[9]
The great majority of Turkmens readily identify themselves as Muslims and acknowledge Islam as an integral part of their cultural heritage.[10]
Notable people
Eypio- Afghan-born Turkish rapper, songwriter and musician.
