WThe Turkmen people have traditionally been nomads and equestrians, and even today after the fall of the USSR attempts to urbanize the Turkmens have not been very successful. They never really formed a coherent nation or ethnic group until they were forged into one by Joseph Stalin in the 1930s. Rather they are divided into clans, and each clan has its own dialect and style of dress. Turkmens are famous for making knotted Turkmen carpets, often mistakenly called Bukhara rugs in the West. These are elaborate and colorful hand-knotted carpets, and these too help indicate the distinctions among the various Turkmen clans.
WAn asmalyk is a textile trapping used in a Turkmen wedding procession. Asmalyks may be pile or embroidered, and are usually five-sided, but some are seven-sided. Yomut asmalyks are the most common, followed by those of the Tekke tribe. Asmalyks were made in pairs to decorate the flanks of a bride's wedding camel, and were then hung in her domed, felt-covered tent.
WState awards of Turkmenistan include the orders, decorations, and medals. The following is a list of these awards of Turkmenistan.
WThe Ruhnama is a book written by Saparmurat Niyazov, the President of Turkmenistan from 1990 to 2006, combining spiritual/moral guidance, autobiography, and history. The text includes many stories and poems, including those by Sufi poet Magtymguly Pyragy. It was intended to serve as the "spiritual guidance of the nation" and the basis of the nation's arts and literature, by creating a positive image of the Turkmen people, a heroic interpretation of its history, the review of Turkmen customs and the definition of "moral, family, social and religious norms for modern Turkmens". This would be accomplished by the book being the "centre" of the Turkmen universe.
WTurkmen jewelry is a type of jewelry originating among the various Turkmen cultures of Western and Central Asia. The jewelry was crafted both for cosmetic and spiritual reasons, and the amount of jewelry an individual adorned themselves with was equated to the person's rank in society.
WA Turkmen rug is a type of handmade floor-covering textile traditionally originating in Central Asia. It is useful to distinguish between the original Turkmen tribal rugs and the rugs produced in large numbers for export mainly in Pakistan and Iran today. The original Turkmen rugs were produced by the Turkmen tribes who are the main ethnic group in Turkmenistan and are also found in Afghanistan and Iran. They are used for various purposes, including tent rugs, door hangings and bags of various sizes.
WThe Turkmen State Circus is the main arena circus of Ashgabat, capital of Turkmenistan. It has a seating capacity of 1,700 seats. Is administered by the Ministry of Culture and Broadcasting of Turkmenistan.
WAshgabat Theme Park is a theme park designed by Turkmen architects as a Turkmen version of Disneyland. It opened in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in 2006.
WThe Yomut carpet is a type of Turkmen rug traditionally handwoven by the Yomut or Yomud, one of the major tribes of Turkmenistan. A Yomut design, along with designs of the four other major tribes, such as Ersari and Tekke, is featured on the coat of arms and the flag of Turkmenistan.