Turkmenistan - The energy-rich Central Asian country revives its most ancient rituals and customs, and discovers old taboos that were thinly papered over during Communist rule. Many marriages are arranged, but marriages-of-love are becoming more popular. Muslims in Turkmenistan are of the Sunni faith, and do not share the Islamic fundamentalism of their neighbors in Afghnaistan and Iran . Young women with two braids and a small scarf are unmarried; those with one braid and a big kerchief have been wed...More than 70 diffrent nationalities reside in Turkmenistan...Two giant earthquakes (10 points on the Richter scale) in 1895 and 1924 flattened Krasnovodsky and Ashgabat respectively. A 1948 quake destroyed Ashgabat in less than a minute... Yurta , the traditional tent (it has a collapsable wooden frame and is covered with reeds and felt) is still used today. |
