Tolkuchka Bazaar: Turkmenistan's Pushy Traditional Market

38°02'41.14"N 58°25'17.57"E

(from Wikimedia Commons)

   Ashgabat is justifiably one of the most bizarre cities on Earth. Almost all buildings and statues are made out of Italian white marble arranged in an extravagant architectonic style, while the plazas are massive monumental surfaces barely traversed by either locals or tourists due to strict governmental rules and a complicated VISA policy. But this eerie atmosphere immediately vanishes in today's Blind Witness:the Altyn Asyr Bazaar (most commonly known as Tolkuchka) is the city's main commercial hub in which hundreds of people gather daily to contemplate and purchase the fruit, handcrafts, jewelry, livestock and traditional carpets exhibited on the various stalls. Let's take a look at the history of the Turkmen capital, Tolkuchka's traditional heart and the famous carpet-woving culture of this country, that has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage.

   Firstly, in the 19th century, when the Russians conquered Central Asia, they would build a garrison next to a Teke village called Ashgabat that eventually expanded to a city with gender-separated high schools, a public library and a telephone network. Following Lenin's revolution, Ashgabat would soon fall under Soviet hands and would be renamed Poltoratsk, honoring a local Bolshevik leader. The city itself experienced transformation too: churches and mosques were closed, public places were renamed to "Karl Marx Square" or "Stalin Avenue" and a huge statue of Lenin was erected. However, after Turkmenistan's independence in 1991, the city would change again: churches and mosques were reopened, the Karl Marx Square was renamed to "Independence Square" and the statue honoring Lenin was completely walled off. Later, president Saparmurat Niyazov (who was also called Türkmenbaşy, "Father of All Turkmen") used the country's oil reserves to turn Ashgabat into a sort of dystopian Las Vegas as we know it. The only place where Turkmenistan's customary spirit is still conserved is at Tolkuchka Bazaar, although even here it isn't completely pure tradition anymore.

The Wedding Palace. The silver sphere on top shows the contour of Turkmenistan and the surrounding  stars symbolize a national hero (from Wikipedia)

   During the Soviet era, Tolkuchka started as a little goods market resembling the ancient Silk Road trade. The narrow bazaar was built upon a sandy floor and was famous for the pushy traders that would bargain over a simple potato, hence the name "Tolkuchka", meaning "pushy" in Russian. Stalls sell fruits, spices, beverages, ceramics, handmade silver jewelry, ketene; a silk fabric for local colorful dresses, telpek; a bowl-shaped leather headgear for men, and cattle animals such as camels or goats. However, in 2011, the authorities also modernized this conventional trading space by moving it to a luxurious shopping zone and renaming it Altyn Asyr that has become one of the largest outdoor markets in Asia and which, seen from the air, looks like a traditional carpet: the highlight of this bazaar and, in general, of Turkmen culture.

Camels at Altyn Asyr Bazaar (from Wikimedia Commons)

   Many years ago, the regions of Turkmenistan's vast Karakum desert were inhabited by five main tribes of nomadic shepherds. These were the Teke, Yomud, Ersari, Salyr and Choudur. Evidently, they had different cultures but they all shared the same tradition of carpet weaving. Post-independence, their traditions enriched another with their own techniques and decorations, forming a symbol of unity. Actually, every last Sunday of May, Turkmenistan experiences "Carpet Day", a national holiday dedicated to this custom in which master weavers exhibit their works; and as of 2019, this practice was inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Heritage's list. 

Turkmen handmade carpets and bags (from Wikimedia Commons)

   Turkmen carpets are made vertically or horizontally, so that they can be used for floor covering or hung up on a wall, and the topics the pattern reflects are usually tied to local nature. The material used is wool and natural dyes such as indigo or walnut husks colorfully decorate them, even if the preferred and most common dye is madder root's red. Some rugs are used for special events such as the birth of a child, prayer rituals or weddings. Lastly, the main part of a Turkmen carpet is the gul, an octagonal layout, usually centered, that symbolizes the tribe the rug is from. The national flag depicts all five guls in the left side of the banner as a form of unity.

Turkmenistan's flag. The crescent moon represents Islam, the five stars are the five national provinces and the color green was historically used in local flags. The left-side guls symbolize, in descending order, the Teke, Yomud, Salyr, Choudur and Ersari (from Wikimedia Commons)

Further Reading:

Hahoe Village: South Korea's Traditional Capital

Kizhi Pogost: The Best-Preserved Remains Of Russia's Wooden Architecture

Sources and Picture Credits:

Sources: UNESCO, World Travel Guide, Wandering Educators, Travel Land, Go Live Go Travel, Turkmenistan.gov, Tumblr, Farzin Mollaian

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Picture 1: Flickr user Martijn Munekke

Picture 3: https://www.flickr.com/people/110608682@N04 (Hans Birger Nilsen)

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Picture 4: Wikimedia user Gulzar Nurlyyeva

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Picture 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:IronGargoyle

Note: This image is believed to be non-free in its home country.