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SOME FEATURES OF THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE POPULATION OF
THE SANGZOR-ZAMIN REGION AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH AND 21ST
CENTURIES
Beknazarov Nodir Beknazar o‘g‘li
+998 91 809 26 95
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16779143
Abstract
. This article explores key aspects of the material culture of the population of the
Sangzor-Zamin region, particularly in the Jizzakh oasis, at the turn of the 20th and 21st
centuries. Special attention is given to traditional practices related to horse equipment and
horse breeding. The author examines terminology related to equestrian gear preserved in the
local dialects, analyzing their functional features and comparing them with similar terms used
among other Turkic peoples. The study highlights the ethnolinguistic heritage of the Uzbek,
Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and partially Tajik populations of the region, revealing both shared and unique
cultural elements. The results contribute to the understanding and preservation of the
linguistic and cultural legacy of Turkic-speaking communities.
Keywords.
Jizzakh oasis, Sangzor-Zamin region, material culture, horse equipment, horse
breeding, Turkic peoples, ethnolinguistics, traditional terminology, saddle and tack, folk
heritage.
In the material culture of the inhabitants of the Jizzakh oasis at the beginning of the 20th
and 21st centuries, traditions typical of the local peoples of Central Asia predominated, but
some of the oasis's own characteristics were also noticeable. There are several types of material
culture of the local inhabitants of the Jizzakh oasis, and here we found it appropriate to shed
light on some aspects of the material culture of the inhabitants of this oasis by studying
traditions related to horse equipment, which is an important branch of horse breeding.
In almost all countries of Central Asia, including various regions and districts of
Uzbekistan, livestock and horses occupy a special place in the economic lifestyle and cultural
and everyday life of the rural population. In particular, the fact that various rituals and customs
related to horse breeding have retained their significance to some extent to this day indicates
that ancient traditions are still preserved in the economic life of the peoples of the region. It is
noteworthy that many traditions of the rural population of the Jizzakh oasis related to horse
breeding - such as the effective use of horses, breeding thoroughbred horses, preparing horses
for harness, feeding horses and making riding equipment - have been preserved to a certain
extent.
It should be noted that, as in all historical and cultural lands of Central Asia, the population
of the Jizzakh oasis, especially among the Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz peoples who were
nomadic herders in the past, has preserved various terms related to horse equipment - saddles,
harnesses, and harnesses. The almost identical terms related to horse equipment among the
Turkic peoples, whose way of life has been dominated by nomadic herders since ancient times,
are also evidenced by the unity of terms used in the languages of the fraternal peoples of the
Jizzakh oasis.
It is known that among the Turkic peoples, there are many types of saddles and harnesses,
that is, equipment used for riding horses, and they are divided into types such as "old saddle",
"men's saddle", "women's saddle", "children's saddle" depending on their use in everyday life.
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Also, depending on the material from which the saddles are made, they are called "birch saddle",
"pine saddle", "iron saddle", etc., and depending on the precious metals used as additional parts
or decorations, they are called "gold saddle", "silver saddle", "iron saddle", "embroidered
saddle". In addition, among the Turkic peoples, there are also types that are divided into
"coptolli saddle", "layik saddle", "big saddle", "small saddle", "koqand / koqoni saddle", "Kalmyk
saddle", "achamay saddle", etc.
Among the mainly Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and partly Tajik inhabitants of the Jizzakh
oasis, the following names are found for saddles and other horse equipment: “to‘qim”, “zhellik
(ellik)”, “tebingi”, “ayil”, “kuyushqon”, “o‘mildirik”, “kanjiga‘a”, “uzangi”, “tarol‘gi” or “uzangi
bog‘”, “yugan / jugan”, “chilvir”, “tizgin”, “no‘xta”, “suvliq”, “og‘izliq” and a number of other
object names. As will be discussed in more detail below, in almost all Turkic peoples, words
related to saddles and other horse equipment are used in the same way, their function and form
of manufacture also have much in common.
Interestingly, unlike a number of Turkic peoples, the Uzbek people, whose way of life has
been sedentary for many centuries - farming - have preserved most of the words related to
saddles and harnesses even today. Some of them are found in Uzbek dialects and do not differ
much from other Turkic peoples in this respect. Below, we will briefly touch on the names of
horse equipment and the functions they perform:
Although a significant part of these terms is understandable to a large part of the
population, today some segments of the population, in particular, residents of urban and
district centers, and young people, do not understand the literal meaning of these words. This
is a natural process, which is due to the fact that horses, like a number of other domestic
animals, are increasingly leaving human everyday life and horse breeding is becoming an
increasingly narrow field. Nevertheless, the majority of the Uzbek people have certain ideas
about the exact meaning or purpose of most of the above-mentioned terms. This is due to
respect for the traditions inherited from our ancestors, as well as the growing interest in horse-
related traditions, in particular, ulak - kopka, in some regions of our country, especially in
villages. Also, the frequent mention of terms related to horse equipment in our historical and
artistic literature, epics - folklore, and proverbs also contributes to the preservation of these
terms.
It is known that the saddle has a protrusion on the front and back edges, that is, on the
upper edges of the saddle. The cushion placed under the saddle is called a "kopchik", and the
"bellik" that is pulled along the horse's belly is called a "pashton" [1]. The flat felt item placed
under the saddle - under the double (pair) "koptol" (both sides) - is called a "toqim". The length
of the toqim is 120-130 cm, width - 60 cm, and it is made of "live wool" prepared in a thick way.
By "live wool" the livestock breeders mean the wool obtained during the autumn shearing of
lambs born in the spring. The felt toqim is often covered with leather, and the edges are sewn
tightly with a thick cloth.
A girth is a wide, looped strap that holds the saddle and harness on a horse firmly and is
pulled along the horse's belly (hip). Depending on the function of the girth, it is also called "tosh-
ayl" or "chap-ayl" (left girth). The girth is tied close to the horse's front legs. The chap-ayl is
longer than the girth. Usually, if the girth is tied tightly, the chap-ayl is tied more loosely so that
it does not pinch the horse's belly. In the Kazakh people, there is a saying "A woman who does
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not know the horse's belly does not know the horse." There is a proverb that says, "The owner
does not know the value of a brother, the horse knows. The value of a brother (relative) is not
known by the close, but by a stranger." [2].
A large part of the horse equipment has been preserved among the inhabitants of the
Jizzakh oasis or the adjacent Zamin district. The following words related to horse equipment
and types of horses that are still widely preserved in the dialect of the Zamins can be cited: agat
“white horse”, ail, aigir, aqta, baytal, boz “horse between white and blue in color”, burul “horse
with a scaly neck”, biya, donajin “four-year-old baytal”, donan “four-year-old horse”, jaydak
“scaly horse”, jaldar “horse with a scaly div”, jorga “horse with a scaly neck”, jortoqi “horse
with a scaly neck”, jiyron, juyruk “running horse”, kaltatoy “horse aged one to three years”,
kuzama “a foal aged six months to one year”, terlik, chobir “scaly horse”, chavkar “a well-
groomed horse with stars on its div”, chibar “scaly horse”, kisrak “not yet fled” "female horse"
etc[3].
If we pay attention to the words related to horse equipment presented in the table above,
it becomes clear that the Uzbek language has a unique place among the Turkic languages. It is
important to note that the Uzbek names of horse equipment are almost the same as those of the
Turkic peoples, with phonetic differences observed only in some words. If we proceed from the
fact that the Uzbeks lived side by side and mixed with the Tajiks, it would be natural that a
significant part of the words related to horse equipment would be of Persian-Tajik origin.
However, as shown in the table, such words are almost non-existent. Interestingly, a significant
part of the terms related to horse equipment found in the Kyrgyz language are found in the
southern dialects of this language, and most of them correspond to such words in the Uzbek
language.
For example, the words “jagazdiriq”, “zhilov”, “jabuu” or “jabi”, “jazdiq” (jazlyk) are noted
in Kyrgyz dictionaries as being used by southern Kyrgyz[4]. In fact, such words, which are
expected to be found in the northern dialects of the Kyrgyz language that have been preserved
in a relatively pure state, are found in the spoken language of southern Kyrgyz living in regions
and districts such as Osh, Uzgen, and Jalalabad, which are influenced by the Uzbek language,
require explanation. It is highly likely that these words were adopted from the Uzbek language
or were the own words of southern Kyrgyz tribes such as the Naiman, Kipchak, and Sarai, which
later became part of the Kyrgyz language and were originally related to the steppe Kipchak
Uzbeks.
References:
Используемая литература:
Foydalanilgan adabiyotlar:
1.
Explanatory Dictionary of the Uzbek Language
. (n.d.). Entry: Letter “P” (p. 326). [In Uzbek].
2.
e-history.kz. (n.d.).
Көчпелі қазақ мәдениетінің ерекшеліктері
[Peculiarities of
Nomadic Kazakh Culture]. Retrieved from
https://e-history.kz/kz/news/show/32269/
3.
To‘ychiyev, B., & Qashqirli, Q. (2012).
Zomin’s linguistic heritage
(pp. 216–237). Tashkent:
Akademnashr. [In Uzbek].
4.
Kyrgyz–Russian Dictionary (Кыргызча–орусча сөздүк)
. (n.d.). pp. 208–209, 212, 259. [In
Kyrgyz and Russian].
