Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country, and its culture and clothing traditions are according to the local tastes and beliefs. There are many common features between a Turkmen folk dress and the neighboring nations. For example, large sheepskin and karakul hats worn by men. But many characteristic elements of Turkmen traditional attire are truly and wonderfully unique. Let’s find out what typical garments do men and women wear in Turkmenistan, how they adorn themselves for festive occasions, and how to distinguish Turkmen traditional clothing from other folk garments around the world.
Read also: Traditional women’s tahya headwear in Turkmenistan
Turkmen male folk costume
The traditional attire of men in Turkmenistan includes a cotton shirt called “koynek” with a little amount of embroidery on the collar, loose cotton trousers called “balaq”, a striped fitted robe called “don”, a sash called “qusaq”, a headdress, shoes, and outerwear.
There is a rather wide variety of traditional men’s headdresses – a small skullcap called “bork”, a warm sheepskin hat called “telpek”, a turban (worn over a skull-cap), a karakul hat, etc.
The male folk attire is much simpler than female. The colors are darker and duller, there are few or no jewelry and catchy adornments, the garments are more practical than beautiful. Of course, it doesn’t mean that a Turkmen man can’t wear a bright and festive outfit, but it still is usually less decorative.
Turkmen male traditional costume
Turkmen men don’t bejewel themselves, they bejewel their wives and daughters to show off the wealth of the family. The only bejeweled item in their wardrobe is a dagger they might wear tucked under the belt. But they can wear clothes made from expensive fabrics, like silk, and they take pride in wearing lovely traditional sheepskin or karakul hats as a statement piece.
Another telling element of Turkmen men’s outfit are shoes. Originally, you could determine the wealth and social status of the wearer by his footwear. The most common male shoes are low shoes with a curved toe or sandals worn over woolen socks. In winter or if the man is rich, he can use high leather boots with heels or so-called “kovush” soft boots with leather galoshes to protect the boots from physical damage.
Turkmen female folk costume
Women in Turkmenistan traditionally dress in loose trousers called “balaq”, a dress called “koynek”, a sash called “sal qusaq” or “bil qusak”, a headdress (its shape and design show her marital status), often with a face veil, shoes, and outerwear.
It is rather typical for Turkmen women to wear festive clothes in different shades of red – blood-red, maroon, burgundy, dark pink, etc. The red color is a sacred color in Turkmen culture, it is believed to protect the wearer from evil. So, this color has been used in both male and female costumes for centuries.
Turkmen women’s traditional attire and jewelry, including a bejeweled headwear
The festive women’s attire is complemented with plenty of costly jewelry, silver or gold, with semi-precious stones. Most jewels are worn on the head, neck, torso, and hands (bracelets and rings). Turkmen traditional jewelry is typically massive, gem-encrusted, and eye-catching. The most typical shapes are large thin plates adorned with stones. You can see large round brooches with numerous hanging pendants, necklaces and belts made from silver plates, head adornments with pendants hanging at the sides of the head or onto the forehead, wide bracelets (the most intricate and beautiful are bracelets that are fastened around the wrist and have a set of 4-5 finger rings attached with chains – the whole thing is a one-piece that covers a big part of the back of the hand), and many more massive items.
Turkmen massive jewelry with semi-precious stones
Due to the local climate and modesty issues, Turkmen females traditionally wear several layers of clothing. The main dress is worn over a cotton chemise, an indoor robe or coat called “cabit” or “kurte” is put on top, and an outdoor coat called “chyrpy” on top of everything.
A very important and respected element of any Turkmen man’s, woman’s, or child’s attire is a protective amulet added to the clothes. It can be a piece of fabric attached to the clothing, a bracelet, or some other jewelry covered with text taken from the Koran or other religious words. The text can be embroidered, painted, engraved on the surface, and it is believed that such an amulet protects the wearer from the evil eye, evil spirits, bad energies, diseases, and anything bad that could happen.
Turkmen lady in striking folk costume, with a skull-cap and jewels
Read also: Traditional women’s tahya headwear in Turkmenistan
