'The Salor have been famous for their martial alities ever since the Arab invasion. The Con ntinople dynasty is said to belong to them. At ut they have three clans, with 8000 tents.
Sarakhs near Mery are said to be of this . They are rich in cattle, and cultivate.
and the Sarihs early left Mangishlak. The rakhs are equally brave ; they are occupying out Panjdik, on the Murghab, but are at war ' 11 most of the other tribes. They have about ,000 tents, in five clans.
The Tekke have their principal stations at -hal and Merv. They are the most numerous d powerful tribe. They have less than the other tribes of cultivable land within their borders, and are more dependent on plunder. Their in cursions are much dreaded in the N.E. of Persia, as well as in the direction of Herat. Their prin cipal taifas are the Bakshi Otemisch, and Tots wish, with numerous subdivisions, and they are said to number 60,000 tents = 300,000 souls. In 1881 they submitted to Russia.
The Yomut are said to have 31,000 families, of which 16,000 are subject to Khiva, and 15,000 to l'ersia. They themselves allege that their tents are 40,000 to 50,000. They are settled on the eastern shores of the Caspian and on some of its islands, also in the Khiva desert near the Oxus. They have four clans ; one, the Ogurjali, are under Persia, and are peaceable traders.
The purest type of the Turkomans is found amongst the Chandor and Tekke in the remoter deserts, are of middle height, small bead, oblong skull, a rather long chin, and snub nose ; cheek bones not high ; eyes remarkably bright, spark ling, and fiery ; feet usually turned inwards ; and usually fair in colour. The women are unveiled, have a ruddy, healthy look, and often considerable beauty. They are chaste, devoted to their families, and do all the hard work, the men confining their work to the care of their horses. The women make beautiful carpets ; a long shift is their usual dress, to which they add a shawl and boots, with many silver trinkets, chains, amulets, etc.
The chief expeditions of the Tekke were to seize slaves in Herat, Khorasan, Seistan, W. Afghan istan, and Persia, whom they sold in Bokhara and Central Asia ; whild the Yomut infested the south ern shores of the Caspian. The Ali-all and Kara captured caravans on their way to Bokhara. The Chandor ill-treat their slaves, so as to be a scandal to the neighbouring races. The slaves are mostly Persians of the Sbiah faith ; but they take the Sunni from Khaf and Herat, also capture Jamshidi and Hazara, occasionally an Afghan and a Hiudu. The slave trade is regularly organized.
The Kara Kalpak is an industrious tribe of Bokhara and Khiva. They inhabit tho delta of the Oxus, to which they migrated from the delta of the Syr-i-Darya in the beginning of the 19tIt century, in consequence of continual fights with the Kirghiz. They are supposed to be the race ' whom the Russians call Teliernio Kobluki. Their traditions are to the effect that about the 156 century they occupied the territory about Kazan, which they built. Afterwards Tartars came there.
Subsequently, the city was taken by the Russians, on which the Kara Kalpaks left, and the Tartars remained. The Kara Kalpaks then led a nomade life for 130 years, but afterwards settled for about 30 years in Turkestan. About A.D. 1690, a war occurred, on which they again left Turkestan, and settled, part of them on the Lower Syr-i-Darya (Jaxartcs) and Yani Darya, others on the right bank of the Zar-afshau, and 60,000 kibitkas on the Upper Oxus. Small numbers dwell on the right bank of the Zar - afshan, not far from Samarcand.
In appearance and dress they are intermediate between the Kirghiz, Kszak, and Kalmuk. They are tall, vigorous men, with more powerful frames than any of the Central Asian tribes, but clumsy, and with coarse features. They have large head, flat full face, large eyes, flat nose, slightly pro jecting cheek-bones, a coarse and slightly-pointed chin. Trotter says they have 10,000 to 15,000. tents in the Khiva districts ; their tents are large and strong, and guarded by a breed of large dogs.
Kirghiz proper are called Burut by the Chinese, Kara Kirghiz by other Asiatics, and by the Russians, Diko-ka-mennyi (i.e. wild mountain people). They must not be confounded with the people called by the Russians Kirghiz or Kirghiz Kazak, a distinct nation, differing from the Kirghiz proper in ap pearance, in language, and in many of their habits and customs. Their name and origin are said by them to be derived from Kirk-kiz, forty maidens, the male ancestor being a red dog. Vambery, however, says the name is from Kir, a field, and Giz, root of the verb Guzmak, to wander. They call themselves simply Kirghiz. Their principal quarters are in the mountains around Lake Issyk kul, and in the valley of the Chu ; this valley and the Ala-tagh. or Kirghiz-tagh mountains being their boundary to the north, from whence they wander into Chinese territory on the one hand, or into Khokand and Samarcand on the other, while to the south they range over the Pamir, Karatagin, and as far as Badakhshan and the eastern parts of the khanate of Bokhara. They are divided into two great sections, the On (right) or eastern Kirghiz, and the Sol (left) or western, both from a grandson of Kirghiz Beg. The tribes of the On are the Sary Bagnish, Bop, Saltu, Cherik, Sayak, Adygive, 3lonandyr, Jadygyr, and Tungstar ; those of the Sol are the Kokche, Soru, Mundu, and Kitai. They are ruled by their elders, styled Manap. Their chief wealth consists in cattle, sheep, and camels. They intermarry with the Kirghiz Kazak. They profess Muham• madanism, but retain some of the customs of the fire-worship. Few can read, and their women have much freedom, are unveiled, and there is a curious absence of jealousy. They trade in felts and pelts, skins of the martin and fox, and deer horn. Love of travel and war have often brought together the most distant branches ; but whether .. • .