Kibitka at Ashkhabad
These kibitkas, photographed by Ella Christie at Ashkhabad, were temporary dwellings of the nomadic Turkmen (Turcoman) people, representing a type of construction intermediate between huts and tents, built on a circular framework of poplar poles with domed roofs covered in felt and reed mats, and interiors lined with Turcoman carpets. As in other areas of local culture, Ella Christie lamented the intrusion of Russian taste, here represented by the introduction of aniline dyes which were displacing the indigenous colouring techniques. The Turkmen people were mainly shepherds, moving from place to place in search of suitable pasture for their sheep. In addition to mutton, their diet consisted of fruit and vegetables, and cream and cheese from the milk of various animals. Such dwellings are still in use today in places, especially for semi-nomadic summer herding activities, though post-collectivisation it is doubtful that any purely nomadic communities remain.
