Of great interest are pictures of Central Asian Gypsies – Lyuli (Jughi) and Mazang – representatives of two groups of local Gypsies. Little is known about their origin, time of the appearance in Central Asia or their everyday culture. They never allowed strangers to approach them, although, in the ethnic picture of the region, especially cities, they could not go unnoticed either in appearance or lifestyle.
However, the Gypsies adopted a lot from their neighbouring nations in ritual practice and material culture. They spoke Tajik and Uzbek. Mazang resided in cities or nearby villages. The men were engaged in the manufacture of sieves and bolters, blacksmithing and jewellery, woodworking crafts. Lyuli earned their livelihood mainly by begging, some women wove chachvan made of horsehair – facial curtains c overing the face that Muslim women wore with the burqa. They led a nomadic lifestyle, and their camps were usually located near the cities where the big bazaars were held.
Unlike other townspeople, Gypsy women did not cover their faces, and photographers of the past managed to capture the appearance of not only men but also young and elderly women, the peculiar details of their costume and the archaic elements that had already gone out of everyday fashion among the Uzbek women.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album “Uzbekistan in historic photographs of the 19th - early 20th centuries in the collections of Russian archives” (Volume XXXVII) in the series “Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan”.
The general sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
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