Religion of ancient turkmenistan accept islam. Customs and traditions of Turkmenistan. Almost half a million people are Orthodox among Turkmens

The development of Islam in the country, the construction of mosques and their demolition, the preparation, as well as the appointment of clergy, are under the control of the state. Society in Turkmenistan is historically passive, and the narrow layer that could influence political life, was trampled down during the time of Saparmurat Niyazov. Even in the most religious areas of Turkmenistan there are no Islamic political structures.

As a result, the country politically turned into a dead sea. Political Islam did not spread either. Unlike its neighbors, Turkmenistan has avoided the appearance on its territory of "Wahhabi" groups and their agents of influence. However, a specific form of the Nakshbandi order is spreading on the border with Uzbekistan.

Turkmens have never gravitated toward radical Islamic teachings, but poverty and an ideological vacuum can give rise to such a craving.

Turkmenistan belongs to the Hanafi madhhab of Sunni Islam. For Turkmens as a nomadic people, active ritual religiosity is unusual, as, for example, for Tajiks and Uzbeks. For the performance of religious rites, solitude is enough for them.

Islam is it

In the early 1990s, when Niyazov was just beginning to reincarnate from a party figure into a leader of the nation, Islam was useful to him in building a new national idea. He used Islam as handy tool, but only in forms determined and regulated by the state. Back in 1993, he stated that Turkmenistan was returning to Islam not so much as a religion with dogmatic postulates, but as part of the national culture.

In order to control religious activities in 1994, the Gengeshi (Council) for Religious Affairs was created, completely subordinate to the President of the country.

As his power grew, Niyazov tried to usurp Islamic symbolism and convey to the people the idea that Islam was him, demanding that his work, the Rukhnama, be listed alongside the Koran. Mosques were officially ordered to keep at least 2 copies of the Ruhnama, and quotes from it were carved on the walls of many mosques. For some time those close to Niyazov thought about declaring him a prophet, but changed their minds in time.

In 1997, more than half of the mosques operating in the country were not re-registered. However, they continued to operate with the tacit consent of the local authorities. At the same time, many imams tacitly ignored the official order to take an oath of allegiance to the motherland and the president after each prayer. This state of affairs did not suit the authorities, which led to purges in the ranks of disloyal imams.

In 2000, under the banner of fighting extremism, the authorities launched a campaign against dissidents. As a result, 40,000 copies of the Koran, translated into Turkmen by the disgraced Khadjaahmet Orazklychev, were burned.

In 2003, a high-profile trial was held against Mufti of Turkmenistan Nasrullah ibn-Abadullah, who reacted sharply negatively to the order to paint mosques along with texts from the Koran with quotations from the Rukhnama. In addition, he refused to recognize Niyazov as God's vicegerent. The former mufti was sentenced to 22 years. In the future, religious figures of the level of Nasrullah ibn-Abadullah did not lead the muftiate. Preference was given to candidates less religiously educated, but more politically loyal. Moreover, all imams are actually civil servants who receive salaries from the state, and therefore are very vulnerable.

In the spring of 2006, Niyazov declared that those who read his book Ruhnama three times would become smart, understand nature, laws, and human values. And then go straight to heaven. He claimed that he himself asked Allah for such a method of identifying the righteous.

Rukhnamization of the entire country has become an important component of secular religion, as well as the main line that determines state policy in relation to religious associations.
In the 1990s On the territory of Turkmenistan, in some villages, 2 mosques began to function simultaneously: one state, the second - a prayer house, where local residents gathered not only to perform religious rites, but also to discuss pressing problems. State religious oppression caused discontent in the ranks of ordinary Muslims.

Luxurious mosques were built during the Niyazov era. But the majority of the population took these masterpieces coolly, so they were not popular.

Training of religious personnel

Religious education has been tightly controlled by the authorities since Niyazov's rule. Since the 1990s religious literature practically did not enter the country. For a while, the purity of teaching could be maintained in Turkish schools, but in 2000 Niyazov announced that all madrasahs and religious schools should be closed. According to him, it was enough to have one madrasah operating under the control of the muftiate. Thus, he expressed distrust of Islamic structures after the underground structures of Islamic radicals were discovered in the north of Turkmenistan, which were used by the Uzbek opposition as transshipment bases.

In addition, 300 foreign (mostly Iranian) preachers were deported.

In 2005, the only Faculty of Theology in the whole country was closed in Turkmenistan (now it is the theology department of the Faculty of History), and contracts with Turkish theologians, who mainly taught there, were terminated, and the number of students dropped sharply.

Atageldy Nuryev, Ashgabat

And recognizes it as an integral part of their culture. There is no state religion in Turkmenistan, and the country's constitution provides for freedom of belief. Although Islam is widespread, there is a low, in relation to other countries, commitment to religion. Muslims in Turkmenistan are not as strict in attending services, but recognize the need to restore the importance of language, as important element revival of the country.

Religious demographics

Considering the religion of Turkmenistan as a percentage, it is worth noting that Islam has the largest share of the country's population - 89%. Sunni Islam is the most practiced branch among Muslims in the country. The minority religion in Turkmenistan is Christianity with 9%. Other beliefs in the country make up only 2% of the population.

The emergence of many beliefs can be correlated with 20th century European immigration to Turkmenistan. A significant number of immigrants are Russians, Armenians, Poles and Germans. Most of these immigrants consider themselves Orthodox Christians, Catholics or Lutherans. Smaller Christian communities are Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptists and Pentecostals.

History of Islam in Turkmenistan

Prior to the emergence of Islam in the religions of Turkmenistan, it, like many of its Central Asian neighbors, had Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity as its dominant faiths. Sufi sheikhs were tasked with spreading Islam and introducing it into the country. They were accepted as the "founders" of certain ethnic groups or clans, which subsequently laid the foundation for highly localized changes in the religion of Turkmenistan for some time. Part of the Turkmen tribal structure is a holy tribe called övlat. Six of the holy tribes are active, and each of them is believed to trace its lineage to the Prophet Muhammad through one of the caliphs. Members of the övlat retain some level of spiritual authority to this day.

Islam in Turkmenistan was heavily suppressed during the Soviet era under atheistic doctrines. Mosques across the country were closed and various Islamic practices were banned by the authorities. Only in 1990 did they begin to revive religion in independent Turkmenistan. Islam studied in educational institutions, and throughout the country there was the construction of mosques and religious schools.

Religion in Turkmenistan has evolved over time into a mixture of Sunni Islam, Sufi mysticism and Zoroastrianism, as well as shamanistic traditions. Such shamanistic practices include widespread beliefs in divination, the evil eye, and amulets. Shia Islam is mainly practiced by immigrants such as Iranians and Kurds.

Modern Islam

The current government controls official Islam through a structure inherited from the Soviet period. The Muslim Religious Council of Turkmenistan, together with Uzbekistan, is the Muslim religious administration of Mawarannahr. It was based in Tashkent and has a significant impact on the appointment of religious leaders in the country. The governing body of Islamic judges (Kaziat) is registered with the Ministry of Justice of Turkmenistan, and the Council for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers oversees the activities of the clergy. Persons wishing to become members of the official clergy must attend official religious institutions; however, some can prove their qualifications simply by passing an exam.

Since 1990, efforts have been made to restore part of the cultural heritage lost under Soviet rule. President Niyazov ordered that basic Islamic principles be taught in public schools. More schools and mosques have appeared, many of which were created with the support of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey. Religious classes are held with the teaching of the Quran and Hadith, as well as the history of Islam on Arabic.

Some state leaders and teachers working outside the official structure have promised to raise public awareness of Islam, expand the role of religion in society and increase adherence to its principles. Worried that such activization could exacerbate tensions between Sunnis and Shiites and especially alienate Orthodox Slavs, the government has drawn up plans to upgrade the Council of Religious Affairs to the status of a ministry in order to more strictly regulate religious activity.

Freedom of religion in the country

Turkmenistan is a peaceful state and ensures freedom of religion for its citizens. But unregistered religious activity is illegal, including setting up places of worship (altars), holding worship services, and distributing religious materials. All religious activity in the country is monitored and controlled by the Council for Religious Affairs (CRA).

Minority religious groups do not have representation on the Council, which hinders and makes it difficult for them to operate and obtain permission to do so from the CRA. The media reported that unregistered religious groups faced harassment, fines, imprisonment and deportation. Ethnic Turkmen who are converted to other religions face the highest levels of social problems. The religious landscape of Turkmenistan is relatively unfavorable for minorities.

Religion and law

Criminal and administrative codes prohibit harassment of registered religious groups, but the ban does not extend to unregistered ones. The authorities generally do not enforce it due to a lack of reports from registered religious groups that have expressed concern that the authorities have increased harassment or monitoring of their activities. The Administrative Code provides for penalties of 200-500 manats ($70-176) for officials who violate a person's right to freedom of worship or abstention from it, as well as fines of up to 10,000 manats ($3,521) for religious groups receiving unauthorized donations from outside the country.

Mysticism and the power of amulets

Turkmens believe in charms and amulets, which they consider to be endowed with special magical powers. It is believed that beads, bird feathers, ram horns and other items are able to drive away evil spirits, summon good ones and protect their owners from various troubles and misfortunes. These gizmos can be in the shape of an eye, a heart, a snake's head, small shells, or scarab beetles. Amulets and talismans and images associated with them are found in carpets, embroidery and clothing, as well as jewelry.

Magical powers have been attributed to certain types of fruits, seeds, and grains for hundreds of years. One of the earliest amulets was a necklace of jida seeds, pomegranate, pistachios and cloves. According to ancient beliefs, the strong smell of these plants could protect the owner from the evil eye, and a woman wearing such a necklace could quickly become pregnant.

National culture of Turkmenistan Like a sponge, it absorbed the features of the beliefs of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity, but the dominant religious customs with the advent of Islam are the traditions and rituals of Sharia. No less important than religious dogmas are the tribal relations of the Turkmens that have developed over the centuries. The revered and wise elders, the aksakals, enjoy unsurpassed authority. Each tribal group has its own pronounced cultural characteristics, distinctive elements national clothes, embroidery and decorations.

Religion of Turkmenistan

To date, the dominant - Islam belongs to the vast majority of the country's population. 89% of the inhabitants are Sunni Muslims, 9% of believers adhere to the customs of Orthodox Christianity.

Economy of Turkmenistan

In terms of GDP, it is the ninety-fourth economy among the countries of the world. Turkmenistan has developed textile, food and chemical industries. Foreign trade is dominated by the export of oil products and gas.

Science of Turkmenistan

State Turkmenistan characterized by almost complete literacy of the population. The modern one is distinguished by a developed system of primary and secondary education, which, along with scientific research, is supervised by the Academy of Sciences. The Academy is responsible for scientific institutes, among which the world-famous Institute of Deserts occupies not the last place.

Art of Turkmenistan

The diversity of the ethnogenesis of the Turkmen people had a significant impact on, in which the motives of the Turkic and Iranian peoples are traced. The most ancient traditions of the country and the symbol of the Turkmen people is the unsurpassed art of carpet weaving. According to ancient legends, it was in this amazing country that the world's first carpet was woven. Carpets of Turkmenistan are distinguished by the special subtlety and purity of traditional “gel” patterns. The skill of carpet weaving is passed down from generation to generation and is the national pride of the country.

Cuisine of Turkmenistan

culture The country is strong in its culinary traditions. Diverse and amazing - fragrant soups umpach-zashi and gaynatma, the splendor of traditional second courses, beshmarbek and, of course, Turkmen pilaf - will not leave true gourmets indifferent. Only in Turkmenistan you can taste the most unusual pilaf in Asia, in which fish is used instead of traditional lamb. coastal geography of Turkmenistan led to a fairly widespread use of seafood in national cuisine.

Customs and traditions of Turkmenistan

Original traditions and customs of Turkmenistan roots go back to ancient culture Turkic people Oghuz and Islamic religion. Most of the traditions and customs accompany the locals throughout their lives and largely determine their way of life. One of the brightest and most beautiful customs is the tradition of marriage, the preparation for which is a real event in the life of the family. The most colorful and detailed wedding ritual is reproduced in rural settlements.

Sports of Turkmenistan

The Turkmen people are traditionally considered a sports nation - sport Turkmenistan goes back to the ancient traditions of the past. Among the national sports there are various directions and types of wrestling, football is no less favorite among modern Turkmens.

The sign of the Muslim crescent in Central Asia was the first to see the Turkmens. It happened in 651 by moonlight: the Arab Bedouins were chasing the "last of the Mohicans", the king of the powerful Persian Sassanid dynasty, who was hiding from the chase and, in the end, the malacholny ruler of Merv was killed on libel. In the same year, the Arab influence covered almost the entire southern Khorasan.

After a couple of decades, the Arabs undertook a campaign to the southwest, but having met stubborn resistance, they calmed down and decided to "be content with little", as it turned out for the time being. It makes no sense to go into the outline of those heroic battles, as in any war, the confrontation went on with varying degrees of success. From the Amu Darya to the coast of the ancient Khazar, there were often uprisings under the green banner of Islam - against fellow countrymen of the very founder of the faith.

One way or another, over time, the dogma of the Prophet Muhammad found a lively response in the ardent hearts of the self-willed Turkmens. What are the motives? Probably, this is to blame, as the historian V. Bartold concluded, ... trade, "when nomads, getting acquainted with goods, were influenced not so much by Islam as by Muslim culture in general." Perhaps all this seemed close and understandable to the hardened inhabitants of the desert. What the Sun, Sky and Water used to be for them, Allah and Mohammed have now become. At the end of the last century, the Hungarian traveler Arminius Vamberi wondered how, for thirteen centuries of communication with Islamic etiquette, the inner life of the Turkmens remained essentially untouched.

For most Turkmens, acquaintance with Islam passed through the "magic crystal" of Sufism, which consisted of a bunch of exalted religious orders and degenerated on local soil into one ishan (priest) for the whole village, which was remembered only on the occasion of the birth of a child, the marriage of young people and in the days funerals for the dead. Of the three constants of Sufism: mysticism, asceticism and pantheism (the deification of mother nature - M.G), the Turkmens were most interested in the question of the natural principle.

Turkmens prefer to make 34 genuflections not in the mosque, but in ... splendid isolation. Prayer and communication with the Almighty is an extremely intimate sphere for a Turkmen, even the proverb is popular: "one ring is more useful than a thousand mosques." A pilgrimage to a popular local shrine was considered equivalent to the Hajj to Mecca, where only a few went.

The Turkmen thinker Dovletmammed Azadi (father of the poet Makhtumkuli, revered by the Turkmens - M.G.) was known as a deeply religious and extremely wise man. In his treatise state structure"Vagzy-Azad", from the point of view of dogmatists, he also allowed himself terrible sedition. A fair rule for one hour, he used to say, is more valuable than a thousand pilgrimages to holy places. From Sharia, Muslim law, or rather from its two chapters, ibadet (spiritual) and memalekt (secular), the Turkmens, having accepted almost all of its first part, actually ignored the second .

In everyday life, they followed the unwritten law of their ancestors. Customary law - adat, which disciplined all aspects of worldly life, was subject to adjustment over time. Thus, the custom of blood feud by the beginning of the atomic age in the Turkmen society became extremely unpopular. "Basmach" with experience Junaid Khan, who led the fight against the Red Army, raised his authority in the eyes of the people precisely by the fact that, being himself a bloodline, he managed to reconcile no less than 60 births in two or three years.

If the Bolsheviks tried to build a new world, destroying the old one to the ground, then their predecessors - the "people's spirit" tried not to disturb. "With the introduction of Russian laws, in their entirety, at first, thousands of honorary Turkmens would have to be exiled to Siberia just because they live according to their own concepts and customs ... They entered their blood and flesh to such an extent that life according to new laws, prematurely introduced, would seem to them not life, but hard labor, ”wrote the Russian officer Lomakin with knowledge of the matter, who studied local customs on behalf of the Governor-General of Transcaspia.

PS In Central Asia, a unique thing happened - passionaries of three large ethnic groups met: Arabs, Iranians and Turks proper (not to be confused with modern Turks, they are the same descendants of Turks, like, for example, Azerbaijanis and Turkmens -M.G), which eventually outgrew into a powerful, gigantic generation - a Muslim superethnos. The Central Asian renaissance happened at that very time and each of the listed peoples then invested a particle of themselves. Using the metaphor of the Arab chronicler of the 14th century Jemal Karishi, let's say that the Arabs distinguished themselves with eloquence, the Iranians with wit, and the Turks with sincerity. Until now, the Turkmens use names with a supernatural meaning - "God Dal". Moreover, ALLAberdi has an Arabic root, KHUDAYberdi - Iranian, and finally TANGRYberdi - Turkic.

The ability of Islam to organically fit into completely polar socio-cultural frameworks is phenomenal. Bartold once noted that there is not a single Muslim people who have adopted another faith, while a number of Christian and Buddhist ethnic groups themselves turned to Islam. The Central Asian version of Islam differed from the traditional one even during the period of Arab domination, and more than once it was in the geopolitical space of the Great Silk Road that bursts of Muslim reformation made themselves felt, interrupted by either the imperial ambitions of the Russian tsar or the "precepts of Ilyich".

The Turks of Central Asia did not dissolve as a people in the Arab-Persian culture, but adapted it to their national features. One of the clearest examples is the folk epic of the Turkmens, their legends about Oguz Khan, processed under a new trend, but not losing their national color from this. According to the same Karishi, the local literature is distinguished from Arabic and, to a greater extent, from Persian by its simplicity and sincerity. It is understandable. The work of a real poet, recognized by the people, was not intended here for "those in power", but for a society in which "every one is his own king."

Territory: 491,200 km². 52nd in the world.

Official language: Turkmen.

Capital: Ashgabat.

Currency: Turkmen manat.

Form of government: Presidential republic.

President - S.A. Niyazov (October 27, 1990, re-elected on June 21, 1992, from December 1999 President for life - December 21, 2006). G.M. Berdimuhamedov (since February 14, 2007).

Population: 5,655,457

Political structure

The head of state is the president, who is elected for a term of 5 years. At the same time, the life president of Turkmenistan until December 21, 2006 was Saparmurat Niyazov, who changed his name to Turkmenbashi (head of all Turkmens).

Executive power is represented by the government. The head of government is the chairman of the cabinet of ministers. Until his death, this position was held by Saparmurat Turkmenbashi, and since February 14, 2007, the current president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Legislative power is represented by the unicameral parliament of Turkmenistan - the Mejlis, which consists of 125 deputies. During the presidency of S.A. Niyazov, there was a People's Council - the Halk maslahaty, which consisted of the president, deputies of the Mejlis, people's representatives elected for 5 years, representatives of the judiciary, ministers, heads of regional administrations, representatives of public organizations, and elders. In accordance with the new Constitution, the Halk Maslakhaty has been abolished.

Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Kazyet (Court) of Turkmenistan and other Kazyets provided by law.

Political parties.

There are 3 officially registered political parties in Turkmenistan - Democratic Party Turkmenistan (is the direct successor Communist Party Turkmenistan), the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, the Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan. Any opposition activity in Turkmenistan is prohibited and suppressed by law enforcement agencies and special services. Behind

there are several opposition parties abroad, for example, People's democratic movement Turkmenistan and the People's Movement "Vatan".

Economy

After the collapse of the USSR, limited privatization was carried out in Turkmenistan. Therefore, industry, agriculture, energy, transport, communications are still in the hands of the state. About 70% of Turkmenistan's GDP is gas and oil production. With huge reserves of these energy resources, Turkmenistan is an important trading partner for its neighbors, including Russia. About 40% of the working population is employed in industry, about half of the population is employed in agriculture and the service sector, respectively. In addition to oil and gas, electricity, cotton industry goods, products are exported. textile industry. Imports - machinery and equipment, chemicals, coal, drugs, food.