The Saryk () are a tribe of Turkmens in

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

. The Saryk mostly live in the valley of the

Marghab River The Marghab River (Persian language, Persian/Pashto language, Pashto: مرغاب, ''Morqâb''), anciently the Margiana (Ancient Greek: Μαργιανή, ''Margianḗ''), is an long river in Central Asia. It rises in the Paropamisus Mountains ('' ...

(the ancient Margiana).

Etymology

Suggestions for the etymology of ''Saryk'' (also ''Sarik, Saryq'') are the

Middle Turkic Middle Turkic (''Türki'' or ''Türkçe'') refers to a phase in the development of the Turkic language family, covering much of the Middle Ages (c. 900–1500 CE). In particular the term is used by linguists to refer to a group of Karluk and Og ...

''saryγ'' ("yellow") or the Kipchak root ''saryq'' ("sheep").

History

In the early 19th century the Saryk lived in the

Merv Merv ( tk, Merw, ', مرو; fa, مرو, ''Marv''), also known as the Merve Oasis, formerly known as Alexandria ( grc-gre, Ἀλεξάνδρεια), Antiochia in Margiana ( grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐν τῇ Μαργιανῇ) and ...

region, but from 1830 they were driven further up the Marghab valley by the

Teke Teke or Tekke can refer to: People * Teke (Turkmen tribe) or Tekke, a tribe of southern Turkmenistan * Teke people or Bateke, a Central African ethnic group * Fatih Tekke (born 1977), Turkish footballer * Kent Tekulve (born 1947), American baseba ...

Bala Murghab Bala Murghab (Persian/ ps, بالامرغاب) is a city in the Badghis Province of northwestern Afghanistan, located on the Murghab River. It is the district center for the Bala Murghab District. Bala Murghab is the largest city of Badghis Provin ...

and the Panjdeh became their main settlements. In 1881, the Saryk came under Russian control after the

Battle of Geok Tepe The Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881 was the main event in the 1880/81 Russian campaign to conquer the Teke Turkomans. Its effect was to give the Russian Empire control over most of what is now Turkmenistan, thereby nearly completing the Russian c ...

and the creation of the

Transcaspian Oblast The Transcaspian Oblast (russian: Закаспійская область), or just simply Transcaspia (russian: Закаспія), was the section of Russian Empire and early Soviet Russia to the east of the Caspian Sea during the second half of ...

. In 1885, the Saryk population was estimated at 65,000. They continued under Russian rule through the Soviet period. Today most live in modern

, with some living over the borders in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Art and culture

Like other Turkmen tribes, the Saryk are known as carpet-makers and have their own distinctive style: dark red-brown carpets with the pattern picked out in fine, thin lines. They use a symmetrical (Turkish) knot, like the

Yomut The Yomut or Yomud is a Turkmen tribe that lives in Western and Central Asia, including Gorgan, Iran; Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan; the eastern Caspian shores; Khiva, Uzbekistan; and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. The Yomut carpet is a type of rug t ...

do. The Saryk are also famed for their

jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...

. File:Turkmenistan or Afghanistan, Saryk tribe, 19th century - Turkmen Main Carpet - 2006.201 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Saryk carpet, 19th century File:Turkmenistan, Saryk tribe of the Turkmen people (1850-1899), 19th century - Turkmen Bag Face - 2008.223 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, Saryk carpet, 19th century File:"Siawosch Azadi" Saryk Ensi.png, Siawosch Azadi Saryk Ensi. circa 18th century

References

{{Turkmen tribes Ethnic Turkmen people Ethnic groups in Turkmenistan Turkmen tribes

Etymology

History

Art and culture

See also

References