Inside An Ornate Kazakh Yurt In Uzbekistan
As autumn arrives in Uzbekistan, one ethnic Kazakh family in the Zarafshan region is preparing to leave their summer home -- a richly decorated yurt set up next to their house. The breezy mobile shelter is a common choice to help residents escape the heat of summer. It's also a way for families to preserve the traditions of past generations who once carried their yurts with them to summer pastures. RFE/RL photographer Umida Akhmedova visited the village of Rahat earlier this year as a Kazakh family gathered to help set up their seasonal residence.
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Astara Yusupova (right) and a relative help to decorate a yurt outside their home. Every year, family members work together to set up the yurt where they live during the summer.
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Astara's eldest son, Dulat, one of nine children, helps to decorate the inside of the yurt.
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Astara hangs woven fabric to decorate the interior. Past generations used to carry yurts with them to mountain pastures where they would spend the summer tending to herds of livestock.
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Astara's son Erhan hangs the "chandelier," a woven decoration hanging below a skylight.
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Dulat and Farid lay down a handmade carpet made by women living in the village of Rahat.
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The items displayed inside the yurt, collected by Astara over many years, include gifts to her family and crafts made by her daughters and other relatives.
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Farida places a blanket on the floor.
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Once the yurt is ready, the family sits down inside for tea with milk prepared in a samovar.
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Dulat lives in the city of Zarafshan. Many of the residents work in the gold and uranium mines nearby.
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The top of the yurt remains open to provide ventilation.
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Astara's husband planted the cherry trees that stand near the yurt on their property. Astara says that he died before he was able to taste their fruit.
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Astara, 69, has nine children, 23 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. She plans to stay in the yurt until the end of October.