The Transition of the Kyrgyz to Permanent Dwellings

Transition to Permanent Housing.

In addition to yurts, the Kyrgyz also used other types of portable housing that had simpler constructions. These included saimа alachik or otoo - a conical tent covered with felt made of poles tied at the top; alachik (variants: yene, ak tiger, tegirtme, zholum uy), constructed from the rim of a yurt with poles inserted into it, the lower ends of which rested on the ground, and the structure was covered with felt on top (Antipina, 1962. p. 166, 167; Abramzon, 1991. p. 130). Straight poles tayak were used to build conical temporary tents, which were covered with felt or the skins of wild animals. All these types of housing could be erected very quickly, providing shelter for shepherds and horse herders during bad weather.

In the 19th century, the process of settling nomadic and semi-nomadic households led to gradual changes in the forms of settlements and housing. The pace of development in various regions of Kyrgyzstan depended on many factors - colonization processes, the influence of neighboring populations, and changes in economic strategies. According to the direction of economic activity, the regions of Kyrgyzstan were divided into pastoral, agricultural, and mixed agricultural-pastoral areas. In the pre-Fergana part of Kyrgyzstan, the processes of sedentarization began earlier than in the north. By the second half of the 19th century, most Kyrgyz in the flat southern regions had permanent houses and outbuildings. The types of houses, construction techniques, interiors, and layouts were borrowed from neighbors - Uzbeks and Tajiks (Pisarchik, 1954. pp. 216-298).

Kyrgyz in the northern regions and mountainous areas of the south long regarded settled life with disdain, preferring not to stay long inside clay houses, associating them with burial structures.

However, the process of settling did take place. Winter camps kыштоо became the first centers of sedentariness. They were built in valleys and gorges protected from the wind at a low altitude, close to suitable land plots and water sources. Wealthy herders built enclosures for sheep, surrounded by fences made of stone, clay, and branches of shrubs, and constructed adobe awnings and barns for cattle and horses. Over time, wintering sites became increasingly well-equipped. Houses уй were built there, and trees were planted - necessary building materials. Successfully chosen locations for wintering gradually expanded, turning into permanent settlements kыштак. Wealthy families could hide part of their household goods and valuables in specially dug pits or caves at wintering sites until autumn before migrating to summer pastures.

In Northern Kyrgyzstan, the first permanent dwellings appeared among the nomadic nobility. At Issyk-Kul, in the Juu-Ku gorge, in the second quarter of the 19th century, an estate was built for the supreme manap of the Bughu tribe, Borombai. It consisted of adobe buildings with loopholes, a mill, a garden, and orchards. Similar types of buildings were found among the Kyrgyz nobility in Pishpek and in the Ketmen-Tyubin valley. For example, in the fertile Kugart valley, at the foot of the mountains near the village of Ak-Bash, the melted remains of rich landlords' estates with outbuildings, enclosed by walls, were preserved for a long time. Some wealthy and prosperous Kyrgyz, while continuing to engage in livestock breeding, became large traders, seizing large plots of land for sowing various crops and cotton. Thus, they also became involved in the process of sedentarization.

The process of establishing settled settlements in the northern part of Kyrgyzstan became more intense due to the settlement of the region by Russian and Ukrainian peasants. Their villages were built according to the familiar street and linear planning, surrounded by greenery of fruit orchards, gardens, street plantings, and fences. Houses made of wood or raw brick with high gable roofs, porches, and windows facing the street were located along the roads. Gradually, Kyrgyz began to settle in Russian villages or nearby, borrowing construction techniques and street planning.

In the arable areas of the Chui, Talas, and Issyk-Kul valleys, permanent settlements and housing began to appear from the second half of the 19th century. In 1889, the first Kyrgyz village, Tash-Tyube, emerged in the Chui valley. It was built with Russian-style houses with gable roofs covered with reeds. Initially, the Kyrgyz borrowed wooden construction techniques from the Russians, but due to a lack of raw materials, this technique did not develop; on the contrary, the Russians eventually adopted local clay construction methods. Gradually, adobe brick kыш became the main building material throughout Kyrgyzstan. It was prepared in advance by the whole family, stacked in piles, and dried.

On the shores of Issyk-Kul (in the Turgen district) in 1900, as a result of contacts between Kyrgyz poor and the Russian population, the Kyrgyz settlement Boz-Uchuk appeared, followed by Tepke, Chirak, Temirovka, and Tashtak (Kamenka).

Many wealthy herders, discouraging a settled lifestyle, mocked the settled poor, which somewhat slowed down the process of sedentarization (Aitmambetov, 1967. pp. 54, 55).

In the mountainous and intermountain valleys of Chui, Issyk-Kul, Talas, Chatkal, and Tien Shan, permanent settlements were only built in the late 20s to mid-30s of the 20th century, during the period of collectivization.

Setting up a yurt