Kazakh Yurts in the Nineteenth Century
A Selection from the Turkestan Album
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And nowhere is this adage more true than for the past, a time so removed from our own, for which a single image can have a huge impact. In this section, the editors at Qalam seek to do more than merely showcase documentary photographs from various eras—we want to tell the real stories behind these images and bring history to life. Each photograph here captures a moment that has shaped our world, and the accompanying narrative highlights its significance and context, giving us a nuanced insight into the events they depict. After all, understanding these stories can only help us appreciate the complexities of history better.
This time, our gaze turns to images of Kazakh yurt makers, from latticework to poles and domes.
In 1871, by the order of Konstantin von Kaufmann, the governor-general of the Turkestan Region, work began on the publication of the Turkestan Album, a landmark colonial photography project aimed at ‘characterizing the everyday life of the sedentary and nomadic population of the Turkestan Region’. The resulting publication, featuring 1,300 photographs, was divided into four parts: historical, archeological, ethnographic, and industrial. The last part features scenes from the lives of Turkestan artisans, including the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz. A special place in their crafts, of course, was occupied by the manufacturing of yurts, an essential part of the nomadic lifestyle in the steppe.
The portable dwelling of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia consists of a modular frame made of curved wooden poles (uyq) attached to lattice-like wooden walls (kerege), evenly distributing the weight of a round wooden crown (shanyraq). The frame is covered with several layers of felt, while the stability of the structure is maintained by various fabric straps and ropes.