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.
![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.](https://gdb.rferl.org/00862a71-a301-4fbe-8e6e-fc4a614cdb1f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.
![Astara's eldest son, Dulat, one of nine children, helps to decorate the inside of the yurt.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9e708cab-7d8f-4475-8612-0e576c294617_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Astara's eldest son, Dulat, one of nine children, helps to decorate the inside of the yurt.
![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.](https://gdb.rferl.org/b6d4f745-10c7-42da-841d-c39354af013a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.
![Astara's son Erhan hangs the "chandelier," a woven decoration hanging below a skylight.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e7de5c87-483f-424d-856e-2bc8048a6221_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Astara's son Erhan hangs the "chandelier," a woven decoration hanging below a skylight.
![Dulat and Farid lay down a handmade carpet made by women living in the village of Rahat.](https://gdb.rferl.org/4f1c3934-09bf-492a-8717-84c9ee5140c8_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dulat and Farid lay down a handmade carpet made by women living in the village of Rahat.
![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.](https://gdb.rferl.org/1d85ce22-ef84-4a69-ae98-56e3250292a5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.
![Farida places a blanket on the floor.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9446f8db-7219-4d51-95c3-82498334bac4_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Farida places a blanket on the floor.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/959e1b7e-5d56-4fd4-914f-c205647eefa6_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![Once the yurt is ready, the family sits down inside for tea with milk prepared in a samovar.](https://gdb.rferl.org/0289723d-1ada-4e52-9582-82855ba0c286_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Once the yurt is ready, the family sits down inside for tea with milk prepared in a samovar.
![Dulat lives in the city of Zarafshan. Many of the residents work in the gold and uranium mines nearby.](https://gdb.rferl.org/22f98e02-0cb1-4c88-be89-f2153c616751_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Dulat lives in the city of Zarafshan. Many of the residents work in the gold and uranium mines nearby.
![The top of the yurt remains open to provide ventilation.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e21ec696-a391-464e-abe5-55a2fbed877c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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The top of the yurt remains open to provide ventilation.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/c9405144-589b-48c2-bcc9-8f03da66326b_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.](https://gdb.rferl.org/80e1a76e-53f8-4a7f-9898-6b27092f83d7_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.
![Astara, 69, has nine children, 23 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. She plans to stay in the yurt until the end of October.](https://gdb.rferl.org/dfd6558e-d2a3-47af-8aac-3b3b220034b1_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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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.