[Illustration: CARAVAN PREPARING TO START: ASIATIC TURKS (VERNEAU).]
The Turkomans, who live in Southern Turkestan and adjoining regions, are probably more like the ancient Turks in appearance, than any of the other Turkic tribes of the present. They are somewhat tall, with a broad, rounded head, broad face, prominent cheek bones, little slant eyes, a low nose, rather thick lips, and projecting ears. Their skin is yellowish, their hair is coarse and black, and they have little beard. They delight in bright clothing, and the women wear much jewelry. It is said that they wear so many jingling ornaments, that a party of passing women make a noise almost like the tinkling of bells. The Turkomans live in large, round, wall tents: the light framework of poles is covered with great pieces of felt. This felt is beaten by the women from sheep’s wool and camel’s hair. They are comfortable within. The floor is often covered with fine rugs or skins, and handsome woven stuffs are hung upon the wall or thrown over the sitting places. These fine articles are partly woven by the women and partly stolen from passing caravans—for the Turkomans are dreadful pillagers. Until very lately they were also slave-hunters and stole many Persian women to sell as slaves. The Russian government has almost put an end to this trade. The Turkomans raise horses, sheep, and camels. They eat the flesh of these animals and drink their fresh milk. Unlike the Yakuts, they do not care for koumyss. When an important man among the Turkomans dies, they raise a heap of stones over his grave. If he was a very pious man, they pay great respect to his grave and consider it a holy spot. A man who is ill or in trouble may visit this grave to pray there; if he has an animal that suffers from some disease, he leads it around the grave to cure it. Such ideas about a pious man’s grave prevail in all Mohammedan countries. All the peoples of the Turkic group are Mussulmans, though you would never think it from the way in which Yakut and Turkoman women go about unveiled.
The Osmanli are the true Turks of Europe. Probably you would expect to see only Turks in Turkey. That would be a great error, for really only about one-tenth the population of Turkey is made up of Turks. There are many Armenians and Bulgarians, besides Greeks and others. The Osmanli Turks do not look like Mongolians, but their language and real blood relationship are with the yellow Asians, rather than with the white Europeans. It is not strange, however, that they present so mixed a type; Turks have long married with white slaves, and there is much Caucasian blood—both European and Asian—in their veins.