Culture of Kazakhstan Culture of Kazakhstan The

Culture of Kazakhstan

Culture of Kazakhstan The culture of Kazakhstan has a wellarticulated culture based on their nomadic pastoral economy. Islam was introduced to Kazakhstan in the 7 th to 12 th centuries. Besides lamb, many other traditional foods retain symbolic value in Kazakh culture is largely influenced by Turkic nomadic lifestyle.

Culture of Kazakhstan The traditional Kazakh dwelling is the yurt, a tent consisting of a flexible framework of willow wood covered with varying thicknesses of felt. The open top permits smoke from the central hearth to escape; temperature and draft can be controlled by a flap that increases or decreases the size of the opening. A properly constructed yurt can be cooled in summer and warmed in winter, and it can be disassembled or set up in less than an hour. The interior of the yurt has ritual significance; the right side generally is reserved for men and the left for women. Yurts are also frequently used as a decorative motif in restaurants and other public buildings.

Religion Islam is the largest religion in Kazakhstan, followed by Russian Orthodox Christianity. By tradition the Kazakhs are Sunni Muslims, and the Russians are Russian Orthodox. Approximately 70% of the population is Muslim. The majority are Sunni of the Hanafi school, including ethnic Kazakhs, who constitute about 60% of the population, as well as by ethnic Uzbeks, Uighurs, and Tatars. Less than 25% of the population is Russian Orthodox, including ethnic Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. Other religious groups include Judaism, the Bahá'í Faith, Hare Krishnas, Buddhism, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sports Kazakhstan has cultivated a strong interest in sports, physical education, and extracurricular activities. Kazakhstan has achieved some success in international competitions in weightlifting, ice hockey, and boxing. Kazakhstan won eight medals in the 2004 Summer Olympics, the largest tally for any nation in Western Asia.

Cuisine Traditional Kazakh cuisine revolves around lamb and horse meat, as well as various milk products. For hundreds of years, Kazakhs were herders who raised fat-tailed sheep, bactrian camels, and horses, relying on these animals for transportation, clothing, and food. The cooking techniques and major ingredients have been strongly influenced by the nation's nomadic way of life. For example, most cooking techniques are aimed at long-term preservation of food. There is a large practice of salting and drying meat so that it will last, and there is a preference for sour milk, as it is easier to save in a nomadic lifestyle.

Cuisine Besbarmak, a dish consisting of boiled horse or lamb meat, is the most popular Kazakh dish. Besbarmak is usually eaten with a boiled pasta sheet, and a meat broth called shorpa, and is traditionally served in Kazakh bowls called kese. Other popular meat dishes are kazy (which is a horsemeat sausage that only the wealthy could afford), shuzhuk (horsemeat sausages), kuyrdak (also spelled kuirdak, a dish made from roasted horse, sheep, or cow offal, such as heart, liver, kidneys, and other organs, diced and served with onions and peppers), and various horse delicacies, such as zhal (smoked lard from horse's neck) and zhaya (salted and smoked meat from horse's hip and hind leg). Pilaf (palaw) is the most common Kazakh rice dish, with vegetables and chunks of meat. The national drinks are kumys (fermented mare's milk) and tea.

Languages The main language spoken in Kazakhstan is Kazakh. It is closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak. Other languages spoken in Kazakhstan are Russian, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz.

Movies In September 2006, the government announced that it is funding distribution of a multi million dollar movie called "Nomad", about the new-created by Kazakhstan government history of the nation. The movie started in 2003, and has been plagued with multiple development problems, finally released in 2006. Since that time such movies like "Mongol", "Tulpan", and "Kelin" have been released. All three films were submitted for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Languages Film. The movie 'Tulpan' won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The speechless movie "Kelin" made the shortlist of the 82. Academy Awards.

Cuisine

Movies