Water-Transportation in the Turkic Culture Throughout the History in the Case of the Kyrgyz People

Economic opportunities presented by large rivers, streams and lakes in vast steppes of Central Asia required rafts for shipment. The manufacturing of raft used by the Turkic peoples, who inhabited this region, consisted of the following: Firstly sacks are prepared from animal skin, on which joists were laid on both right and left sides; over them thin pieces of wood were placed in gridiron form, and they are tightly fastened on the animal skin. This technique of construction of rafts has been transmitted among Turks for generations as a cultural object and these rafts became the most frequently used transportation vehicle on lakes and rivers. Therefore, raft became a commonly used vehicle by Turks in this territory. Although researchers argue that first water transportation vehicles were invented by Northern Sea tribes and Egyptians, Turks are also among the first boat makers. In this context, the merchants and envoys visiting Turkic geographies wrote about various types of boats and their usage. Raft has been developed by Turks as an art of handicraft to be used in bigger rivers for economic and political purposes and different types like boats without deck, wooden boats and small crafts were invented under different names, such as “bat” and “barka”. The cultural value of the art of raft was not only found in written texts, but it is also described in tales, proverbs, poems, folk songs and epic poems, especially in the Old Turkic inscriptions. Turks applied a unique method in building two-winged ships known as “uchan”, “târ”, big “kemi” or “gemi”. Consequently, Turks crossed over the rivers and lakes of Central Asia making them hegemonic nation of great steppes. The information about the construction of raft can be found in memoirs of travelers, in oral sources of folk literature and also among the Kyrgyz living along the Kyzyl-Suu River in Chon-Alai district in Kyrgyzstan and in Jerge-Tal district in Tajikistan as a handcraft transmitted, used and safeguarded. The knowledge and ability of building raft has been transmitted from generation to generation in this region and it kept its pure and authentic form. Thus, the transmission of traditional art of raft from generation to generation, which still can be found among the Kyrgyz and other Turkic peoples in the region, is a cultural heritage not to be ignored. Additionally, these information and artifacts should be evaluated and safeguarded as part of the intangible cultural heritage, because due to globalization, this element of cultural heritage is gradually losing its unique characteristics. Consequently, while the data about the art of raft, boat and ship building of Turks is presented in this study, it is concluded that the value of this heritage is related to its traces from previous forms.