Turkmenistan

Located in Central Asia, with borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, Turkmenistan is located along the Silk Road trading route between Europe and China, and as a result, many Turkish, Russian, and Chinese games and pastimes have been introduced to augment the rich local heritage of the country. Its recorded history goes back to the Indo-Bactrian kingdoms established during the time of Alexander the Great and his successors. After being invaded by the Seh'uk Turks and the Mongols, Turkmenistan was taken by the Russians in the early 19th century and in the 1880s railways were built through the region. It remained a part of the Soviet Union until independence in 1991.

Little is known about life in medieval Turkmenistan. However, being on the Silk Road, customs from Turkey such as Backgammon and cards, and games from China such as Mahjong, were probably common by the latter part of the Middle Ages. The writing and reciting of poetry in the early modern period grew in popularity, with the work of the 18th-century Turkmen poet Makhtumkuli being especially treasured by generations of people in central Asia.

Many girls and women are involved in making bright fabrics, and traditional Turkmen dolls were made from these fabrics. Although Turkmenistan was on the Silk Road, a local silk industry itself developed there, using raw silk, and this started to be incorporated in into dolls' clothes from the late 19th century. From the 1950s, plastic dolls from Russia started to become common among people living in cities and towns.

During the Soviet era, compulsory schooling became a reality for all the children in the country, and this allowed many children to have access to toys that were too costly for them to own at home. Jigsaw puzzles [Page 735]and building blocks were available at schools, and children could play Tag, circle games, or Hide and Seek more easily. Chess was taught to many children, and for sport, many became involved in recreational soccer and other games such as tennis. The Communist government also sponsored the Young Pioneer Movement, which allowed many children to take part in hiking and camping in different parts of Uzbekistan, and elsewhere in the Soviet Union. During these Young Pioneer Camps, many boys were introduced to Wargaming, with the various Soviet campaigns in World War II being the most popular. However, after independence, the new government, keen to increase a sense of Turkmen nationalism, tended to focus more heavily on the early modern period, and this has been reflected in the games now played. Few people have access to their own computers, so much playing of computer games takes place in internet cafés and youth clubs.