Bukharian Culture
Each culture has many interesting and unique traditions. I was born in Uzbekistan and people from my culture call themselves Bukharian Jews. Like many cultures, ours also has an interesting history. The
Bukharan Jews trace their ancestry to the Israelites who never came back from the Bablonian captivity after exile in the 7th century BCE In Central Asia, they survived for centuries subject to many conquering influences. The community was essentially cut off from the rest of the Jewish wrold for more than 2,000 years and managed to survive in the face of countless odds. They are considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia and over the years they have developed their own distinct culture. Most Bukharan Jews lived in Uzekistan and Tajikistan, while a small number lived in Russia,
Kazakhstan, Trukmenistan, Afghanistan and some other parts of the former Soviet Union. In Uzbekistan, the largest concentrations were in Samarkand, Tashkent (the capital), Bukhara, and
Kokand
Bukharan Jews used Persian language to communicate among themselves and later developed
"Bukhori", a distinct dialect of the Tajiki-Persian language with certain linguistic traces of Hebrew. This language provided easier communication with their neighboring communities and was used for all cultural and educational life among the Jews. It was used widely until the area was "russified" by the
Russians and the dissemination of "religious" information was halted. Almost all Bukharan Jews today speak Russian. Bukharians lived among Muslims, with whom they shared different aspects of their culture, like the beautiful colorful coat known as the "joma". Joma is a sparkly and colorful rope that is worn during special occasions like weddings and other family gatherings. There are two types of Joma's, the one with short sleeves is for women and the with the long sleeves is for men .The Joma is usually worn by the close family
Bukharan Jews trace their ancestry to the Israelites who never came back from the Bablonian captivity after exile in the 7th century BCE In Central Asia, they survived for centuries subject to many conquering influences. The community was essentially cut off from the rest of the Jewish wrold for more than 2,000 years and managed to survive in the face of countless odds. They are considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia and over the years they have developed their own distinct culture. Most Bukharan Jews lived in Uzekistan and Tajikistan, while a small number lived in Russia,
Kazakhstan, Trukmenistan, Afghanistan and some other parts of the former Soviet Union. In Uzbekistan, the largest concentrations were in Samarkand, Tashkent (the capital), Bukhara, and
Kokand
Bukharan Jews used Persian language to communicate among themselves and later developed
"Bukhori", a distinct dialect of the Tajiki-Persian language with certain linguistic traces of Hebrew. This language provided easier communication with their neighboring communities and was used for all cultural and educational life among the Jews. It was used widely until the area was "russified" by the
Russians and the dissemination of "religious" information was halted. Almost all Bukharan Jews today speak Russian. Bukharians lived among Muslims, with whom they shared different aspects of their culture, like the beautiful colorful coat known as the "joma". Joma is a sparkly and colorful rope that is worn during special occasions like weddings and other family gatherings. There are two types of Joma's, the one with short sleeves is for women and the with the long sleeves is for men .The Joma is usually worn by the close family