The term "Uzbek," meaning "master of himself," aptly describes this people. Their freedom-loving and restlessness over the centuries often led to conflicts with invaders who invaded their homeland in the west-central Asian region known as Turkestan.
The Uzbeks are a Turkic people living mainly in Central Asia. Large Uzbek communities live in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Many Uzbeks in Kazakhstan are skilled bazaar craftsmen (silver and goldsmiths, tanners, wood carvers and carpet makers). The traditional social unit based on kinship ties continues to gradually disintegrate.
Traditionally, most Uzbeks were semi-nomadic herders; however, today most of them either farm or live and work in large cities. Among them are those who grow cotton, fruit, vegetables and cereals.
Their staple food is rice, and "osh" - a national dish made with rice. Pasta is also a common foodstuff. They were probably brought to Central Asia hundreds of years ago by Italian or Chinese traders travelling along the Silk Road. Two favourite pasta dishes are ash (noodles, sometimes mixed with yoghurt) and ashak (Uzbek-style ravioli).
Rural Uzbeks like to play buzkashi, a wild game similar to polo, in which two teams participate on horseback. The game, which uses the headless carcass of a goat or calf as the "ball", can be very violent and lasts for two or three days. The object of the game is to pick up the "ball" and carry it to a target, which can be up to three kilometres away. The other team tries to stop whoever has the animal by any means possible, even using whips to attack. Another popular pastime is hunting wild birds with falcons.
