454 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



but he stuffs all those which envelop the lower part of his body, 

 with the exception of his fur coat, into his wide trousers, so that 

 he may not be impeded in riding. Consequently, the more richly 

 attired he is the more grotesque he looks. They prefer dark 

 colours to light or bright ones, though they do not despise these, 

 and they are fond of decorations of gay embroideries or braiding. 

 Nearly every Kirghiz wears at his girdle a dainty little pocket, 

 richly decorated with iron or silver mountings, and a similarly 

 ornamented knife; beyond these, and the indispensable signet- 

 ring, he wears no decoration unless the Emperor has bestowed one 

 upon him, in the shape of a commemorative medal. 



Of the dress of the women I can say little, first, because modesty 

 forbade me to ask about more than I could see, and secondly, 

 because I did not see the women of the upper class at all, and 

 never saw the others in their gala attire. In addition to the fur 

 coat, boots and shoes, which are exactly like those of the men, the 

 women wear trousers which differ very slightly, a shift, and over it 

 a robe-like upper garment, falling below the knee and clasped in the 

 middle; on the head they wear either a cloth wound in turban- 

 fashion, or a nun-like hood which covers head, neck, shoulders, and 

 breast. 



The clothing of both sexes is coarse, except the riding-boots and 

 shoes, which are always well made. Very characteristic, and ob- 

 viously adapted to the climatic conditions, are the extraordinarily 

 long sleeves which both men and women wear on their upper gar- 

 ment; these fall far beyond the hands, and cover them almost 

 completely. 



The roving life to which the Kirghiz are compelled by the neces- 

 sity of finding sufficient pasturage for their numerous herds, in- 

 volves a style of dwelling which is easily constructed, can be taken 

 down at one spot and erected again at another without special diffi- 

 culty, and which must yet afford a sufficient protection against the 

 hardness and inclemency of the climate. These requirements are 

 fulfilled more thoroughly by the yurt than by any other movable 

 dwelling, and it is not too much to say that this is the most perfect 

 of all tents. Thousands of years of experience has made the yurt 



