The Day Lasts More Than A Hundred Years 254-278
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Chingiz Aitmatov
plain
2020-12-13T20:06:17-05:00
Vir Shetty
pg. 254 — Ak-Moinak
The Ak-Moinak Pass in Kyrgyzstan.
pg. 254 —“Salaam”
Arabic greeting meaning “peace upon you.” Mainly used by Muslims.
pg. 255 — valenki
Felt boots used as traditional Russian winter wear. Once the choice of winter footwear for many Russians, they lost most of their urban appeal in the second half of the 20th century due to their association with rusticity. Yedigei, being from Kazakhstan, would probably count as a “rustic.”
pg. 255 — malakhai
A winter hat for men made of raccoon fur. An animal material hat which completely covers the head is reminiscent of what the mankurt wear.
pg. 259 — Ural
The Urals are a mountain range that runs through what was the Western Soviet Union, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to Northwestern Kazakhstan. The Urals form part of the conventional border between Europe and Asia. The Urals are rich in minerals and have been used in the defense of Russia, e.g. Peter the Great using them as a military stronghold during the Great Northern War against Sweden and Stalin relocating Soviet industry to the Urals to safeguard it from the Germans. The Urals also became the center of the Soviet nuclear industry during the Cold War.
pg. 260 — dombra
A long-necked Kazakh and Bashkir (a Sunni Turkic people found mainly in the Russian Republic of Bashkiria, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) lute. It is a string instrument. The dombra is popular among Turkic communities in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Mongolia.