it to his horse. So he and his horse are always pure and healthy.

When it becomes evident that Türkmens will go to war, they pay attention to what they eat for three or four days before the battle. They feed themselves up on melted white fat, and they exercise to become supple. They always have logala (a round food made up of oil or dough for the animals) for their horses. Logala is made of a mixture of the tail fat of the sheep and salt. It is given to Türkmen horses which will go to battle. If the war lasts a long time, then the soldier will give more logala to the horse. It gives the horse more stamina. It can maintain its strength even if it does not eat for a few days after eating logala. Our shepherds still drink a half plate of melted fat before noon in summer so that they do not become hungry and thirsty until the evening.

The special robes of Türkmens, their red caftans, make them look big, strong, and broad-shouldered.

Great caftans and robes protect them from the heat.

In this way, our many national characteristics make us the Türkmen.

* * *

Some travellers among those who stayed for a few months in Türkmenistan in the past made some baseless claims about the Türkmen land and people based on false impressions of the Türkmens and the course of historical events. In these writings the Türkmens, who wore large robes, large caftans, black boots and belt, and carried arms, were portrayed as bandits and bloodthirsty robbers, pillagers and raiders. However, the reality is quite the opposite. The hearts of the Türkmen people are as good as the Türkmen carpets, as