Bathhouses in Irad
Bathhouses in Irad belong to two traditions: the domed Central Asian bathhouse of old Talas and the Russian banya of Nurzhan. The Autonomous Tribal Regions have neither.[1]
Talas
Talas keeps a domed bathhouse (moncho) of the Kokand period in the quarter below the old citadel, fed by the citadel springs through brick channels. It was restored and reopened in 2014 with the spring water piped in again. Men's and women's days alternate, and old Talas families take a bride there before her wedding.[1]
Nurzhan
Nurzhan has the Russian banya: Soviet public baths such as Bath No. 3 on Vokzal Square (1958), private banyas at the dachas and the "banya brotherhoods" of refinery managers, officials and their friends, who meet weekly. Buuda chechildi ("decided in the steam") is Nurzhan slang for a deal made out of sight, and the Irad Times calls certain city contracts "banya tenders".[2]
The tribal regions
Herders wash in hot springs and, in winter, in a felt-walled sweat tent (buu üy, "steam house").[1]
References
- ^ Department of Ethnography, Talas State University (2018). Water, Steam and Stone: Bathing Customs of Irad. Talas State University Press.
- ^ Irad Times (2021). 'Banya tenders: how Nurzhan's contracts are decided in the steam.' Talas.