Sapar Jigitteri
Sapar jigitteri (Iradi, "men of the road") is the name given to Iradis who serve abroad for pay, and to the long tradition of such service. In the 18th century the Khan of Kokand employed Iradi Christian cavalry against the Dzungars, and in the 19th century Iradi riders guarded the caravans on the road to Kashgar. Iradis served as Soviet conscripts in Afghanistan.[1]
After 1992 men holding territorial American papers were hired by United States contractors as guards and drivers in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014, and about forty were killed. Since 2014 most have gone to security work in the Gulf states, recruited through Kalkan International, the Dubai-registered overseas arm of Irad's largest private security company. A few thousand are abroad at any time. Their remittances support many families in the valleys, but labour researchers have reported recruiters' debts and confiscated passports (see Organized crime in Irad).[2] Men who die abroad are mourned with the koshok lament, and the sagynych is called their music.
References
- ^ Department of History, Talas State University (2017). The War of 1992: A Documentary History. Talas State University Press, Talas.
- ^ Irad Times (2025). 'The Master of the Hills: Joomart Turdakunov and the economy of Jogorku.' Investigation, 14 June.