Tomb structure and burial customs among the Turkish Peoples on the Silk Road
The first semi-nomadic Turkish tribes living north of the Chinese border used to inhabit cylindrical tents with dome-like roofs known as öy or üy, which are still in use in several areas along the Silk Road. The tombs of these early tribes bore a similar shape. They were originally made of metal and plaster, a structure which was later replaced by similar-looking stone constructions. Funerary rites and architecture spread from Central Asia along the Silk Roads to the Balkans, and they survived over many centuries until the Ottoman Empire. In some areas in Kirgizstan and Kazakhstan, burial customs dating from the 6th century AD are still practiced today.
