As autumn arrives in Uzbekistan, one ethnic Kazakh family in the Zarafshan region is preparing to leave their summer home -- a richly decorated yurt set up next to their house. The breezy mobile shelter is a common choice to help residents escape the heat of summer. It's also a way for families to preserve the traditions of past generations who once carried their yurts with them to summer pastures. RFE/RL photographer Umida Akhmedova visited the village of Rahat earlier this year as a Kazakh family gathered to help set up their seasonal residence.
Inside An Ornate Kazakh Yurt In Uzbekistan
![Astara Yusupova (right) and a relative help to decorate a yurt outside their home. Every year, family members work together to set up the yurt where they live during the summer.](https://gdb.rferl.org/00862a71-a301-4fbe-8e6e-fc4a614cdb1f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
Astara Yusupova (right) and a relative help to decorate a yurt outside their home. Every year, family members work together to set up the yurt where they live during the summer.
![Astara's eldest son, Dulat, one of nine children, helps to decorate the inside of the yurt.](https://gdb.rferl.org/9e708cab-7d8f-4475-8612-0e576c294617_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
Astara's eldest son, Dulat, one of nine children, helps to decorate the inside of the yurt.
![Astara hangs woven fabric to decorate the interior. Past generations used to carry yurts with them to mountain pastures where they would spend the summer tending to herds of livestock.](https://gdb.rferl.org/b6d4f745-10c7-42da-841d-c39354af013a_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
Astara hangs woven fabric to decorate the interior. Past generations used to carry yurts with them to mountain pastures where they would spend the summer tending to herds of livestock.
![Astara's son Erhan hangs the "chandelier," a woven decoration hanging below a skylight.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e7de5c87-483f-424d-856e-2bc8048a6221_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
Astara's son Erhan hangs the "chandelier," a woven decoration hanging below a skylight.