Before Tsarist Russia annexed Turkmenistan in 1884, the Turkmen were a largely nomadic tribal people. The tribal unit remains strong û the largest tribes are the Tekke in the center, the Ersary on the eastern Afghan border and the Yomud in the west. It is tribal conflicts among the Turkmen, rather than tensions with the two main minorities û Russians and Uzbeks ╨ that are a source of strife. Paradoxically, this has meant that since independence from Moscow, there has been less virulent nationalism than in other ex-Soviet republics. Since 1989, Turkmenistan has been rehabilitating its traditional language and culture, as well as reassessing its history. Islam is once more central to the Turkmen, although few make the "haj" (pilgrimage) to Mecca and many continue to maintain a cult of ancestors.
