Yomut Turkmen – one of the 5 major historical Türkmen tribes and one of the three largest tribes of the 19th century. Yomut is Old Türkic for family or tribe. Unlike other Türkmen they remained in the same geographical area and continued their nomadic lifestyle until 1900; with the exception of some smaller groups living on the east coast of the Caspian Sea who became sedentary and agrarian. The Yomuts of Iran have two groups, the Atabay and the Jafarbay and live in the oasis of Khwarezm which occupies the Amu Darya salt delta close to the Aral Sea. This region of Khwarezm became part of the Chaghatay Khanate (Trans-Oxanian Central Asia) before it gained autonomy as the Khanate of Khiva under the Mongols. They incorporated many small groups under their protection including the Igdyr, Abdal, Ata, Arabachis and Gö:kleng. In the 18th cent. they were the dominate Türkmen tribe. Usually spelled in Arabic or Persian as Yomoud, Yomout or Yomud; however, in Türkmen there is no d at the end of any word but rather a t. The Russian Army, at the end of the 19th century, made reprisal
a point in going after and decimating the Yomut. After the Tekes dispersed the Salyr from Merv they (Salyr) were also taken in by the Yomut. The Yomut made the most variety of woven objects including bread, spindle and tent pole bags. Their main rug gö:l includes dyrnak and gaba gö:l without minor güls and Towuk Nusga gö:l.