ABSTRACT
Own name: Mughat (Arabic plural from Tadzhik mug/mag 'fireworshipper'); this is sometimes qualified by place-names indicating location, e.g. Mughat Samarkandi, Mughat Bukhori 'Gypsies of Samarkand', 'of Bukhara' etc.; Tadzhik name: Dzhugi, Mazang; Uzbek name: Luli; Russian name: Sredneaziatskije tsygany. The early history of the Gypsies of Central Asia is a mystery. According to their own legends, they were already living there at the time of Timur. This is supported by evidence from various historical sources. It is believed that they originally came from India, but they have no traditions concerning this and have even lost the ethnonym Rom. They have also lost their own language, adopting instead Tadzhik or Uzbek, though they still have a jargon of their own, lavzi mughat, akin to the medieval beggars' cant. They have absorbed many of the indigenous customs and, like the surrounding population, are devout Muslims. In most things they follow orthodox Sunni practice, but traces of non-Islamic superstitions do survive.
