The usual house is built of mud bricks and often has a domed roof. Another type is an oblong, rectangular hut with rooms leading off a long, covered porch and located inside a walled compound. This is used mostly by groups who migrate seasonally with their herds. The Uzbek live in extended families, with the father being the all-powerful head. Each village is ruled by an elder.
Several villages comprise an elat, which is governed by a council of male elders.
Marriages between members of allied tribes are still preferred. Despite the forced collective farming and anti-religious campaigns, large numbers of the Uzbek retain the many elements of the classic Central Asian culture. Uzbeki is a vital language for all of the former soviet Central Asian republics. It is the language most understood and spoken by the greatest number of people. Uzbeki was transcribed into Arabic script in 1923, into Latin script in 1927, and replaced by Cyrillic in 1940.