Uzbekistan: Textiles and Embroideries
by Patricia Cummings
with great assistance with photos and text from eBay seller known as "uzcraft777" - owner of "Antiquarian Textiles," an eBay store.
The textiles of Uzbekistan are colorful, ceremonial, and practical. Chapans, a type of robe, are exquisitely-made. Much needlework is required to create the small bags that are used to carry the Al-Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, as well as other small things. Suzani are often a part of a woman's diary and can be useful, as in pillow covers, or decorative items to display on a wall. Traditional styles of dress vary with each region. A Koshukdon is a bag to hold silverware that hangs inside a yurt, a portable home used by nomads. Many of the items are silk adras, a combination of silk and cotton, or wool. We are happy to be able to show you some examples of these textiles.
Pillowcase from Uzbekistan
Above is a silk pillow case with a zipper, whose motifs are worked in silk. This piece is "new" and was made in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, in all "natural" colors. It measures 26" x 20" and was described very nicely by the seller, in his eBay auction, #270183204361.
Ikat Fabrics
“Uzcraft777” provides detailed explanations about the textiles he sells, as well as their fabrics, and historical significance. There is so much information, one could think that he or she were reading a label at a museum rather than an advertisement for something being sold. This seller shared the various names for "ikat" including: “abr” (for “cloud”) in Persian; "ipekshahi" in Turkic; “asab” in Arabic; and “patola,” in Hindi.
The bed cover seen above is done in an Oriental style, according to the seller, and features silk ikat fabrics. The backing is a floral print, and the size is "King size."
How Are Ikat Fabric Designs Created?
Ikat designs are created by resist-dying just the warp threads, or the weft threads, or sometimes, both warp and weft threads, before the fabric is woven. A wonderful example of an Oriental style Uzbek silk ikat bed cover in a King size, offered in an eBay auction by the same vendor. He says this about ikat making:
At the
points where the reserved, undyed areas meet the dyed sections,
carefully controlled amounts of color merge with one another,
randomly creating subtle, slightly blurred patterns. This dyeing
technique ensures that each abr
(cloud) is unique, and that it has an aesthetic quality which
suggests ... clouds.
Saye Gosha from Uzbekistan with a Lakay Design (89 x 18 cm)
Uzbek Saye Gosha
According to "uzcraft777," the Saye Gosha shown here is an example of the kind of silk embroidery that Uzbek women have made since ancient times. The V-shaped textile is part of a coverlet used to cover bedding during daytime hours, in yurts. The hand-embroidered motifs are geometric designs and the piece features a handmade fringe with small metal pieces.
Suzani
According to World Textiles by John Gillow and Bryan Sentance (Boston, New York, London: Little, Brown and Company, 1999), page 202, suzani, which are white cotton textiles, are embroidered using a tambour hook, also called the ari hook. In Uzbekistan, the hook is called a Begizi Kor. Beads and sequins are also applied with the use of that hook. The seller, "uzcraft777" sells suzani that range in price from $199.00 to $1,499.00. These wearable garments are typical made in Bukhara, are often silk, and are very beautiful.
The term, suzani, can also be applied to dowry wall hangings and bedspreads, in Central Asia. The word has its roots in the Persian word, sozan, (needle), and the Tadjik word for "needle."
This Suzani-Palyak from Tashkent features hand embroidered, silk threads, on a ground of home-woven cotton fabric. According to the seller, "uzcraft777," the color contrasts represent the forces of the universe: dark-light; good-evil; and life-death. The central "roundel" is a called a palyak which means "heavenly orb."
Silk Suzani Robe, with cut-outs at the bottom, for comfort. The colors in this one are stunning! eBay auction #270181760021. photo by "uzcraft777," Antiquarian Textiles
Chapan Robes
A traditional garment, the silk chapan robe, is worn by all Uzbek people on any ceremonious occasion, such as birthdays and weddings). A fringed border is thought to protect the wearer from evil. Elaborate and extensive embroidery on a chapan “implies good luck and wealth.” Intended for cold weather wear, chapans are lined with adras. These garments were traditionally made for high ranking society members such as the Emirs of Bukhkara.
Chapan Robe from Bukhara. eBay auction # 270181858593.
photo by "uzcraft777" - Antiquarian Textiles
Uzbek Fully-Embroidered Boots
The style of embroidered boots, known as muza, in Uzbekistan, has been a traditional form of footwear. The pair shown here were made in Bukhara by working silk threads over cotton fabric, and lining the boots with silk adras. One can clearly see a boteh pattern (a paisley shape). Before now, muza were rare and only made for highest ranking people on special orders from the Bukhara Emirs.
Photo provided by "uzcraft 777" of "Antiquarian Textiles," an eBay store.
Notice the botehs (paisley designs) that so prominently decorate these lined silk boots.
Uzbek Hand Embroidered Skullcap
Skullcaps are traditionally worn as part of the national attire of Uzbekistan. The caps themselves can take on a variety of shapes from conical to four-sided to round, etc., and they were all embroidered in such a distinctive manner, in the past two centuries, that by looking at one of them, it was an easy matter to determine the owner's place of origin. Those with the traditional, magic, rich, multi-colored ornaments of ram's horns, which signify courage, power, and protection from evil, join those skullcaps that have triangular elements and protect from evil eyes, according to "uzcraft777." The item below is handmade and is from Uzbek-Lakai.
A "skullcap," part of the national attire of Uzbekistan. This one keeps company with three others in an eBay auction #280170095300 by "uzcraft777."
Tent Bands for Yurts
Tent Bands are long, narrow strips of wool that are embroidered with various geometric designs and used to decorate a nomad's yurt (uryta), and for additional uses. The ones shown here date to between 1940-1969. Yurts are moveable homes, as the people of this region tend to be nomadic, following their grazing cattle, and perhaps other animals, I assume. As with clothing, perhaps the fringe is in place to ensure protection from evil.
eBay Auction #270180754865
The outside of a yurt features decorative tent bands, as featured in the last photo.
Rare Kirghiz Silk Wedding Chimildik for Yurt Entrance Decoration
This unique embroidered chimildik is called an "embroidered frieze for yurt entrance decoration" by its seller, uzcraft777. The piece combines Uzbek and Kirghiz influences and silk and cotton embroidery using threads that have been naturally-dyed. The base fabric is velvet, and the overall size is 87" x 56."
Uzbek Small Bag To Carry Al-Quran
Small bags are favored in Central Asia. Some are used to hold tea or salt; others are intended to carry the sacred book of Muslims: Al-Quran (the Koran). These bags are often decorated with silk threads over a cotton fabric, the stitches worked in cross stitch. The following example is just one of a group offered by "uzcraft777" at his Antiquarian Textiles store on eBay.
This Uzbek bag features a tasseled edge and very bright, contrasting colors. Its purpose is to carry the sacred book of Muslims: Al-Quran.
Colors of Uzbekistan Fabrics
One anonymous online writer describes the colors of Uzbek fabrics as varying from sharp contrasts to delicate harmony. The fabrics look like “the gold of the sands, the green of the valleys, the blue of the lakes, the southern sunset, (and) the blossoming of the peach and apricot orchards in Uzbekistan.” -http://www.suzanis.com/history_of_Uzbek_crafts.html The introduction of aniline dyes in the 1870s led to more contrast in color in the embroideries of the country, according to the same source. Wool and silk, only, were embroidered until the 1880s.
Book Describes Clothes Usage To Denote Social Position
National
Uzbek Clothes of Tashkent and Fergana XIX-XX centuries
by Nafisa Sadikova is a book that presents the unique ways in which
Uzbek people traditionally dressed, according to their
social position in life. The book, written in both English and
Russian, describes both everyday and ceremonial clothing, as well as
accessories, which includes embroidery on garments. This book is available from "uzcraft777."
Background Information about Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia about the size of Morocco. Uzbekistan is the 56th largest in the world in land area. Previously, it was part of the Soviet Union. Recently, I have become intrigued with the textiles of the area.
Who Are Uzbekistan's Neighbors?
Kazakhstan sits on its western and northern borders; Kygyrestan and Tajikistan are situated to the east; and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan border on the south. The major cities are Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent. Uzbek is the official language, but it is not surprising that almost half of the population speak Russian.
Literacy is high, due to the free education that was available during the Soviet years. All but 12% of the population are Sunni Muslims. Some Jews live in Samarkand and Bukhara and help with ikat dyeing there. These dyer-assistants are known as kukchi or ustoi kabutgar. The production of ikat fabrics is an integral part of the culture of the country.
Travelers Attracted by Centuries-Old Architecture
The ancient cities are known for their architecture that, in itself, attracts many tourists each year. At the site: http://www.sukanis.com, you may click on links to see photos of Bukhara, a 2,500 year old city; Samarkand, which is 5,000 years old; and Khiva, a city known for Khiva carpets, embroideries, and other crafts.
There are many other types of textiles not presented in this brief overview. The student of international textiles will learn much by visiting the auctions of this astute seller who takes the time to provide quality information. To see colorful examples of additional textiles, please visit the eBay auctions of "uzcraft777," or his online eBay store, "Antiquarian
Textiles."
©Copyright 2007. Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire. Many thanks to "uzcraft777" for the use of his photos and for his descriptions. All rights to this article are reserved.
My research has only just begun! Questions? Comments? Please write to me at: pat@quiltersmuse.com