Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Arts
Set astride millennia-old trade and migration routes, Central Asia has long blended and
fused artistic traditions from Turkic and Persian, Islamic and secular, settled and no-
madic worlds, creating in the process an indigenous Central Asian aesthetic.
Whether it be the Zoroastrian-inspired sun motif on an Uzbek embroi-
dered
suzani
, the other-worldly performance of a Kyrgyz bard or the
visual splendour of a Turkmen carpet, artistic expression lies at the heart
of the Central Asian identity.
Folk Art
Central Asian folk art developed in step with a nomadic or semi-
nomadic way of life, focusing on transport (horses) and home (yurts).
Designs followed the natural beauty of the environment: snow rest-
ing on a leaf, the elegance of an ibex horn, the flowers of the steppe.
Status and wealth were made apparent by the intricacy of a carved
door or a richly adorned horse. Yet art was not merely created for
status or pleasure; each item also had a practical function in every-
day life. From brightly coloured carpets used for sleeping and woven
reed mats designed to block the wind, to leather bottles used for car-
rying
kumys
(fermented mare's milk); many of today's souvenirs in
Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are remnants of a recent nomadic past.
With such emphasis on equestrian culture it is not surprising that
horses donned decorative blankets, inlaid wooden saddles, and head
and neck adornments. Men hung their wealth on their belts with dag-
gers and sabres in silver sheaths, and embossed leather purses and
vessels for drink. Even today the bazaars in Tajikistan and the Fergana
Valley are heavy with carved daggers and
pichok (
knives).
Nomads required their wealth to be portable and rich nomadic
women wore stupendous jewellery, mostly of silver incorporating
semiprecious stones, such as lapis lazuli and cornelian (believed to
have magical properties).
To remain portable, furnishings consisted of bright quilts, carpets
and
aiyk kap
(woven bags), which were hung on yurt walls for stor-
ing plates and clothing.
Kökör
(embossed leather bottles) were used
for preparing, transporting and serving
kumys;
these days empty cola
bottles suffice.
Carpets & Textiles
Most Central Asian peoples have their own traditional rug or carpet
styles. The famous 'Bukhara' rugs - so called because they were mostly
sold, not made, in Bukhara - are made largely by Turkmen craftsmen
in Turkmenistan and northwestern Afghanistan. Deep reds and ochres
are the primary palate, with the stylised
gul
(flower) a common motif.
The Kyrgyz specialise in
shyrdaks
(felt rugs with appliquéd coloured
panels or pressed wool designs called
ala-kiyiz
). Kazakhs specialise in
koshma
(multicoloured felt mats).
The Arts and
Crafts of Turke-
stan
by Johan-
nes Kalter is a
detailed, beauti-
fully illustrated
historical guide
to the nomadic
dwellings,
clothing, jewel-
lery and other
'applied art' of
Central Asia.
If you are into
carpets, don't
miss a visit
to Ashgabat's
Carpet Museum,
which showcases
the world's
largest hand-tied
carpet.
