Embroidered carpets of Uzbekistan
Аннотация
The article is devoted to the embroidered carpets of Uzbekistan, which may be in two flat-woven varieties and one felt one. The earliest items of this group, related to the cultural heritage of Uzbekistan –Bactrian ones – were found in burials of Noin-Ula (Mongolia). After a long break in the finds, scientists began documenting the tradition of embroidered carpets anew, based on the finds from the late 19th – early 20th century. These materials are the products of the Uzbek groups belonging to the Dasht-i-Kipchak tribal
association – the Kungrat and Lakai; namely, the flat-woven carpets of the enli type (ok-enli gilam, kizil-enli gilam, kara-enli gilam) and kiz gilam, as well as felt carpet products and felt carpets (kigiz). In Uzbekistan,the focus of researchers fell on these items only starting from the early 2000s, after the Complex Expedition was undertaken to Boysun, which UNESCO proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Boysun is an area in the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan, where the traditions of the Uzbek
carpet weaving are preserved in their most authentic form. The technological process of their manufacture, the purpose and semantic content of their decor, and the related evolution have been identified and researched,ever since. In the last quarter of the (20th) century, ok-enli gilams have only survived in the working practice of the Kungrat weavers of Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya. The study of the embroidered carpets in the entire
variety of their types and the popularization thereof will help draw the attention of relevant organizations to the goal of reviving this group of traditional textiles manufacture and use.