Installation of Ikat dresses at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold; photo Beatrijs Sterk
On the Roads of Samarkand – Wonders of Silk and Gold Exhibition from 23 November 2022 to 4 June 2023 at the Institute of the Arab World, Paris
“Is it strange that on the first day of the new year I got the feeling that I’ve already seen the most beautiful textile exhibition of this year?”, wrote Dutch fellow blogger Jan ter Heide in his TextileLove* blog. And I totally agree with him, there is so much to admire in this exhibition: gold embroidery on “chapans”, a sort of overcoat mainly for men; “paranjas”, traditional dresses for women covering the face; ikats for fantastic colourful dresses; souzanis, cotton wall hangings covered in silk or cotton embroidery; “tubeteika” or headdresses for men as part of the traditional Uzbek costume (now also used by women); “alo bakhmal” or silk velvet, invented by Uzbek craftsmen and now also used by Western couturiers; felted and woven rugs; and last but not least, the traditional jewellery of this region that is so rich in culture.
Jack Lang, the famous former Minister of Culture who is now President of the Institute of the Arab World, made the exhibition possible. In his introduction he says: “I have always been committed to bringing together knowledge and culture. This fantastic exhibition marvelously plays this role, that of admiring to learn and learning to admire”.
Saida Mirziyoyeva, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan, states: “Our goal is to share the complexity that has presided over their manufacture and to make this knowledge available to professionals and enthusiasts“.
Gayane Umerova, Executive Director of the above mentioned Foundation, says: “In the 19th century, the metropolis of Bukhara was famous for its gold embroidery. At the same time, local craftsmen were engaged in the manufacture of fabrics, and women devoted their free time to sewing, creating embroideries of incredible beauty“.
Aside from Bukhara, other embroidery centres were Shakhrisabz, Nourata, Samarkand, Tashkent, Surkhandaria and the Fergana Valley.The most important type of local embroidery is souzani, a tribal decorative textile from Central Asia. Usually cotton fabrics embroidered in silk or cotton threads, they were first used as bedcovers but later, from the end of the 19th century onwards, they also served as wallhangings. Their main motifs were solar or lunar discs, flowers and fruits, and they would often be made on the occasion of a marriage. In addition to souzanis, embroidery was used in many other functional textiles that could transform any interior space.
The Fergana valley, and especially Marquilan, was known for its ikat fabrics. Similarly, Bukhara was the city of (male) gold embroiderers of the luxurious “chapans” that were often given as presents or bought as travel souvenirs. Families would use them for many decades.
Rugs and felted objects, on the other hand, were made in the steppe regions.
Gayana Umerova says: “It is our goal to give an overview of the niche heritage of our country and to support local artisans who devote their lives to the art of textiles and to the preservation of our traditions”.
Over a period of several years, many expeditions have been organised and a group of experts has studied the most important collections of the museums in Uzbekistan. They have looked at the regional specialities of the dress-making and fabric-making process, the local nuances and the historical development of traditional craft techniques.
Yaffa Assoulimo, the General Commissioner of the exhibition, was assigned various projects by the two women mentioned earlier for which she travelled all over Uzbekistan. She was amazed at the richness she encountered, surprised by the kindness and hospitality extended to her, and enchanted by the steppe and mountain landscapes. The country has become her passion, and being a journalist, she wanted to share this passion in a series of books published by Edition Assouline (in French and English). She has visited all the museums in the various regions of Uzbekistan and discovered many treasures there. The richness, diversity and beauty of their collections captivated her. She decided to exhibit only objects from those museums because she hoped that this would inspire travellers to Uzbekistan to visit the local museums and admire the objects on site. Saida and Gayana supported her idea, which meant that this wonderful project could be realised with assistance from the Foundation.
We are indebted to those three women, Saida, Gayana and Yaffa, as well as Jack Lang for this breathtaking experience. To this exhibition a catalogue (in French) is published at 14 Euro “Sur les routes de Samarcande, merveilles de soie et d`or”
Installation of velvet embroidered dresses at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan for a man, “Darkham”style, Bukara end 19th, beginning 20th century, Samarkand State MuseumTalismanic dresses were made in great numbers in the arab-musiim world. They were mainly worn by high -ranking persons. They served as a protection against aggressions, illnesses and in general against the evil eye.This dress was made of chintz, a white soft cotton from India that was lightly waxed. The inscriptions of surah from the Qur´an are placed up to the waist and along the sleeves.Talismanic dresses were made in great numbers in the arab-musiim world. They were mainly worn by high -ranking persons. They served as a protection against aggressions, illnesses and in general against the evil eye.This dress was made of chintz, a white soft cotton from India that was lightly waxed. The inscriptions of surah from the Qur´an are placed up to the waist and along the sleeves.O the Roads of Samarkand exhibition in the institute of the Arab world in Paris: ikats for fantastic colourful dresses in cotton and in silkChapan, “Daukhor” style, Bukhara 1900 – 1905, “bakhmal” velvet, embroideries in silk and silver; State museum of arts of Uzbekistan, TashkentWomen boots “mahsi”, Bukhara, 1905 – 1910, velvet, leather, silk and gold embroidery, Bukhara state museum of history of Uzbekistan; photo Beatrijs SterkWomen boots “mahsi”, Bukhara, beginning 20th century, velvet, leather, gold embroidery,Samarkand state museum-reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan for a woman”kaltascha”, dress, underdress,, collar “peshkurta”, Bukhara, 20th century, silk brocade, silk, cotton, gold embroidery, Bukhara state museum-reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan for a woman”kaltascha”, dress, collar “peshkurta”, Bukhara, end 19th century, velvet cotton and silk blend “adras”, gold embroidery, Bukhara state museum-reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan for a woman”kaltascha”(back side) dress, collar “peshkurta”, Bukhara, end 19th century, velvet cotton and silk blend “adras”, gold embroidery, Bukhara state museum-reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkView at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold at the Institute of the Arab world in Paris; with women dresses and souzani embroideries; photo Beatrijs SterkLayering of two women dresses “kuylak”,”ichkuylak”, trousers “login ezor”, bukhara, end 19th century, cotton and “adras” silk, embroideries, Samarkand state museum reserve; bukhara state museum reserve ; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”, Samarkand 1885 – 1887, cotton, colored silk threads, Tashkent state museum of arts of Uzbekistan; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”,detail, Samarkand 1885 – 1887, cotton, colored silk threads, Tashkent state museum of arts of Uzbekistan; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani from Nourata, end 19th century, cotton, coloured silk threads, Samarkand state museum reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”, Bukhara,1850 – 1860, silk colored silk threads, Samarkand state museum reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”detail, Bukhara,1850 – 1860,silk colored silk threads, Samarkand state museum reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”detail, Bukhara,1850 – 1860, silk colored silk threads, Samarkand state museum reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkSouzani “bolinpush”,Samarkand, end 19th century, silk, colored silk threads,Samarkand state museum-reserve; photo Beatrijs SterkPile carpet, Navoi region, Nourata, 20th century, 344 x 170 cm, Samarkand state Museum; photo Beatrijs SterkInstallation of Ikat dresses at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold; photo Beatrijs SterkParanja, traditional coats for women in Central Asia to be worn in public from the age of ten. These long coats, embroidered on the front, covered the body and the head. They had false sleeves that were tied on the back. With the arrival of the Russians in 1868, the original very simple paranjas began to evolve with bright colors and embroidery until the 1927 when the Soviets, wishing to establish equality of the sexes, forbid the use; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan for a man, “Darkham”style, Bukara end 19th, beginning 20th century, Samarkand State MuseumInstallation of velvet dresses at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold; photo Beatrijs SterkInstallation of velvet dresses at the exhibition On the roads of Samarkand – Wonders of silk and gold; photo Beatrijs SterkCap with gold embroidery on velvet , this headdress belonged to the traditional Uzbek dress and was earlier only worn by men, today also by women and children; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan in “Daukhor”style, Bukhara, bokmal velvet,gold embroidery, brocade, Tashkent state museum of the Timurid history of the academy of science of the Republic of Uzbekistan. these two chapansshare a common feature:their fabric, known as “parcha”, typically displaying printed motifs came from Russia. The Emirate of Bukhara had been under Russian protectorate since 1868. The clothing style gradually followed the taste of the Russian aristocracy; photo Beatrijs SterkChapan in “Darkham” style, Bukhara, 18th – 19th century, brocade, velvet, gold and silver embroidery, Tashkent state museum of the Timurid history of the academy of science of the Republic of Uzbekistan; photo Beatrijs Sterk
