Textile
collecting was always an integral part of our research process. For many
years, we traveled through northern Afghanistan collecting textiles and
information about them in Tashkurgan, Aibak, Mazar-i-Sharif, Aqcha, and
Maimana. Our textile collections have been a great resource for our writing, have been shown in museum exhibitions, and have brought us great personal enjoyment and pleasure. See the Articles section of this website for an introductory view of the history and cultural background of Central Asian ikat and Uzbek and Turkoman embroidery. For more detailed information, look to our books Ikat Silks of Central Asia, the Guido Goldman Collection, Calmann and King, 1996 and the new Uzbek Embroidery in the Steppe Tradition, the Jack A. and Aviva Robinson Collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MIA, 2007. Amu Darya region Turkoman embroidery remains one of the least published but superb Central Asian textile traditions; if it seems that we are hinting that we would love to write that book, you are right. The rare Turkoman cuffs, bags, and elek (protective collars for children) shown below are unusual, authentic examples of embroidery from a little-known cultural tradition. The Turkoman embroidered and felted bread bags had tremendous social significance in Turkoman society, as the ritual delivery and presentation of breads formed part of many social interactions such as weddings and birth celebrations. Other noteworthy pieces are the authentic Lakai or Kungrat v-shaped segusha, the ikat robe (we have other ikat and plain silk robes and garments to come) and the more recently acquired examples of charming, mid-twentieth century suzani embroideries from Uzbekistan. Click here to see different types of textiles! IKAT and COSTUME SHAHRISABS and BUKHARA SUZANI LAKAI and KUNGRAT TURKOMAN EMBROIDERY other TEXTILES Conditions of Use . |