Gold embroidery

In contrast to that of silk embroidery, which only deal with women zolotoshveyami long since become exclusively male. The highest peak is the craft reached in Bukhara by the middle of the XIX century, where he mastered specifically for decoration orders of the ruler and his retinue. Gold and silver thread embroidered robes for men, turbans and skullcaps, shoes and trousers, as well as women's clothing: dresses and gowns, headbands - peshanaband, various scarves, shoes and boots. Also embroidered with gold and gems profusely interspersed with small rugs adorned horses and palace interior.

Perfection composite construction designs and technical execution as follows. Stencil items drawn on Laika, then cut out, attached to the stretched fabric and sewn with precious filaments. For each product, the definitions stitch embroidery "zaminduzi" - solid CLADDING "gulduzi" - Sewing for carved figure on a blank background, and more than thirty prominent seams. Today gold embroidery own far outside Bukhara and predominantly female. Their hands are large-scale works - theater curtains, large wall panels, various souvenirs, as this technique is widely used in modern clothing.

Uzbek knives

Despite the fact that the most famous and popular are the blades from Chust, most common in Uzbekistan - Shahrikhon. In Shahrihan glorious city, not far from a small and intimate Pchak-Bozor, a number of which are sold only knives. In the urban areas and the surrounding villages there are so many places densely settled "pchakchi" - dynasty masters for the production of knives. The city laugh that one in three occupied by hunting. Perhaps this explains a fair price for the luxury brand Shahrikhon "pchaki" - Uzbek knives.

In the workshops of local craftsmen produced more than a dozen different types of knives and purpose: gun butcher - "kassob-Pichak" knife for cutting test "Norin-Pichak" gift knife - "bola-Pichak" folding knife for elders - "chol- Pichak. " Of course, all the knives in Shahrihane exclusively handmade, and the price of the product is very influenced by the material handles, trim gyulband (piece of metal that connects the blade with a handle), quenching method, your name, and of course, the most important thing - the metal. We can not say that the metal in Shahrihane deficit, but to make certain types of blades are steel - SH15 and 40H13, from these same varieties are doing springs and bearings, so that's the master in the city and called steel "spring" and "bearing". If you pick up a product from different varieties, once you feel the difference, "bearing" has become somewhat heavier, and sharpening a knife keeps longer. But this does not mean that the blades of the "spring" were worse, just they have a different purpose.

Pottery in Tashkent

One of the oldest districts of Tashkent - Kukcha street Odil Mukhtarov, here on a shady street is one of the attractions of the capital of Uzbekistan - House-Museum. Mukhitdin Rakhimov (1903-1985). A ceramist in the fourth generation, engineer, scientist - researcher - Muhiddin Rakhimov, more than forty years he was a senior research assistant at the Institute of Art History. In his many trips around the country learned thoroughly studied the traditions and techniques of the oldest centers of pottery ceramics in Uzbekistan. Many years of his life, based on the research of archaeologists, he devoted to the study of pottery Timurid era and the Kushan Empire. From his pen came several books and dozens of articles on the history of pottery country, technology creation and processing of pottery. Special interest scientists is the interpretation of symbols, ornaments and art images painted ceramics of Uzbekistan.

Any free time, usto (master) gave Mukhitdin working with clay and painting their works. He has created dozens of magnificent works of art made in the Kushan and Timurid time Tashkent ceramics school, many of them are kept today in the world's best museums (the Hermitage - S.Peterpurg Museum of Oriental Art - Moscow.). But it's time, and all of their knowledge and skills learned conveyed to his son Akbar. Thanks to research his father, Akbar skillfully mastered painting pottery glazes "ishkor", that he offered to create a house-museum Mukhitdin Rakhimov, wherever exhibited not only the work of his father, but also many archaeological finds, he brought from expeditions.

Suzanne - the big art embroidered panels

At the foot of Zarafshan mountains, not far from Samarkand, at 1,000 meters above sea level, is an ancient Uzbek city - Urgut. In the city a lot of historical places, interesting and entertaining attractions of natural objects, but the most interesting (in my opinion) is the market. And if the bazaar, it is always a bit of fairy tales, the bazaar in Urgut include fairy tale. The fact that the main commodity here are works of folk art of the old masters and contemporary artists. Curiosity and the patience of the connoisseur will be handsomely rewarded, as the dismantling of large you will certainly discover these masterpieces of carpet weaving, art products made of metal or ceramic, and if you are lucky, you get a real pearl embroidery Uzbekistan - Suzanne.

Suzanne (from Persian. "Susan" - needle) - the big art embroidered panels that are hung on the walls - not applicable attribute of a traditional Uzbek house. Especially large, decorative suzani created, as a rule, to large family gatherings. Special occasion for embroidery, of course, is the wedding, as for the bride, embroidered kits were part of the dowry, which is compulsory for the beginning of life newlyweds. With particular attention was paid to ornament products that serve a guardian for the young couple and had to drive away from the house of enemies, evil tongues and every adversity. According to ancient tradition, part of the embroidered pattern was left unfinished, this was done "to the house did not end a wedding to her daughter was alive and the joy of the house has not been interrupted." For the manufacture of one person need suzani half or two years of work and caring mother begin to embroider dowry when his daughter is still in the cradle.

Bukhara carpets

This famous brand has been formed many centuries, the origins of its origin goes back to the Middle Ages when the caravans carried along the Silk Road products Bukhara masters in states in the East, the West, and the Mediterranean. In the product fell in love immediately. Soft shiny pile, intricate pattern and all the shades of red in color from dark burgundy to pale pink. This masterpiece is good on the wall and on the floor, as they say, "and warms the soul and pleases the eye."

And may now argue that the "Bukhara" mistakenly called Turkmen carpets and Bukhara never knew carpet. We have an answer spiteful critics. It seems that the carpets in Bukhara and territories wove her slave forever. In any case, in the XIII century, is the first praise of the work of local artists. So enough credible character - Marco Polo, who visited this region, wrote: "curry here, you know, the most delicate and beautiful carpets in the world!" And in the XV century, the Castilian ambassador Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo praised to the skies, "bright red carpets," he abundant in the state of Amir Temur.

Ikat - gorgeous patterns and bright colors

Gorgeous patterns and bright colors woven products in the technique of ikat - status symbols of Central Asia of the 19th century. In pre-Soviet times in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, it was not just a colorful accent: ikat was the highest expression of art and skill of the designer dyer, an indispensable accessory living in households that could afford it, an important area of ​​growing urban economy, a valuable and prestigious gift - whether loved one, or the king.

Ikat was a link in many spheres of life - political, economic and social. One of the reasons of prestige textile products in the technique of ikat - the difficulty of manufacture. The trick ikat that the colors and patterns are applied to the threads in advance before the woven fabric, and only when the product is ready, before your eyes convex pattern occurs. Each strand of yarn can be painted and dried up to three times. The main colors of dyes - yellow, red and blue. Before each stage of the process color master must fasten each section to protect areas that are not supposed to absorb this dye. Therefore, a site that will be blue, must tie round oneself before painting in yellow and red, a site that will be green, must absorb the yellow dye, then it must be for a red tie, and then unleash the blue, the yellow and blue together gave green.

Laukh - sliding wooden stand for the books

Laukh - sliding wooden stand for the books - one of the original products, which is when - or created Uzbek carvers. Hard to believe, but this complex structure is made of a piece of wood without a single nail, and without the use of glue or joints. Skilled craftsmen can produce laukh ten - twelve levels. On a pedestal but books can be placed pencils, small rolls of paper, notebooks, bookmarks and other accessories for reading and writing.

Uneducated person is a struggle even to expand or build such a structure. If a peer can still cope without assistance (and then, provided that you have at least seen how this is done), the multi-level support can be a real puzzle. Even the masters spend much time has put laukh on edge, then push and install parts of it in the desired position, and then turn and put on the table. Similarly, it folds back. Known Tashkent art Shahalami Shayakubov believes laukh (on - Arabic Ruhlen) as a support for the Koran appeared around the same time as the Qur'an itself. Compared with modern books, which you can easily hold and turn over during the long prayer, the ancient sacred tomes were much larger and much heavier, hundreds of pages of parchment, leather binding is often used for the strength of the reinforced metal plates. Stand is not just for convenience in reading the Quran, but also for the respect for the sacred and truly expensive book that could be carried, without touching it once again with his hands.