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Decorative art of Tajikistan


Suzani. One of the most typical large-scale Tajik embroideries is a suzani. It plays a significant role not only in decoration of a Tajik home, but also in the life of the people being the real boast of their folk art. Tajik suzani with its extraordinary diversity of ornamental patterns, harmony of proportions, vibrant colours, expressiveness and exceptional thoroughness of the decorative design, deserve admiration and veneration for the mastery of human’s hands.

In terms of artistic values suzani is often highly competitive with carpets. Embroidery is usually made on karbos (hand woven cotton fabric), glazed cotton or silk. In majority of cases it is backed with linen and is edged with a strip of black fabric or a band. Suzani is distinguished by a closed composition with a large rosette covering sizeable area of the suzani field or a composition of six-nine symmetrically arranged smaller rosettes.

In suzanis from Khojent, Isfarin, Samarkand, Bukhara and Kanibadam plant motifs are used instead of rosettes. The whole composition of suzani is framed with ample elegant border which gives the suzani the semblance of completeness. Suzanis from different regions of the country have certain peculiarities in pattern character and colouring.

Suzanis from Ura-Tube are believed to be among the most spectacular ones. Their colour combination delights the eyes. Their design is built up on sharp colour contrast and dazzles with its unusual brightness and daring coloration. There exist two types of suzanis: early period suzanis are distinguished for their fine ornaments embroidered by continuous stitching, and suzanis of later period, modern suzanis, with large laconic design.

Many-petalled rosettes of lilac purple cherry colour have pink flowers in the centre and are bordered with roundels ornamented with similar flowers. Solid white stalks with big succulent leaves plastically wind round contrast rosettes. Spaces between the rosettes are filled with sparse tiny blue flowers haloed with yellow trefoil at the background of red toji-hurus (cockscomb) flowers. Same motif is observed in the decoration of narrow border: white undulating vine with toji-hurus flowers alternates with yellow flowerets. Black background accentuates the design of embroidery. The whole composition of embroidery is imbued with laconic expressiveness. It is supported by steady rhythm of big purple-red rosettes and small patches of blue flowers as well as bold silhouettes of solid white stalks.

Ura-Tube suzanis are characterized by the pattern with just one large rosette. This pattern has been popular with embroideresses from olden times. The colour of the numerous roundels forming this rosette usually contrast sharply with the background of embroidery: black colour contrasts with white one, red with black, claret with yellow. Multiplicity of ornamental patterns ensures a sensation of eternal impetuous motion inherent in a live, restless organism.

Such compositions are typical of hand-made embroidery and impart a peculiar charm to each needlework piece. You can scan dozens, hundreds of embroideries with similar patterns, and still you won’t be able to find totally identical pieces; each of these embroideries will have its own distinct character.

Suzanis from Khanibadam, Khojent, Isfarin and Ashta are light and delicate. They possess no monumentality that is so appealing in Ura-Tube needlework pieces. Though the main ornamental motif of these suzanis is also vegetal, the embroideress’s fantasy embodies the floral patterns varying in forms and colours into splendid bushes and fantastic bunches of flowers which become the primary compositional accents of the suzanis. Bushes and bunches of flowers are arranged in rhythmic order over the entire field. Each composition may contain ten, eight or six floral elements. Luxuriant lace-like bushes firmly “sit in the ground”. Such interpretation is characteristic of the whole decorative-applied art of the Tajiks. Embroideresses display unlimited fantasy and mastery. On one of the suzanis on huge black background there is a big central rosette with smaller delicate rosettes being scattered around. The impression is that this composition possesses volume and depth. To some extent this suzanis resemble night starry sky.

Suzane from Nurek incorporated the traditions of embroideries typical of the mountainous areas and those characteristic of lowland folk needlework art. They are distinguished by richness of décor. Their dominating colour is red. It is often used as background. Various hues of red colour are widely applied in the ornamental composition itself. Nurek suzanis give the impression similar to that of mosaics where everything blends into bright colour spectrum.

In Penjikent suzanis the ornamental design of rosettes is not multilevel and they are characterized by compactness of general décor. The inner field of the rosette is divided by several star-like roundels which match the main background in colour. In Penjikent suzanis embroideresses often use colours which are uncommon for Tajik embroideries: brown, gray and pale pink.

Embroideries made in neighbouring to Penjikent villages are diverse. Their ornamental design resembles that of the suzanis made in Ura-Tube and Kanibadam but with softer colour range.

Bukhara embroideries often use silk threads whose luster and iridescence create subtle transition of one colour into another and make an impression of extraordinary polychromy. In terms of design preference Bukhara suzanis usually have diamond-shaped net which fills the central field and there is a floral motif in each mesh. In the delicate lacy scrolls of this fantastic vegetation one expects to detect bird’s singing and flower fragrance.

Old Bukharan needlework of the 19th century is represented by well-known gold embroideries notable for spectacular play of colours. Their overall bright golden range with sporadic patches of blue, green, pink, red, or violet create the impression of amazing stylishness of the fabric. Particularly beautiful are the embroideries made on velvet and thick silk.

Borpush. Besides suzani, in lowland regions of Tajikistan there exist other types of decorative needlework. Close to the suzani in their functionality are borpush, ruijo and kars. They are used as wall hangings, bedcover or a covering for stack of blankets. They are widely used in wedding and burial ceremonies. These articles are much smaller than suzani (200Х200cm, 200Х150cm, 100Х300 cm). But in terms of variety of patterns and colouring they may be superior. Their composition is also built with the help of central field and a border. Borpush has generally closed composition: the centre of the field often contains a large decorative vegetal or geometric pattern whereas four corners are filled with ornaments. Sometimes the central field is filled with several symmetrically arranged patterns. These two compositional approaches give way to many variations of design and colouring. Borpush and suzani are very much alike. The only exception is borpush from Ura-Tube which has very distinctive patterns of its own.

The fantasy of an embroideress transforms nature, flowers and animals into splendid ornaments thus creating a realistic origin of designs. In Ura-Tube borpush the patterns with images of a snake, scorpion, or a dragon are not infrequent. Such motifs are generally characteristic for Tajik art. Thus to the present day folk pantomime feature archaic attributes. Same antiquity is traced in the origin of embroidery. One of the common patterns of Tajik suzani depicts the disk of the sun consisting of several circles radiating small zigzag tongues of flame. Pink, red, yellow, crimson and white zigzags rhythmically arranged all along the circle create a lively, colourful, dynamic picture, which reminds the image of sun. Such a style is undoubtedly connected with old rites and beliefs of the Tajiks and was inherited by the embroideresses from remote ages. Its origin can be traced in the Sogdian art of the 7th-8th century.

Joynamoz is a mat used to kneel on during praying. Its pattern has U-shape composition, commonly with a pointed upper part, and represents mekhrab – a special Mecca-directed niche in a mosque. In its character the ornamentation of joynamoz resembles the patterns of a suzani, borpush or ruijo. It can be delicate with plenty of flowers and small leaves typical for Bukhara pieces which are characterized of a great variety of peculiar pattern variants. It can be bright, composed of separate rhythmical forms like in Samarkand, Ura-Tube and Penjikent needlework items. But the general artistic spirit of joynamoz ornament is full of ingenuousness and intimacy.

This comes from its intended purpose, its closeness to a man, his thoughts which appear while performing prayers. Among the patterns forming the niche there can be found the symbolic elements of a pomegranate (anor) - token of happiness and fertility, various worms and centipedes meant to assist the owner in realization of his wishes, snakes, goat’s horns, a teapot and even samovar – attributes of hospitality.

Kars is a bedcover and a covering for the blankets stacked in the wall niche. This type of embroidery is not very common. It’s a piece of fabric up to 350centimetres in length and 150-170 centimetres in width. Each end of this fabric is embroidered on both sides: front and back. The ready kars is usually folded across in such a way that one end of the piece slightly covers another. The border is the main field for ornamentation and is covered with the most luxuriant embroidery. The patterns are always edged by double ribbon-like lines – a straight and an undulating one. This is a traditional technique used in Tajik embroideries.

Botanical motifs are the main ornamental elements of these embroideries. Sometimes the ornament contains separate signs stylized as Arabic letters. They are skillfully intertwined into the patterns and add originality to these works of art. Rosettes are never used in the patterns of kars embroideries. In the patterns the folk artists usually represent their perception of the reality. That is why embroidery ornaments are always bright, lively, flowering.

Ruijo. Not a single folk ceremony can do without ruijo-the bedcover. It is widely used as cover for bridal bed. Ruijo is widespread all over the lowland Tajikistan. The composition of ruijo embroidery is rather austere, U-shaped. Its patterns are enclosed on three sides with double ribbon-like strip. The ornamental forms and type of the ground are diverse. Most common are botanical motifs but in numerous variations. Small flowers, leaves, stalks are gathered into bushy bouquets alternating with big and small rosettes, which give the pattern certain subtlety and delicacy. This type of embroidery is especially popular in Kanibadam, Isfarin, Khojent, and Ashta. Ruijo from these regions are distinguished by the multiformity of the ornaments even within one and the same ruijo: one can get the impression that patterns from different types of embroideries were gathered to make a bright intricate design of one needlework.

Author: I. Blidarev

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