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Samarkand Patterns

It is considered that Bukhara, Khiva and Osh made a carpet - weaving popular all over the world. But this idea is very conventional one. The Great Silk Road known at the ancient time as one of the main ways for spiritual exchange, has created a unique original culture uniting many cities and countries as well. It looks paradoxical one from the first glance but an ancient Kashgar, Termez, Samarkand and some other cities on the Great Silk Road contributed much to make the Bukharan carpets very popular.

Samarkand Patterns

Many thousand years ago, as back at the 2nd century BC, a trade started to be developed on the ancient caravan road connecting the east and west, Asia and Europe. Known in the history as a Great Silk Road, it played an important role in the world civilization development. A lot variety of goods including wool and leather, cotton and fruits, metal and glass wares, jewelry and precious stones, and incenses were transported by heavy-loaded caravans. The oriental carpets and handicrafts by the Uzbek masters were in great demand all over.

Carpet production in Central Asia was known from the ancient times, when people started to produce many-coloured felt mat made of the wool fibres. In the ancient time a carpet-making was completely home business. Usually women were busy in carpet-making transferring traditions from the old to young generation.

A carpet was one of the most necessary things at home that time. First of all a good quality was estimated much. The sheep's best spring wool was used for weaving carpets. The longest fibres were used for spinning carpet's baseground. Such a carpet was used for many centuries not loosing its best quality. They were used not only to cover the floor or any other place, or instead of furniture, but they were used also for home decoration as well.

Wonderful silk and gold-embroidered carpet were created at the palace's workshops. They cost much money and were used for decoration of the palace's halls and the emir's apartments as well as an expensive presents for foreign rulers.

Samarkand Patterns

Marco Polo having visited Central Asia once wrote the following: " One has to know that the most and thin carpets in the world are produced here…"

With time, production of the silk carpets - the expensive and elite production - fall into decay and beginning from the 17th century they stopped to be produced practically and the technology of their production was lost also.

At the workshop Bukhara-Samarkand founded by our famous contemporary Mukhammad Avaz, the manufacturing of the silk carpets was renovated. More than 400 skilled carpet-makers work here today manufacturing 30-40 hand-made carpets monthly.

… Practically it is not possible to keep a watch of the carpet- weaving: a skilled carpet-maker does this work in the twinkling of an eyes.

Hundred thousand knots and sometimes more than a million ones to one square meter should be connected in the pattern of each carpet.

Samarkand Patterns

Combination of dark and light colors is typical for silk carpets. Looking to such a carpet from different sides, one can see how a carpet from different sides, one can see how a carpet could change its color. Being very thin - the should not exceed two millimeters in height - the carpets are very velvety and inspite of their light weight, they are very long-lived. They do not loose colors with time, opposite they become more bright and noble. A classical orient compositions of the national ornaments are used in the pattern of silk carpets.

In the ancient time, the carpet yarn was dyed with the help of oriental dye-staff of vegetable and organic origin. Ancestors knew many plants used for extraction such dyes. So, the marena's extract was used for making red-scaled dyes, indigo - for dark ,blue colors. Extract received from the oak, nut-tree and pomegranate brews were used to dye the yarn in brown, black and yellow colors. Dye-staff making recipes were kept properly in the family and passed from father to son as a great value. And today at this carpet-making workshop this unique technology is used for dyeing carpet yarns. Some of the necessary plants Mukhammad Avaz grows himself at his workshop's yard. Vegetable dyes which are the only used by the Samarkand carpet-makers, make these carpets more noble and beautiful making the contrasting tones of the threads more gentle in the process of finishing, pile surface becomes velvety and lustre.

With a time silver or gold play of colors appears on the carpet making it more valuable by connoisseurs.

… On the main Samarkand square Registan, among the craft workshops and trade shops the city authorities helped to open a special exhibition place for selling carpets hand-made at the workshop Bukhara-Samarkand. The best samples of carpets intended for selling are exposed here. Many foreign tourists are gethered here usually to enjoy the beauty of the eat silk carpet or to buy this wonderful creation renovated from non-existence by the skilled Samarkand craftsmen. These silk carpets keep memory of the centuries and worm of the Uzbek masters hearts.

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