A Souvenir to Remember an Enthralling Tour

Any traveler who returns from wanderings in far-away lands, wishes to keep something to remember the acquaintance with a new country and its people. A souvenir made by hands of a master will always revive the memoirs from travel across Uzbekistan, the “golden part” of the ancient Great Silk Road. Having visited a handicraftsman’s workshop or art salon in every cities of the country it is possible to choose a national toy, ware, small boxes painted with varnish miniature, clothes and more many other things to liking.

Uzbekistan is a true finding for fans and collectors of the artistic ceramics. Here, the ceramic art is considered the most ancient national craft, and each region has its school and special features. For instance, in Khorazm the descendants and apprentices of the well-known Khiva master R. Matchanov create pitchers – clay vessels with wide neck covered with turquoise glaze, deep bowls – tubs, traditional lamps – chiroqs decorated with subtle blue and ultramarine ornament. People pf crafts of Samarqand leave nobody indifferent with their amusing small figures depicting the national favorite Ho’ja Nasriddin riding his donkey. They also can make the whole caravans of tiny camels or candlesticks in the shape of fantastic dragons reminding terracotta sculptures, discovered by archeologists in ruins of the ancient Marokand, and thin ceramic drinking bowls for tea at easy contact blows a crystal ringing.

Since old days the ceramics created by Rishton masters from Farg’ona Valley drew the attention of collectors from across the world. Rishton masters started using glaze “ishqor” on the base of natural dyes as early as in the 14th century. Today art of the ancestors is glorified by masters M. Qodirov, M. Saidov, G. Masharipov who create those popular blue Rishton ceramics that are distinct in great variety of shapes and ornaments. The products made by Bukhoro masters charm people by subtlety of shapes and pattern reminding the coloring of peacock feathers. Inexhaustible capabilities of the burned clay are showcased by the Tashkent masters V. Shurkov and R. Muhamajonov whose figure compositions are full of humor as like they narrate about meetings of old friends in tea house or market.

Connoisseurs of national female adornments will not remain indifferent to products by jewelers of Tashkent, Bukhoro and Samarqand – traditional earrings kashg’ar-boldoq as well as dome-shaped earrings with pendants, bracelets and rings with favorite Eastern stones – pearls, rubies, turquoise and cornelian. Work of Bukhoro chasers differs with refinement and accuracy. On brass and copper trays with stamping ornament they engrave images of architectural monuments of “sacred Bukhoro”. Hereditary chaser from Marg’ilon M. Madaliyev forges traditional vessels for washing and water, decorating with patterns their spouts and handles.

Uzbek handicraftsmen were famous all along the Great Silk Road for their proficiency in metal processing. The Uzbek national knife – pichoq created by the Chust or Qo’qon smith can take a worthy place in any collection.

The Uzbek masters have brought woodcarving to the level of high art. Wall panels, boxes and short-leg national tables – khon-tahta with six or eight sides table-top from wood of nut, beech or plane tree are decorated by a refined pattern. Yet the most mysterious thing is a book-holder – lauh. It is cut out from the integral lump of a firm tree, without any hardware and hinges.  It is opened up in skillful hands of a master, forming rather complex design with several numbers of richly ornamented shelves. Tashkent masters S. Rahmatullayev and H. G’aniyev know the secret of manufacturing a folding screen – panjara. Its folds are made out on the basis of the accurate mathematical calculation known from the far past, by through geometrical ornament laid out from skillfully cut-out tree lumps with no using nails and glue.

Ornamental art has been brought to perfection in woodcarving products. The subtle vegetative ornament “islimi”, made with the use of oil paints, decorates powder boxes and cases, caskets and khon-tahtas made in workshops of artisans. Even more subtle patterns quite frequently decorated by mosaic gold, are painted on lacquer ware from papier-mâché by artists – musavvirs who have revived the ancient art of miniature. The ornamental frame often contains scenes of hunting and battles on the motives of such poetic eposes as Shohnoma and Boburnoma as well as the plots evoked by gazelles of Alisher Navoi and Umar Hayyom.

The theme painting is also used in leather membranes of souvenir tambourines – doyras. Diminutive Uzbek musical instruments – dutors, rubobs, tanboors with the tense strings and decoration from nacre are considered an excellent souvenir for the fan of the Eastern music.

Quite a few visitors to Uzbekistan will leave the country without a remarkable national headwear – skullcap. Chust-made skullcaps for men from black sateen with white patterns in the form of four pods of pepper and women’s skullcaps with bright embroidery will suit everyone. The gold-embroidered Bukhoro skullcaps shine as like precious diadems.

Yet in the Middle Ages caravans carried the well-known Bukhoro and Khiva carpets to the West and East. Uzbek carpet weavers make other no less bewitching napless carpets as well. The Qo’qon striped “gajari” and Shahrisabz “arabi” carpets with geometrical patterns – indispensable attribute of traditional furniture of the Uzbek house.

At last, the true pearl of crafts of the Uzbek people are handmade fabrics. As early as in the middle of the first millennium the masters of Samarqand and Farg’ona Valley weaved silk fabrics from raw silk.

Handmade abr fabrics weaved from already painted silk threads are quite popular in Uzbekistan. The name of the pattern received in such way “abr” is translated as “as like a cloud”. The Marg’ilon weavers-abrbandi also weave semisilk adras, as well as ordinary silk fabric shoyi, and the world-known khon-atlas that burning with all colors of rainbow, or a refined black-and-white coloring with gleams of green or dark blue colors.

Thus, Uzbekistan possesses even more interesting things that could become a fine souvenir for a long time in order to keepsake impressions about historical and cultural traditions, ancient customs of the Uzbek people.