Central Asia

Kundal (polychrome decorative wall painting)

One of the most original types of traditional handicrafts in Tajikistan is kundal, a polychrome decorative wall painting of glue paints with gilded relief...

Kord (knives)

Kord (knife) is one of the items of tangible culture of the Tajik people and an integral part of the traditional male costume. Traditionally,...

Jurabs (ornamental knitted stockings)

Knitting and weaving are an ancient crafts of the Tajik people. Archaeological findings of the ancient Penjikent (fifth to eighth centuries A.D.), such as...

Jewellery

Jewellery is one of the brightest manifestations of artistic creativity of the Tajik people. The earliest samples discovered by archeologists belong to distant antiquity...

Chubkori (woodcarving)

Chubkori (artistic woodcarving) is among the oldest Tajik traditional crafts. Number of monuments of artistic wood carvings from different eras reach us in the...

Yurt

Yurt is a brilliant architectural design of nomadic culture. Optimal convenience of its structure fully reflects the dynamism of nomadic life and the philosophy...

Weaving

Kirghiz weaving occupied an important place in past domestic craft production. The main raw material for weaving was the wool of local sheep. In...

Traditional dress

Kyrgyz traditional clothing style was simple and rational. It was formed due to climatic and natural conditions. For mountain Kyrgyz, the emphasis was on...

Saima embroidery and tush-kiiz wall hanging

Embroidery was a very popular and widespread type of needlework that was practiced by Kyrgyz women of all ages, from young to old. This...

Musical Instruments

Folk musical instruments are interesting, as an indispensable attribute of musical creativity and as objects of applied art. The most popular folk instrument is...

Kalpak and elechek

Kyrgyz have always treated headwear with special respect. Disrespecting someone’s headwear was equated to humiliation of its owner. Number of rules regarding headwear exist...

Jewellery

The art of jewellery making among Kyrgyz people goes back to ancient times. The favourite and common precious metal among the Kyrgyz was silver....