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Arts and Crafts of Central Asia: Textile and Jewelery

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2014

Abstract

The Central-Asian region, in current geo-political signification understood as the territory of five Post-Soviet states: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and partially of Kazakhstan, has went through a very rich and colorful historical development. During this development it has absorbed many different culture impulses and influences that helped the region to develop conditions for the formation of a distinctive artistic expression.

To a certain extent, we can observe continuity in the development of traditional arts and crafts professions since early historical times until today. Based on rich material evidence, the period between the second half of the 19th and the beginning of 20th century can be considered to be one of the most important eras of first-quality arts and crafts production according to used material and production procedures.

Documents and artifacts from this period formed the basis for the revitalization of traditional handicrafts, which started with the declaration of independence on the former Soviet Union in 1991, when Central Asian states, in the process of building national self-awareness and search for a new identity, began to come back to their cultural heritage and traditional values.