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Craft Techniques of Uzbekistan

The Depository documents 14 techniques in Uzbekistan; by risk level: 7 critically endangered, 6 endangered, 1 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.

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Weaving & Textiles

  • Adras Ikat Weaving (Silk Warp on Cotton Weft — Combined Tension)Weaving & Textiles · Endangered

    Adras (Адрас) is the second major Uzbek ikat tradition — using a silk warp resist-dyed with the abr technique woven against a plain cotton weft.

  • Atlas Ikat Weaving (Pure Silk Warp — Abr Cloud Pattern)Weaving & Textiles · Critically Endangered

    Atlas (Атлас) is Uzbekistan's pure silk warp ikat — the most technically demanding of the three Uzbek ikat traditions, using a warp resist-dyeing system called abr (cloud) in which the silk warp threads are bound in a specific sequence…

  • Baysun Carpet Weaving — Uzbek Pile-Knotted GilyamWeaving & Textiles · Endangered

    The knotting of pile carpets on horizontal or vertical looms in Baysun district, Surkhandarya Province — a region whose distinctive cultural heritage, including its carpet-weaving tradition, was proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral…

  • Uzbek Felt Making (Kigiz — Nomadic Steppe Tradition)Weaving & Textiles · Endangered

    Kigiz (Кигиз) is the Uzbek felt tradition — distinct from the Kyrgyz shyrdak (mosaic felt) and the Mongolian esgii (CRAFT-0605) in using a specific rolling technique with a chiy (reed mat) as the rolling base and a log or pole as the…

  • Uzbek Silk Weaving (Shoyi — Plain Silk Foundation Textile)Weaving & Textiles · Endangered

    Shoyi (Шойи) is the plain Uzbek silk textile — the foundational silk fabric from which ikat and zardozi traditions develop, and important in its own right as the base cloth for embroidery and as a prestige fabric in plain form.

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Embroidery & Lace

  • Bukhara Gold Embroidery (Zardozi — Goldwork on Velvet)Embroidery & Lace · Critically Endangered

    Bukhara zardozi (Зардўзи — Persian: 'gold needle') is the Uzbek tradition of embroidering gold and silver thread onto velvet, silk, or cotton base cloth — producing the ornate robes (chapan), caps (doppi), and wall hangings that were the…

  • Suzani Embroidery (Large-Panel Distributed Work — Master Color System)Embroidery & Lace · Endangered

    Suzani (Сузани — Persian: 'needle') is the large decorative embroidery panel that was the centerpiece of a Uzbek bride's trousseau — produced by the bride, her mother, and female relatives working simultaneously on separate panels of the…

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Metalwork & Jewelry

  • Chust Knife Making (Pichokchilik — Blade Tempering by Sound)Metalwork & Jewelry · Endangered

    Chust (Чуст) in the Namangan Region is Uzbekistan's primary knife-making center — producing the traditional pichok (пичоқ), the short single-edge knife that is the most common everyday tool and gift object in Uzbek culture.

  • Copper Engraving (Mis-Gari — Bukhara and Samarkand Vessel Tradition)Metalwork & Jewelry · Critically Endangered

    Mis-gari (мисгарлик — copper work) is the Uzbek tradition of producing engraved and repoussé copper vessels — trays, bowls, ewers, and samovars — that were the standard household prestige objects of the Silk Road city.

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Ceramics & Pottery

  • Gijduvan Ceramics (Bukhara Province — Stamp Decoration System)Ceramics & Pottery · Critically Endangered

    Gijduvan (Гиждувон) in Bukhara Province is Uzbekistan's second major ceramics tradition — distinct from Rishtan blue-and-white (CRAFT-0689) in using a terracotta body with a specific stamp decoration system rather than painted cobalt.

  • Rishtan Blue-and-White Ceramics (Ishkor Plant Ash Glaze)Ceramics & Pottery · Critically Endangered

    Rishtan (Ришton) in the Fergana Valley is Uzbekistan's primary ceramics center — producing the blue-and-white glazed earthenware that is the visual signature of Uzbek decorative art.

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Woodwork & Carving

  • Khiva Wood Carving (Geometric Compass System — Column and Door)Woodwork & Carving · Critically Endangered

    Khiva (Хива) in the Khorezm region is Uzbekistan's primary center of architectural wood carving — producing the elaborately carved wooden columns (ustun), doors (eshik), and ceiling panels that define the interiors of the UNESCO World…

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Papercraft & Printing

  • Samarkand Paper Making (Samarqand Qog'oz — Mulberry Bark Revival)Papercraft & Printing · Critically Endangered

    Samarkand paper (Самарқанд қоғози) was the finest paper in the medieval Islamic world — mentioned by Arab geographers as early as 751 CE following the Battle of Talas, when Chinese papermakers captured by Arab forces introduced the…

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Mask, Puppet & Costume

  • Uzbek Puppet Making — QoghirchoqsozlikMask, Puppet & Costume · Vulnerable

    The making of traditional Uzbek theatrical puppets — glove puppets (qol qoghirchoq), string marionettes (ip qoghirchoq), and puppets of varying scale (mayda qoghirchoq, small; katta qoghirchoq, large) — for a puppet theater tradition…

All mask, puppet & costume techniques worldwide →