Uzbekistan · Embroidery / Goldwork / Textile
Зардўзи (Zardozi)
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 prestige objects of the Bukhara emirate court. The Bukhara variant uses a specific tamburovka (tambour hook) technique distinct from Indian zardozi needle couching — the hook pulls the gold thread through the fabric from below rather than laying it on top. The defining technical knowledge is the hook tension calibration: 'the hook must pull the gold tight enough to grip the pile but not so tight that the velvet pile is crushed.' Velvet pile integrity is the quality standard.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Uzbekistan national ICH list; UNESCO inscription process underway
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