Suzani is a type of

embroidered Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on ...

and decorative

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...

made in

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental coun ...

and other

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former ...

n countries. Suzani is from the Persian سوزن ''Suzan'' which means

needle Needle may refer to: Crafting * Crochet needle, a tool for making loops in thread or yarn * Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle * Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip * Trussing needle, a long sl ...

. The art of making such textiles in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

is called سوزن‌دوزی ''Suzandozi'' (needlework). Suzanis are rather delicate and extremely few examples survive from before the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They belong however to a very ancient tradition. In the early 15th century, Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, the Castilian ambassador to the court of

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

(

Tamerlane Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

), left detailed descriptions of embroideries that were probably forerunners of the suzani. Suzanis were traditionally made by Central Asian brides as part of their

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

, and were presented to the groom on the wedding day. These hand-embroidered vintage suzanis are infused with the character that only comes from everyday use. The story of each of these suzanis is as rich as their colors and as intricate as the designs that cover their surfaces.Suzanis are one of the most popular folk arts in Uzbekistan
/ref>

Types

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

Suzani *Khodjent Suzani (

Khodjent Khujand ( tg, Хуҷанд, Khujand; Uzbek: Хўжанд, romanized: Хo'jand; fa, خجند‌, Khojand), sometimes spelled Khodjent and known as Leninabad (russian: Ленинабад, Leninabad; tg, Ленинобод, Leninobod; fa, لنی ...

) * Lakai Suzani *

Nurata Nurota (sometimes spelled as Nurata, uz, Nurota, Нурота; tg, Нурато; russian: Нурата) is a city and seat of Nurota District in Navoiy Region in Uzbekistan. Its population is 32,300 (2016). History Nurota was founded as the anci ...

Suzani, made in the town of

. * Piskent Suzani *

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zi ...

Suzani *

Shakhrisabz Suzani Shakhrisabz Suzani is a type of Suzani textile Suzani is a type of embroidered and decorative tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. Suzani is from the Persian سوزن ''Suzan'' which mean ...

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

Suzani *

Ura Tube URA is an acronym which may refer to: *The IATA code for Oral Ak Zhol Airport in Kazakhstan *The IPAsTA code for Herschel Orbital Cosmodrome, Uranus *, a Russian news site *Uganda Revenue Authority *Uganda Revenue Authority SC, a Kampala football c ...

Suzani (

Istaravshan Istaravshan ( tg, Истаравшан; fa, استروشن; russian: Истаравшан) is a city in Sughd Province in Tajikistan. In 2000, the Tajik government changed the name of the city from earlier Uroteppa ( tg, Ӯротеппа; ''Ura ...

, Tajikistan) File:Stamps of Uzbekistan, 2009-32.jpg,

Suzani File:Stamps of Uzbekistan, 2009-33.jpg,

Suzani File:Stamps of Uzbekistan, 2009-34.jpg, Piskent Suzani

References

Sources and external links

Guide to Suzani
by Barry O'Connell. Photographs of all types of suzanis.

by Marla Mallett. Includes details of embroidery techniques.

2003,

Saudi Aramco World ''Aramco World'' (formerly ''Saudi Aramco World'') is a bi-monthly magazine published by Aramco Services Company, a US-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the ...

All about suzani from Central AsiaTRC Needles entry on suzanis
{{Authority control Kazakhstani culture Embroidery Uzbekistani culture Tajikistani culture

Types

See also

References

Sources and external links