Fabrics of Kyrgyz Production
Fabrics of Kyrgyz production are characterized by plain weave, which is considered the simplest technique in textile production.
Kyrgyz men’s clothing was made from fabric produced from sheep or camel wool. For this purpose, it was woven from relatively loosely spun brown yarn. Rarely, the woven fabric was poured with boiling water. When the water cooled, the material was kneaded with feet, making it very dense. The coarse but very strong and dense waterproof fabric, with a width of 28 to 32 cm, was called basma taar by the southern Kyrgyz.
The robe made from it (basma chepken or basma chekmen) was well-regarded among the herders in southern Kyrgyzstan, as it perfectly protects against sunburn, does not let the wind through, and does not get soaked in the rain.
An even more rarely woven material made from double untwisted threads of gray or brown natural color was previously made and is still made by Kyrgyz for foot wraps (paitava). After production, this fabric is washed in hot water, making it soft and warm. Its width is 24–28 cm.
From camel wool, the Kyrgyz produced a dense, strong fabric called piyazi. For the warp, tightly twisted threads of right (on) and left (sol) twist were prepared. When creating the warp, they were alternated. The weft was tightly beaten down during weaving. The wool was not dyed, and the color of the material corresponded to its natural hue. From this fabric, men’s robes (piyaz chepken), trousers (shym), horse blankets (dikak) were sewn, and it was also used for making utility bags.
From sheep wool (from medium-density threads), the Kyrgyz wove fabric (about two meters long) for women's and men's belts (bel kur), with one end of the latter decorated with stripes.
For men’s turbans, strips about 150 cm long were woven. For this purpose, finely spun single threads were prepared from white sheep wool or goat down.
Kyrgyz women also produced long strips from single threads of medium twist, which were usually dyed blue or muted red and embroidered with colored threads. Such strips served as decorations in the yurt, acting as a kind of frieze, and were predominantly used among the Kyrgyz of the ichkilik group. In their character, these fabrics resemble Uzbek ones.
In addition to the described solid fabrics, striped fabrics—ala taar—made from gray, white, and brown wool single threads are also popular in southern Kyrgyz weaving. They come in various densities. Striped fabrics, which are used for making bags (kap) for storing grain, flour, and other products, are made in all regions of Southern Kyrgyzstan.
From the same fabric (or smooth, without stripes), palases are sewn, which are laid on the floor. Until recently, in the western parts of the region and in the Alai Valley, it was customary to weave woolen strips with a checkered pattern or stripes at the edges. Such fabric is used as a tablecloth (dastarkhan).
Even at the beginning of our century, southern Kyrgyz (mainly from the ichkilik group) produced a dense fabric of white or slightly creamy color from cotton threads. It was woven with a width of 26–30 cm on a conventional narrow loom. Tightly twisted threads were used for both the weft and the warp. In texture, this fabric resembles the fabric made from camel wool. According to informants, in the past, it was used to sew men’s, women’s, and children’s robes (these products have not survived to this day). This fabric was used for curtains on the doors of yurts and for making various utility bags. These products were usually adorned with embroidery in various colors. They were characteristic items of the everyday life of the Kyrgyz of the Osh region, who identified themselves with the ichkilik group.
