Carpet Products among the Kyrgyz

The production of pile carpet products among the Kyrgyz was closely linked to the needs of a nomadic lifestyle. Each item was adapted primarily to this, while also meeting the aesthetic needs of the Kyrgyz people. Carpet products gradually began to replace felt items, displacing some of them, although the production of the latter is much simpler and requires significantly less time.

Particularly popular, even in the conditions of nomadic life, was the carpet - kilim. In the western part of the Osh region, the Kyrgyz pronounce it "gilem" (as do the Karakalpaks and Uzbeks), while in the east, it is "kilem." It was laid in the yurt in a place of honor (tir) on a previously placed woven or fur mat.

Like the felt carpets, the pile Kyrgyz carpet has an elongated rectangular shape. The most common sizes of pile carpets are 150x300 cm. Usually, when determining the size of the carpet, elderly craftswomen refer to the traditional measure they used in the past — kulan, karysh. "Kulan" equals the distance between outstretched arms; "karysh" is the distance between the tips of the fully spread fingers — the thumb and little finger. In these measurements, there have always been various variations within an increase or decrease of 10-20 cm. According to the stories of craftswomen from the Aksai Valley (Aisha Ormonova, Altyn Abdrakhmanova), in the past, the Kyrgyz made carpets of smaller sizes, almost square in shape (approximately 80X95 cm). Such mats were mandatory in the dowry.



Later, when Kyrgyz women began to make carpets for the market or by order of the wealthy, their sizes became larger, approximately 200X600 cm. The increase in carpet sizes was also influenced by market demands, as the main buyers, as noted above, were affluent Uzbeks and Tajiks living in large houses. A. Felkerzam, in his work, writes that Fergana carpets made by Kyrgyz surpass all other carpets in Central Asia in size.

It is worth noting that large-sized carpets have special names among the Kyrgyz. Thus, craftswomen in the western regions of the Osh region and in the Aksai Valley call a large carpet ordo kilem (Ordo — the khan's camp, a wealthy yurt of a noble person). In the central part of the region, such carpets are called kaly kilem, and this term includes not only a large size of the carpet but also its good quality and a more complex pattern on it. It is possible that these names arose because the Kyrgyz supplied large carpets specifically for the khan's court and noble persons.

In addition to these two names, a large carpet has other, but less stable names: zor kilem (big carpet), jayloo kilem (summer carpet).



They also made small rugs — jaynamaz, specifically intended for performing prayers. These were predominantly found in the western part of the region, indicating a greater influence of Islam here than in the eastern part of the region.

Carpets among the Osh Kyrgyz were an essential attribute of yurt decoration during weddings, funerals, on festive days, and in wealthy households — even on ordinary days. They not only decorated yurts but also lined the path between closely placed yurts during "ash," which were organized by wealthy Kyrgyz.

In families of moderate means, carpets were necessarily included in the dowry. In wealthy families, the number of carpets in the dowry reached the traditional "nine."

The affluence of the yurt owner was easily determined by the "juku," as excess carpets were piled here, and when there were many of them, it became higher and wider than usual.



Carpets were not only decorations for the dwelling. They were widely used in the past during migrations. It was customary to cover a loaded camel in a caravan with a carpet. "On camels, carpets reach the ground on both sides," we find in the description of the migration of the Kyrgyz in the Aksai Valley. A young camel (the Kyrgyz paid special attention to camel calves) was adorned with a specially woven pile carpet called taylak kilem.

Among the pile products made in the Osh region, an interesting narrow long bag for storing items — chavadon. Its front side consists of a carpet runner, and the back is made from a piece of home-produced fabric. The edges of the fabric and the carpet runner are sewn together so that only a small (20-25 cm) opening remains, through which household items such as harness, women's jewelry, and carrying items are placed into the bag. The width of the carpet front side of the bag ranges from 35 to 42 cm. The length varies from 80 to 120 cm. The carpet bag in the "juku" has its specific place and purpose: it is placed at the very bottom (usually on the chest), so that its decorative carpet side is well visible. In homes, the "juku" is arranged in specially made wall niches for storing items. Therefore, the length of the carpet runner slightly increased (proportionally with the width of the niche) with the transition to adobe houses. The carpet bag among the southern Kyrgyz still exists today. Previously, it was only in exceptional cases that it was absent in a Kyrgyz dwelling. It was a necessary attribute of the dowry, and it was made for the wedding even in low-income families. Usually, it was prepared by the bride's mother (not the bride herself).


Carpet strip "chavadon". Nookat district.

Among some nomadic peoples of Central Asia in the past — among semi-nomadic Uzbek tribes of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, among Turkmen, and Karakalpaks — there were also storage bags. With the same utilitarian purpose (storage of valuable items), and a specific place for them in the "juku" (always in the very bottom row), these storage bags have different shapes and names. Thus, the storage bag "mapramach" resembles the shape of a chest. The Turkmen have a different shape. Among the Karakalpaks, this carpet product is the most common.


Carpet strip "chavadon". Frunze district.

It has a carpet runner front — a strip (approximately the same as the Kyrgyz "chavadon"), called karshyn.

Messages from elderly women contain interesting information that in the past "chavadon" was also made from felt, with its front side embroidered with colored wool. It should be noted that pile "kurjun" in southern Kyrgyzstan was not made everywhere. Even in areas where carpet weaving was most developed, it was sewn from patterned or striped fabric. Among the Kyrgyz in the southwestern part of the Osh region, we encountered bags whose front side was made using patterned weaving technique.

Various leather and felt pouches for storing household items, which were used among the Osh Kyrgyz, were gradually replaced by pile products. The interior decoration of the yurt was complemented by richly ornamented decorative carpet strips. The width of the strip is 35-45 cm. It finds greater application among the Kyrgyz living in the western part of the Osh region. Such decoration was widespread in Eastern Turkestan, among Uzbeks in the Samarkand region, and was also present among the Kazakhs.

The Kyrgyz also made a carpet curtain for the door of the yurt (eshik tysh), which was hung outside.

Among items related to horseback and pack transport, pile saddles (basmayil), saddle pads — kopchuk (measuring 35X40 cm), and pack bags (kurjun) were widely used. Special carpet covers were produced to close the ends of the dome poles and the links of the lattice frame of the yurt during migrations. Thus, in the 19th century, carpet products among the southern Kyrgyz deeply penetrated everyday life.