Dyeing is one of the important processes in the production of woolen products. The color largely determines the quality of the created items. In the past, the best dyes were of plant origin; the Kyrgyz used roots, stems, and fruits of various plants for this purpose. However, it is difficult to ascertain the details of the use of natural plant dyes, as much has already been forgotten, since they ceased to be used about 100-120 years ago.
The favorite colors among the Kyrgyz in the past, and still today, are blue (kok), red (kızıl), yellow, and orange (sary). Wool, yarn, and fine felt are dyed in these colors.
The following plants were used for dyeing: madder (Rubia tinctorum L., Kyrg.—tamyr boyok), heart-shaped rhubarb (Rheum cordatum A. Los., Kyrg.—chukuru), Wittrock's rhubarb (Rheum Wittrockii Lundstr., Kyrg.—yshkyn), beautiful knotweed (Polygonum nitens—Fisch. et Mey.—V. Petr., Kyrg.—kymyzdyk), Tian Shan sorrel (Rumex tianschanicus A. Los., Kyrg.—at kulak), and half-bearded delphinium (Delphinium semibarbatum Bienert.).
Roots of mulberry and apricot trees, which were dug up in late autumn, as well as the rind of pomegranate (anar), were used. The shells of walnuts were collected for dyeing in black.
The dyeing process among the southern Kyrgyz was not particularly complex. The wool was not subjected to special mordanting or complex alum treatment before dyeing, as was customary among other peoples of Asia. It was only washed in warm water beforehand. The roots, stems, and fruits of plants were dried, crushed, and used in powder form. Sometimes, after cleaning, they were simply boiled in their raw form, and the washed wool was immersed in the saturated boiling solution.
To give the dye strength and durability, alum (achyk tash) obtained from the mountains was added. Sometimes it was replaced with salt. Before dyeing, the alum was crushed, soaked in water, boiled, and the settled liquid was used. Yarn, wool, and felt were dyed in large cauldrons. Usually, three to four women participated in the dyeing process, each performing a specific task: boiling water, washing wool, winding yarn into skeins (kelep), hanging, and dyeing. There were always two women by the cauldron. While stirring and checking the saturation of the dye, they consulted on when to remove the dyed item from the solution. The dyed items were placed in a container, covered, and after cooling completely, hung up to dry. Wool was usually dyed early in the morning or in the evening.
In the western regions of the Osh region, ash was used to give the fabric durability. For this, both sides of the fabric were thickly sprinkled with sifted ash after dyeing, immersed in hot water, and kept in the water until completely cooled. After that, the material was buried in a pile of ash and thoroughly rinsed about an hour later.
The Kyrgyz did not dye in blue themselves. The material intended for blue dyeing was taken by men to the markets of large cities: Fergana, Andijan, Kokand, Margilan, Osh, Uzgen, and others. There were simply arranged dyeing enterprises here, owned by Bukhara Jews or Uzbeks. In small rooms, there were jars filled with indigo solution of various strengths. The item was dyed in the presence of the customer and returned in an undried state.
It is known that by the end of the 19th century, there was a rapid displacement of plant dyes by cheap artificial aniline dyes. The introduction of aniline dyes, often used ineptly, led everywhere to a sharp deterioration in the quality of all dyed products.