The Process of Sheepskin Tanning
Tanning sheepskin with ayran. Mid-19th century. The photograph is kept in the State Museum The Kyrgyz were skilled in processing animal hides. The process of tanning sheepskin was as follows. First, the remnants of fat and muscle tissue were carefully removed from the skin with a knife. After that, the sheepskin was soaked from the inside with sour milk (whole, not skimmed) — ayran mixed with salt, rolled up, and left in this state for 4-5 days. Then the skin was taken out into the sun for a