Mahabat was born on March 28, 1981, in the village of Bayetov and, after graduating from the Esengul Karasartov Secondary School, married Alybek Makeev, who works as a teacher at the Askar Turdakunov School. In their 25 years of marriage, they have had five children.
According to her, she inherited her craft skills from her paternal grandmother and her husband's great-grandmother.
“My grandmother was a true artisan, as was my great-grandmother and mother-in-law. I showed an interest in handicrafts from childhood, and perhaps I have a talent for it — I learned quickly. I work with yarn, felt making, stitching shyrdaks, and weaving taara. I make kurzhuns and bags from taara, and I also do patchwork sewing,” she shares.
Mahabat explains in detail the process of weaving taara, using traditional Kyrgyz tools that are now rarely used:
“I spin threads from sheep's wool, dye and prepare the yarn. Then, using ancient tools such as adyrgy, kylch and uchmara, I create taara. The fabric can reach 20 meters in length and 20-30 centimeters in width. From one taara, you can make 6 to 7 kurzhuns. These bags are quite durable and convenient for transporting various items. The yarn for taara is created in winter, and in summer I focus on weaving, as it requires a lot of space. Adyrgy helps to separate the upper and lower threads, kylch is used for compacting the fabric, and uchmara is for managing the taut threads. It is also important to know mathematics, as weaving requires precision,” she explains.
Despite all the difficulties, she continues to engage in her craft to preserve it for future generations.
“I do this work so that the Kyrgyz national craft does not disappear. I don’t pay attention to the weather — whether it’s summer heat or rain, I still try to finish my work. I have many household chores, but I always find time. Making a shyrdak requires special patience; one such work takes about a year. I have already made and sold ten shyrdaks. Everything I create: taara, kurak, shyrdaks — I use for myself, give to friends, or sell. Shepherds and livestock breeders who work in the jailoo especially often buy them,” shares Mahabat Akimalieva.
One of her shyrdaks was even sold to Switzerland.
“I participate in craft exhibitions in the Ak-Tala district and attend the festival at Son-Kul every year. However, I have never won any prizes. For me, the main thing is not to win, but to preserve and showcase this fading craft. Every year at the festival, I don’t see other taara weavers or those who work on looms. Once, a woman bought a shyrdak from me, and her daughter married a Swiss man. When they came to visit, they saw this shyrdak. I had a second, matching one that they liked very much, and they bought it. They praised the products, noting that it was made of natural wool. They had a little daughter, and they said she would sit on it. I made this shyrdak with a special approach, using black and gray felt and white edging without dyes,” Mahabat recounted.
Note:
Taara - rough cloth, burlap. This is a coarse hand-woven fabric, a strong material made from thick yarn using plain weave from various fibers, of classical origin, from which mats, saddle blankets, coarse outerwear, etc., are made. Currently, such material is rarely found.
