Preservation of the Traditional Craftsmanship of the Silk Roads: Kyrgyz felt carpets

From 26-28 September 2019, an exhibition and series of workshops on the production of traditional Kyrgyz felt carpets (shyrdak and ala-kiyiz) took place at the Frunze Museum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

These events aimed to raise awareness of the rich culture and diversity of traditional artisanship and skills of the Kyrgyz people related to the culture of felt carpets among wider audiences, especially among youth and children.

Historically, the regions of Central Asia have been at the cross-roads of a variety of Silk Roads exchanges. Traditional skills such as the crafting of felt carpets, the performing arts, and associated oral traditions and expressions are vibrant elements of the shared knowledge and culture transmitted across these routes.

The master classes were followed up by a roundtable on the topic of “Preservation and promotion of Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets - ala-kiyiz and shyrdak”, which was held on 30 September.

Among the round table participants were the members of the Kyrgyz Parliament, the Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as representatives of specialized government agencies, artisans, ethnographers, experts, and NGOs.
 

In 2012 Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdak, the art of Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets, was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The purpose of the roundtable was to draw the attention to the need for an in-depth study of this element of Kyrgyz traditional culture, in order to ensure its preservation and transmission to future generations.

These events were organized by UNESCO Almaty together with the National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO as part of the “Silk Roads Heritage Corridors in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Iran – International Dimension of the European Year of Cultural Heritage” – a joint European Union and UNESCO Almaty project.

To popularize further the traditions of felt carpets, books for children and teenagers have been published which tell the stories of their rich culture and traditional handicraft knowledge, and these were distributed during the events.

In our rapidly evolving globalized community, traditional arts and craftsmanship, which have contributed greatly to the shared legacy of the Silk Roads, are in danger of becoming obsolete. Despite these challenges, the people of Kyrgyzstan continue to produce authentic felt carpets that are deeply imbued with significance.

More information can be found on the UNESCO Almaty page

See also:

Silk Roads Heritage Corridors: Restoration of Sites of Silk Roads Exchange

Silk Roads Heritage Corridors: Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop, Bamiyan, Afghanistan