WELCOME TO KAZAKHSTAN

Cultural treasures of Uzbekistan have been presented at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Luxurious gold-embroidered chapans, jewelry, headwear, magnificent syuzanes and carpets have been brought to Astana. Among the exhibits are unique works that are being displayed outside of Uzbekistan for the first time. The exhibition, entitled "Legacy in Stitches," invites visitors to embark on a fascinating journey through the rich history of the Uzbek people's sewing and embroidery traditions."We have brought 122 exhibits from five large museums in Uzbekistan. Preparation took a year. More than 30 works of art have been restored. The exhibition has already been successfully held in Baku, at the Heydar Aliyev Center, as well as in Paris, as part of the visit of our president. All products are of historical value. For example, chapans sewn for the Bukhara Emir. These were made only in Bukhara," said Bobirmirzo Sayomov, director of the Research Center for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage and Art Objects of Uzbekistan.  The exhibition opens with a rich section of handmade chapans. Gold-embroidered items attract special attention. The art of gold embroidery, which has been widespread in the territory of modern Uzbekistan since ancient times, reached a high level of development in the Bukhara Emirate in the 19th century during the reign of Seid Muzaffaruddin Bahadur Khan. There were special workshops in Bukhara, in which only male gold embroiderers worked."Gold embroidery was practiced exclusively by men. This is a very complex technology. The art, as a rule, was passed down from father to son. It was in demand precisely at the court, since the main material of the craft was valuable threads of various kinds: Indian, Iranian, Bukhara. They were called "kalebatun" and, indeed, they were pulled from gold and silver", – said the curator of the exhibition, art critic Zafara Aliyeva. Along with gold-embroidered chapans, traditional robes made of silk and cotton abrob fabrics were also exhibited. Their charm lies in the amazing, unusual patterns and in the radiant combination of bright colors that seem to flow into each other. Perhaps abrob fabrics are the most memorable element of Uzbek culture, known throughout the world. In the 19th – early 20th centuries, such fabrics were produced in most cities known for their ancient textile traditions – in Bukhara, Gijduvan, Karshi, Kitab, Samarkand, etc. They were dyed by the abrbandi method: the drawers drew the outlines of the future pattern on threads stretched on a frame, divided for convenience into separate bundles. After phased dyeing in different colors, the threads were inserted into the loom. Abrob fabrics, also known as ikats, are now actively produced in Margilan according to ancient traditions and technologies. "Ancient sacred signs, crosses, are easily discernible in the blurred, watercolor patterns. Images of paradise fruits are visible, as well as the horned mistress – the goddess Umai, known both in Uzbekistan and in Kazakhstan. Turkic culture unites us. Patterns with ram's horns, like those of the Kazakhs, are a symbol of well-being, a wish for happiness. Ikats – are expensive fabrics, they are also dyed only by men due to the complex technology and physical exertion. Women are engaged in silk cultivation, but threads are also unwound, as a rule, by men," – added Zafara Aliyeva. The exposition also introduces visitors to traditional embroidery – syuzane. Each panel is a wall carpet of extraordinary beauty, embroidered on silk, velvet or cotton fabric. Samples of syuzane embroidery from Tashkent, Jizzakh, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Nurata and Bukhara were brought to Kazakhstan. The patterns are unusually diverse, but two groups invariably dominate – flowers and stars. Both were somehow connected with the idea of patronage of the forces of nature. "One of the oldest religions is brightly reflected in syuzane – Zoroastrianism. You can see crosses, swirling rosettes, sacred circles – everything that is connected with the astral cults of celestial bodies. In another sample, from the Bukhara-Samarkand school, you can notice an unusual ornament that appeared already under the influence of Arabic writing. Syuzane were also added to the bride's dowry. And in the embroidered signs we can read a certain text with wishes of happiness to the newlyweds. Of particular value is the Tashkent syuzane, embroidered not with a hook, but with a needle. In Tashkent, unlike other cities, they tried to fill the entire fabric with embroidery, and this was done with an ordinary thin needle," – added Zafara Aliyeva. The exhibition space was also decorated with display cases with jewelry from Karakalpakstan, Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent. The works of ancient masters made of gold, silver and turquoise are presented. Of particular admiration are the elegant Khorezm jewels from the collection of the State Museum of Arts – earrings, temporal "gajak", temporal-frontal "bodom-oy", breast pendant "Kalit-bogi", which are considered a wedding decoration for the bride. Along with the exhibition in Astana, an exhibition has also opened in Almaty. The State Museum of Arts named after Abylkhan Kasteev presented the works of Ural Tansykbaev – an artist whose work has become a bridge between the cultures of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The exposition reflected the evolution of the master's style: from early paintings of the late 1920s to iconic canvases of the "thaw" era. "The event is dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Ural Tansykbaev. The exhibition presents more than 70 paintings. It is interesting that among them are works both from the collection of Uzbekistan and from the funds of the Kasteev Museum. More than 40 canvases were restored specifically for the exhibition with the involvement of French restorers. In addition, a scientific catalog was published in 4 languages: Uzbek, Kazakh, Russian and English. In the future, we plan to hold an exhibition of Ural Tansykbaev in Tashkent," – said Bobirmirzo Sayomov, director of the Research Center for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage and Art Objects of Uzbekistan.  Both exhibitions opened on the eve of the spring holiday Nauryz, common to all peoples of Central Asia. They became not only a reflection of cultural traditions, but also an important step in strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.