DJULKIR

The Uzbek name means bear skin, and it reveals the ancient origin of these carpets. Switching from hunter-gatherer to shepherd, no more could man sacrifice the precious livestock to make leather and fur. He had to create an artefact to take their place. Ever since then, animal furs were substituted by textile elements. Made of knotted strips sewn together, the Djulchir were used as bedding by the Middle Asian nomads.