SUZANI

Floral embroideries of Islamic origin and ancient symbols dating back to central Asian animistic religions. These antique tapestries from Uzbekistan were part of a bride’s dowry and were often used as bedspreads and prayer rugs. Embroidery was carried out by women of the same family, on strips of cotton or hemp, hand woven on a loom. The strips were initially joined to sketch out a design, and then unstitched to be worked on separately and eventually embroidered with raw silk.