Suzani embroidery

For generations, when a girl was born in Uzbekistan, her mother and grandmothers began embroidering textiles for her dowry. By her wedding, a bride would bring suzanis to decorate her new home: wall hangings, bed covers, prayer mats and cloths for the wedding bed. Making a large suzani could take months or years, and often several women worked on different strips of cloth at the same time, which were then sewn together. This is why the patterns on old suzanis sometimes do not match perfectly at the seams.

Suzanis were displayed at weddings and family celebrations and passed down through generations. Many families still keep them, and the tradition of making them is being revived.

Suzani designs are full of symbols:

• Flowers and vines symbolise life and fertility; tulips, carnations and irises are common.
• Pomegranates, full of seeds, represent fertility and abundance.
• Large circles or rosettes, often called suns or moons, symbolise the sky, light and protection.
• Birds, fish and peppers may protect against the evil eye or bring good luck.
• The almond and cypress shapes, also found in Persian art, appear in many designs.

Embroiderers often left a small part of the design unfinished or included a deliberate "mistake", in the belief that only God creates perfection.

• Bukhara: elegant, finely stitched designs with flowering branches and delicate colours.
• Samarkand: bold, large circular motifs in red, black and dark tones.
• Nurata: a central star or medallion surrounded by floral sprays and birds on a light background. See Nurata.
• Shakhrisabz: densely worked suzanis, often in cross-stitch (iroki), with bright colours. See Shakhrisabz.
• Urgut: near Samarkand, known for large, bold designs and for its Sunday bazaar, where old and new suzanis are sold.
• Tashkent and the Fergana Valley: large circular motifs, often in red, sometimes covering the whole surface.

Traditional suzanis are embroidered with silk thread on cotton or silk cloth. The most common stitch is a couching stitch called basma or, in Bukhara, kanda khayol, in which long threads are laid on the surface and fixed with small stitches. Chain stitch (yurma), satin stitch and cross-stitch (iroki) are also used.

Old suzanis were coloured with natural dyes: madder for red, indigo for blue, pomegranate skin and saffron for yellow, walnut husk for brown. Modern suzanis often use synthetic dyes and machine-made fabric; natural-dye pieces are more expensive and harder to find.

Keep suzanis away from strong sunlight, which fades natural dyes. Have old pieces cleaned by a specialist; hand-wash newer ones gently in cold water if the dyes are colourfast.

• Bukhara: the trading domes and madrasah courtyards are full of suzani shops and workshops. See shopping in Bukhara.
• Samarkand: shops near the Registan and in the madrasahs, and the Urgut bazaar on Sundays. See shopping in Samarkand.
• Khiva: suzani workshops in Ichan-Kala. See shopping in Khiva.
• Tashkent: the Chorsu bazaar and craft centres. See shopping in Tashkent.

• Hand-made or machine-made: turn it over. Hand embroidery shows small irregularities and visible stitches on the back; machine embroidery is perfectly regular.
• Thread: silk is shiny and soft; cotton or synthetic thread is cheaper.
• Dyes: natural dyes have softer, slightly uneven tones; ask the seller.
• Age: genuinely old suzanis are rare and expensive; many "old" pieces are new ones aged artificially.

Bargaining is normal. Keep the receipt. Antique suzanis need an export certificate; see Uzbekistan customs rules. For other crafts, see our crafts route.