3 key facts that inspired Khorezm potters to create exclusive forms in the past

The forms of Khorezm pottery are also unlike others. Everything here has a special character, suitable and unique only for this region...

Khorezm potters made many small jugs, pots, and jars of various shapes. There are three main facts that motivated potters to create exclusive shapes in the ancient past, and these are the hot climate, deserts and snakes.

For example, to ferment milk, four rings were formed on the neck of the jugs. Through them, jugs of milk were hung on the trellises of the vineyard or on the beams of the sheds. You want to know why? "So that snakes do not fall there," replies a resident of Khorezm.

There's sand all around. It is common for snakes to be fond of milk, and this, in turn, led to the creation of exclusive-shaped Khorezm jugs with rings on their necks.

Partially glazed water jars are even more remarkable. If you look at them, it seems as if the potter accidentally sprinkled turquoise enamel inside the vase. It seems as if the enamel first completely covered the inside of the jug and then scattered outside, partially covering the upper part of the neck. At the heart of this apparent coincidence lie profound intuitive calculations and a strong physical-theoretical foundation. These jars are wonderful thermoses invented in Khwarazm in ancient times. In them, water remains cold for a long time even in fifty-degree heat. The unvarnished bottom of the jug is considered a kind of refrigerator. Water-saturated porous clay cools during a slow evaporation process, thereby maintaining the water in the inner glazed part at a constant temperature for a long time.

The most famous form of Khorezm pottery is the badiya, a traditional large platter used to serve the second course during holidays. In all regions of Uzbekistan, round plates with slightly raised walls are used. But this is not the case in Khorezm. Here, the plates are made with a foot (base) that approaches the flat surface of the bowl at an acute angle, with the central surface and walls being perfectly flat. The presence of a foot in many forms of Khorezm vessels carries rational, pragmatic meanings. In the inverted form, these legs serve as handrails.