In the inter-war period and during the Nazi regime the Museum’s collections were growing rather slowly. Many regions and topics were still poorly represented. The reconstruction of the Museum’s building, significantly destroyed during the war, gave new impulses for expanding the scope of its collection.
On January 1, 1954 the future director Friedrich Kussmaul began his work at the Museum as a volunteer and then curator of the Asia and Oceania department. Previously, he received his doctorate at the University of Tübingen (research topic “To the Early History of Equestrian Nomadism”). Kussmaul’s regional and cultural interests concerned the Iranian-speaking people and territories and Central Asia. Therefore, he developed the idea of a research trip to Afghanistan. “The Stuttgart Expedition to Badakhshan” in 1962 – 63 became the most significant research trip throughout the Museum’s history. Collecting and documenting material culture were the central aspect of the project. Kussmaul purchased items for the collection not only on the territory of the field research, but also in the bazaars in Kabul and northern Afghanistan. For example, he bought some Central Asian metalwork of the 19th – early 20th centuries in Kabul.
An Uzbek origin has been documented after the arrival of the collection only for one ikat fabric. After receiving field notes from Dr. Peter Snoy, a member of the expedition, several years ago, so far it has become possible to define as “Uzbek” two more objects: a silk fabric, bought at the market in Kunduz and referring to Uzbeks according to the merchant’s information, and a felt carpet, bought on September 5, 1963 in the Uzbek village of Rubabi in Baharak.
Friedrich Kussmaul, who in 1971 became director of the Linden Museum, was particularly interested in traditional textiles like many other collectors. At that time, Lakai embroidery was considered to be of special interest. In 1974 – 75 several of such minor embroidered objects were received for the Central Asian collections: various bags and decorative panels/braids. In 1975 Kussmaul again travelled to Afghanistan and acquired many new objects, including 47 embroideries. They were recorded as “Uzbek petit-point embroidery” in the purchase report.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Collections of the Federal Republic of Germany" (volume XI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
The museum that was badly damaged during the war
The Linden Museum in Stuttgart is one of the most famous ethnological museums in Europe.