Woolen, cotton and silk fabrics have been made in this region since ancient times. Their beauty and high quality made them valuable beyond the boundaries of Central Asia, and they were a significant object of trade on the Silk Road.
The medieval historian Muhammad Narshahi (899 – 959) in his work about Bukhara says:
“In Bukhara, between the fortress and the city, next to the mosque, there was a large workshop where they made carpets, curtains, Yazdi fabrics, pillows, prayer rugs (joynamaz) and fabrics used to cover the floor in the Caliph’s residence. Each of them was so costly that to sell just one curtain could be enough to cover the whole land tax in Bukhara.”
According to Narshahi, local textiles in the 10th century were exported to Baghdad, Khorasan, Syria, Egypt, Iran and India. Bukhara and Samarkand remained important textile production centers in the later periods. But by the end of the 19th century, the production of silk and traditional fabrics had concentrated in the Fergana Valley, which is still considered the main center today. Local fabrics are represented by dozens of types that vary in source material, production technology and design. They are used for sewing not only clothes, but also household items (curtains, bedspreads, handbags, etc.).
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Collection of the Czech Republic" (Volume XVI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
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