News WOSCU

What kind of shoes did women wear in Samarkand?
The main type of footwear for Samarkand women in the early 19th century were boots on soft soles, makhsi and qayroki (kovush).

What was the headdress of Bukhara women?
Women of the harem in the 19th – early 20th century wore mostly (special headdress as a cap shape attached to the back for braid pouch) cap – kaltapushak with gold embroidery.

Bright accessories of the 19th century
We have described the wonderful collections of Anna and Alberto Levi.

The mystery of the construction date of the Sufi Allayar mosque
This text was left on the column of the first row (to the right and left of the mihrab niche).

What is written on the entrance doors of the Unnamed 2 mausoleum of the Shahi-Zindah necropolis?
In the traditional architecture and life of the peoples of Uzbekistan, carved wood has always enjoyed enormous popularity.

Silver dish with gilding in Todaiji Temple
There is another treasure in Todaiji Temple in Nara City (Japan). This is a silver dish with gold-plated images of a deer and flower-leaf pattern around it.

What is the full text of the wise saying above the entrance door to the Unnamed Mausoleum 2 of the Shahi-Zindah necropolis?
During the refurbishment in 2005, an adage ascribed to the fourth caliph 'Ali was written in the rectangular cartouche above the entrance aperture.

The place of caravanserais in the life of Central Asian cities
The caravanserais occupied an important place in the life of a Central Asian city. A lot of them were in Bukhara and Tashkent.

Photo gallery of the State Museum of the History of Religion, related to the religious life of Uzbekistan (1960-1970)
In the 1960s – 1970s, the photo gallery of the State Museum of the History of Religion received about 100 photos related to the religious life of Uzbekistan in the late 1950s – early 1960s.

Photographs by unknown authors in the State Museum of the History of Religion
The most significant part of the documentary collection of the State Museum of the History of Religion on the history and culture of Uzbekistan is represented by more than 360 photos.

Festive clothing for women and men of the 19th century
We have already mentioned the wonderful museum in Florence - the Stibbert Museum.

Samarkand, Bukhara and Urgench in pastel sketches by Svetlitsky
The majestic architectural ensembles of Uzbekistan were depicted realistically in pencil and pastel sketches by the Leningrad artists and architects I. A. Bartenev (1911 – 1985) and S. P. Svetlitsky (1913 – 1992).

Goberman's masterpieces in the State Museum of the History of Religion
The last important component of the Uzbek art collection of the Museum is the series of amazing works by the artist and architect D. N. Goberman, received as a gift from V. A. Dymshits in 2011.

Photographs related to the history of culture and religion of Uzbekistan in the State Museum of the History of Religion
The most significant part of the documentary collection on the history and culture of Uzbekistan is represented by more than 360 photos.

Constructions of Amir Temur by Goberman's pen
Creating the landscapes with rich Central Asian exotics, the artist guessed the fate that linked him, starting from the 1950s and to the end of his long creative life, with folk art and ethnography.

Men's and women's clothing from the Paly collection
David Paly began collecting ikats in 1976.

Central Asian clothing of the 19th-20th centuries
The collection of clothes and accessories in the Náprstek Museum includes women’s and men’s robes made of traditional Uzbek fabrics.

The heyday and development of jewelry art in Bukhara
Production jewelry in ancient times in Bukhara was a special branch of craft and reflected society’s craving for luxury and wealth.

Embroideries from the 19th century in the Naprstek Museum
The art of embroidery was common among both settled and semi-nomadic population of the Uzbek khanates.

Sidorenko's works in the State Museum of the History of Religion
In the late 1930s, the Museum received from the Central Antireligious Museum several paintings by the artist V. L. Sidorenko dedicated to the architectural monuments of Bukhara and Samarkand.

Landscapes of Central Asia by Bartenev's pen
Architect, art and architecture historian, I. A. Bartenev, corresponding member of the Academy of Arts (1975), Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, Doctor of Arts (1969) and Professor (1970), descended from an old family of Bartenevs, who had family ties with the famous Russian commander M. I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov.

What is written on the portal of the Unnamed Mausoleum in Samarkand?
The mausoleum from the group of buildings of the Shakhi-Zinda necropolis, in the inscriptions of which the name of the person buried in it was not preserved, was conditionally named “Unnamed 2”.

The role of jewelry in the attire of Bukhara women
Women's jewelry was worn from three to four years old until old age.

Unique materials in the Museum of Civilizations
The collections of the Museum of Civilizations include materials ranging from European to Italy's own culture, from regional Italian culture to post-classical art.

Do you know why the Japanese are interested in Central Asia?
For the Japanese, Central Asia historically has always been perceived through the Great Silk Road, and Uzbekistan was as one of the countries historically connected with Japan through this trade and cultural artery.

Who was Khoja Ahmad Yasawi?
The adoption of Islam further north-east should be considered a turning point in the culture of the Karakhanid era.

Do you know the meaning of the word “paranja”?
One type of women’s outerwear is paranja covering the head.

In whose house did Amir Temur stay when returning from the Indian campaign?
After the uprising suppressed by Amir Temur (1370–1405) other members of the house of Termez Sayyids continued to live in Termez , and representatives of ruling dynasties treated them with traditional deference.

What is written on the portal of the mausoleum of Usta ‘Alim Nasafi and Usta ‘Ali Tuki-kuba?
Circles with texts inside are inscribed in the eight - pointed cartouches of the portal (in lower parts of the pylons, in the corners and in the center of the tympanum).

How are dervishes and their accessories depicted in oriental miniatures?
The portrait you see in the photo is the “Portrait of a Dervish”, kept in the library of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, created by the great artist of the East Kamal ad-din Behzad in 1480-1485.

What patterns were often used on joypush?
The bed decoration for the first wedding night received special attention. In addition to suzanis, embroidered sheets (ruijo), pillow shams (bolinpush, borpush) and a curtain (chimildik) were used for this purpose, separating the bed of the newlyweds from the rest of the room.

‘Portrait of Akbar’
The poetry around the ‘portrait of Akbar’ is a ruba‘i b y A bu Sa‘id b. Abi’l-Khayr (967 – 1049): izad ki falak ba qabza-yi qudrat u-st…, where two virtues are mentioned which can be given only by God: the path towards the one you love, and the face of the one who loves you, which can also mean that the verse refers to his mutual love for his mother, while the standard formula of love in medieval, especially Persian poetry, presupposes exclusively unrequited love, forcing the lover to burn in the cruel pangs of hopelessness, excluding any hope of a happy union with the object of passion.

Prayer mats (joynamaz) in the State Museum of the History of Religion
There is only one type of embroidered articles that was associated with the direct needs of Islam.

Ruijo (embroidered sheets) in the State Museum of the History of Religion
The bed decoration for the first wedding night received special attention.

Samarkand suzanis in the State Museum of the History of Religion
The collection of embroideries in the State Museum of the History of Religion is much more diverse both in terms of types of items and in terms of artistic features.

Тhree carpets from Varypayeva’s collection
In Varypayeva’s collection there are three carpets, two plain-woven and one with pile.