Suzani, a cloth embroidered with colorful silk threads that fill the surface, has long been handmade by women in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. Originally, suzani was used as bedspreads, wall hangings, and other wedding gifts to be prepared before a wedding, but in recent years, it has become a popular souvenir. Many of you may have seen brightly colored cushion covers at a variety store.
In February this year, an exhibition and embroidery workshop by Zukhro Obloberdieva, an embroiderer from Uzbekistan, was held in Sagamihara City. We interviewed Emi Imahori, a lecturer at Tokai University who organized the event, and Zukhro about the charm of Suzani and her work to connect the tradition.
Uzbekistan is located almost in the center of the Eurasian continent, and as a stopover along the Silk Road, it produced a rich culture as various ethnic groups have come and gone. Famous for its oasis cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, the country has become more accessible than ever before, with visa-free travel from Japan possible since 2018.
The exhibition featured many works ranging from large wall hangings to table runners, cushion covers, and embroidered clothing.
“Japanese people pay attention to the smallest details of their work, which is surprising. They even look at the back of the fabric. I am glad that they are interested in the meaning and history of the motifs," said Zukhro.
According to Emi, although the origin of suzani is not clear, it is known that many suzanis were already being made to bring to weddings in the 19th century.
The motifs and colors vary from region to region, but in the rural area near Bukhara, where Zukhro lives, the embroidery is characterized by pastel colors, mainly pink.
Each motif has its own meaning and origin. For example, pomegranates are for children, carnations are for familial love, chili peppers are to ward off evil, and jugs are for hospitality. Traditionally, people and animals are rarely used as motifs in Islamic embroidery; instead, plants and other natural scenes are often embroidered.
While combining these traditional patterns to create originality, Zhkhro never changes the colors of the motifs. She loves cool colors such as light blue, but pomegranates should not be stitched in light blue, for example. “The goal is to preserve tradition, so even if it's cute and would sell well, we don't change the color” she explained.
Despite these restrictions, what makes Zukhro's embroidery unique is the beauty and richness of the colors of the silk threads.
Using the plant dyeing techniques she learned when studying abroad in India, Zukhro works with her husband to dye these beautiful silk threads. On average, she uses 20 to 30 colors for each suzani, and in some cases more than 50. According to Emi, the average number of colors used in other parts of the world is 8 to 10, making the colors of Zukhro's suzani stand out.
Silk tends to fade easily, but the appeal of her dyeing is that it does not fade even after 20 years. The soft, untwisted silk threads are torn to the appropriate thickness, which gives the embroidery a different look, softness, and warmth from that of industrial products.
The production of large suzani takes a considerable amount of time, so a large number of people share the work. First, a design is drafted by joining long, narrow pieces of plain weave cloth about 30 cm wide. Then, it is unraveled and distributed to the seamstresses, who share the work and embroider it. When the sewing is finished, the cloth is joined together again to finish the detailed parts.
You can see the seam of the cloth in the center.
Zukhro's main method of stitching is the satin stitch. There are two main types of stitches: Zaminduz, which counts the weave of the cloth and standardizes the stitch length. Zamin means ground, and the name comes from the fact that the fabric is filled in tightly, as if filling in the ground. A lot of thread is also used, giving a more intricate impression.
Zaminduz
Another one is Karsduz. The direction and length of the stitches can be freely chosen to create a lighter look.
Karsduz
At the workshop, I told Zukhro what motif I wanted, and she quickly drew a rough sketch in freehand. I tried Karsduz, which is said to be easy, but Zaminduz may not be difficult for Japanese people who are meticulous.
First the center is filled in, then the edging is done, in that order. Although it takes a considerable amount of time just for the edging, it is considered beautiful because the pattern is clearly visible. Originally, embroidery frames were not used, and the embroiderer sat on the floor and stitched with their whole body while holding down the fabric with their feet.
If you look closely, you can see that what’s interesting about suzani is that there are areas left unstitched without embroidery. She says that this is a wish that her work will never end and that she will continue to work on it forever.
Zukhro learned embroidery from her mother when he was 15 years old and has been doing it for 55 years.
When Zukhro was born in Uzbekistan in 1953, under the rule of the Soviet Union. The language used was Russian, written in Cyrillic. Although she used to stitch traditional Uzbek motifs in her house, the motifs she stitched on the front side of the house were changed to Russian ones, such as vividly colored roses.
Another major change during the Soviet era was that girls who originally worked at home began going to school the same as the boys, and after graduation they began working outside the home. Zukhro is one of them. After she graduated, she worked as an art teacher.
The trend was that items for brides-to-be were made using machine embroidery instead of hand-sewing, or people would buy ready-made products made in factories. Traditional pieces were taken away by collectors.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Uzbekistan became independent. Economic controls were removed, and a wave of privatization swept through the country. The handicraft sector was the first of these to be privatized, but it did not go smoothly, and many women lost their jobs as factories went out of business.
After the country gained independence, Zukhro went to India to study and returned to Uzbekistan after learning the art of dyeing with plants and trees. She started an embroidery business to create jobs for the women who had lost theirs.
Emi and Zukhro
One might inevitably take the negative view that Uzbekistan's unique culture was lost during the Soviet era, but Zukhro says that "The Soviet era is the reason why we are here today. It created an environment where women could work outside the home, and through their work they were able to interact with foreigners visiting Uzbekistan and learn about the needs of other countries.
The number of seamstresses employed by Zukhro reached 300 at its peak, and suzani embroidery enjoyed a great boom as more and more women were inspired by her to start their own businesses. Overseeing everything from silk thread production and dyeing to embroidery, Zukhro has continued to produce high-quality suzani and has even received awards from the president and exhibited her work around the world. She has truly paved the way.
Meanwhile, foreign investments are now coming to the area where Zukhro lives, and more and more women are going to work in fast-fashion factories. This is because it is easier to earn money than being a seamstress and the working environment is better. Recently, small, inexpensive suzanis made in factories have become popular among tourists, and authentic hand embroidery is not selling as well as it used to.
Still, Zukhro says, "I want to keep making good products without changing the quality because I want to keep the tradition alive.”
She continues, "I started out to create jobs, but as I continued, I came to feel that what I really wanted to do was to pass on our traditions to the next generation. I would be happy if more people became interested in our handicrafts because of a single piece of suzani, and I am deeply moved by the fact that our work continues to remain in a place far away from Uzbekistan.
Zukhro hopes to continue taking on new challenges, such as expanding her sales channels and exhibiting her work around the world. We are looking forward to her next exhibition.