Suzani

The large embroidered dowry textiles of the Turkic groups of Uzbekistan are called suzani after the Farsi word for needle. Used in Central Asia primarily as wall hangings and bedcovers, suzani in the hands of Western collectors often are used in the same way or framed and hung as a work of art.

The majority of these suzani are from Bukhara and were embroidered in sections then sewn together. The threads used are hand spun silk and are dyed with natural dyes giving the warm rich colours for which suzani are famous. The suzani in this collection are all embroidered in silk on a silk and cotton ground fabric and were made in the last 30 years.