Not Just Silk

How important were textiles in Central Asian economies historically? How do we know where the pieces were produced? Are there differences in the weaving traditions of Europe, Middle East and Central Asia? And is textile-weaving still as important for Central Asian families?

You can find the transcript for this conversation at: https://notjustsilkpodcast.wordpress.com/series/central-asian-textiles/textiles-in-central-asian-societies/

The melody you hear at the beginning & end of the episode is "Chuli Irok", a folk Uzbek melody played on dutar by Gulyam Kuchkarov.

What colours do craftspeople use when weaving textiles and why? What do motifs and aberrations therein tell us about the pieces observed, and how to tell mistakes & variations apart?

In Episode #3 “What can colours & motifs tell us about Central Asian textiles?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) we look into the visual element of woven pieces in Central Asia: colours & motifs. Victoria also introduces some core concepts she operates in her research – error and variation, and explains why it matters to look into the mistakes that masters occasionally make.

You can find transcript for this conversation at: https://notjustsilkpodcast.wordpress.com/series/central-asian-textiles/colours-and-motifs/

The melody you hear at the beginning & end of the episode is "Chuli Irok", a folk Uzbek melody played on dutar by Gulyam Kuchkarov.

In Episode #2 “How to weave Central Asian pile textiles?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) Victoria introduces pile textiles – the "3D version" of plain textiles. We discuss what materials Central Asian craftswomen normally use to make pile textiles and what steps are included in the process. I experimented a bit with the background sounds which accompany Victoria's descriptions to facilitate (low-key) immersive experience. Enjoy! 

You can find transcript for this conversation at: https://notjustsilkpodcast.wordpress.com/series/central-asian-textiles/weaving-process/

The melody you hear at the beginning & end of the episode is "Chuli Irok", a folk Uzbek melody played on dutar by Gulyam Kuchkarov.

Textiles are prone to perish more easily than other crafts, which makes them trickier objects to study. At the same time, they constitute a special medium of folk culture and help shed light on the lifestyle of human communities, and their geographic & social environments.

In Episode #1 “What are textiles and why study them?” (series The world of Central Asian textiles) Victoria tells us:

You can find transcript for this conversation at: https://notjustsilkpodcast.wordpress.com/

The melody you hear in the episode is "Chuli Irok", a folk Uzbek melody played on dutar by Gulyam Kuchkarov.

Much more perishable items than many other crafts, textiles are tricky objects for archeologists to study. At the same time, they constitute a special medium of folk culture which helps us learn more about human communities, environments they live(d) in, and lifestyles they pursue(d).

This is an intro episode to the first series under Not Just Silk titled "The world of Central Asian textiles". Listen to learn about the topic of the series and guest expert – Victoria Sluka, PhD researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose research focuses on the rate and distribution of design errors in handmade carpets from Central Asia. 

This is Victoria's article I referred to in the episode: https://uclcaal.org/2020/08/25/untying-the-knots-of-central-asian-carpets, published on the website of Central Asian Archeological Landscapes (CAAL), a project by UCL Institute of Archaeology funded by the charitable fund Arcadia. I highly recommend checking out this piece, which unpacks in more detail the content of this series & Victoria's research.

The melody at the end is "Chuli Irok", a folk Uzbek melody played on dutar by Gulyam Kuchkarov.

If you have any thoughts, comments, or questions, drop me an email at: [email protected]

My name is Olesya, and you came across Not Just Silk – a podcast-style project where I explore curious cultural amalgamations and historic heritage from around the Inner Eurasian space.

This is an entry episode explaining the backstory to the project, its format and future workings. I am planning to release each mini-series (which will consist of several episodes exploring a separate topic) once per month. The first series of Not Just Silk, which will go live soon, will look in detail into the production technology & socio-cultural function of Central Asian textiles. I am also working on a website to host supplementary materials like multilingual transcripts, photos and my guests' reading recommendations.

If you want to ask questions, share suggestions or chat, drop me a message at [email protected].

The best way to learn something is by sharing this knowledge with others.