| Description |
The traditional turkmen carpets and carpet products are the hand-woven woollen textile goods of ornamental art with quadrangular shape in different sizes with dense texture ornamented with characteristic colored patterns pertaining each separately to one of five main turkmen tribes (tekke, yomut, ersary, saryk and salor). Their designs form patterns from clear linear geometric ornaments (dots, lines and figures). Compositional decision of the turkmen carpets has characteristic features: the central field with major patterns ("gels") in octagonal forms is limited with the borders, patterns which differ from that of the central field. The alternation of recurrence of designs represented with combination of the belt and centric ornamental compositions. Reality surrounding a carpet weaver (local flora, fauna and environment) has been reflected in a combination of the threads, pictures and colours creating carpet designs. The turkmen carpets are created on horizontal or vertical looms mainly using different coloured wool threads. Weavers use both types of knotting; double knots with double weft or one-and-a half knot with double weft.
Carpets serve both as a floor covering and a wall decoration functions and substitute furniture to satisfy everyday aesthetic needs of turkmen people. There are also special carpets woven for the birth of a child, for wedding ceremonies, for prayers and for mourning rituals.
Carpet products such as chuvals (sacks), khorjuns (saddle-bags), torbas (bags) are destined for clothing, transportation of various household paraphernalia and used for decorations of camels, horses, nomad tents, wedding processions etc. |
| Social and cultural significance |
As a social tool, the element provides related communities, groups and individuals with a sense of social identity and continuity that brings them close together, while giviging them a sense of belonging to the valuable intangible cultural heritage. Therefore, carpet-making art is broadly integrated in the social and cultural life of the Turkmen people contributing to their economic life. It is considered as a sign of cultural identity and unity of Turkmen people by officially using specific patterns pertaining to each of five main Turkmen tribes in Turkmenistan on the National Emblem and National Flag as their decoration ornaments. Annual celebration of the Carpets Day in the last Sunday of May gathers together various communities involved in the carpet making process within Turkmenistan and strengthens their social ties and cooperation. Carpets are among the necessary furniture of every family unit in Turkmenistan. They are also used as decorative elements at the offices and houses during special social or personal occasions (official visits, festivities, weddings, etc.). Some of the ornaments used in the carpets are being integrated in the decoration of traditional handicrafts and jewelry consolidating the cultural identity of related communities. Knowledge and skills such as raw materials preparation and creative weaving traditions evolved during the millennium have been incorporated in the traditional lifestyles. They are closely interrelated with many other fields of cultural traditions and determined as one of indicators of cultural identity of the Turkmen at the time of globalization strengthening cultural unities among generations. |
| Transmission method |
Required knowledge and skills are transmitted by the families and at community levels by bearers and practitioners orally through demonstration of skills to the interested learners by their active participation in the learning process.
The creative knitting skills, techniques and knowledge related to the raw materials, their preparation, tools of the traditional carpet making art are transmitted from mothers to daughters individually. Boys also learn from their fathers (in some cases by masters) about how to shepherd sheep on the pasture, shear wool from sheep, and make fabric out of loom. An official annual celebration of the Carpets Day also facilitates the transmission of the knowledge and skills through exhibitions with direct or indirect participation of all age and gender groups in all components of the element.
There are specialized vocational schools to teach and train traditional carpet weaving in each velayat of Turkmenistan. Additionally, secondary and higher education schools are also contributed to the transmission of knowledge and skills through formal and informal education programmes. Academic research institutes and Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan promote transmission of the knowledge and skills by organizing local and international scientific conferences, cultural festivals devoted to the Carpet making art.
Mass-media including news papers, radio and TV programmes, and Internet are also used to contribute to the transmission of the knowledge and skills. |
| Community |
The bearers and practitioners of the element represented with the following groups having strong interdependency:nShepherds engaging in a sheep breeding specially for the wool for carpets and shearing of wool are represented dominantly by men. Herdsman is responsible for proper transmission of traditonal knowledge on the sustainable management of pastures, seasonal pasture flock of sheep to the younger boys.
Wool processors, dyers and spinners are represented by women. They are responsible for the transmission of traditional knowledge and skills for wool processing, dyeing and spinning for carpet making to interested amateurs.
Manufacturers of dyes from local plants are represented by men and women. They are responsible for the transmission of local traditions and skills including methods of harvesting and conservation of dye plants, their processing and modes of isolation of dyes.
Manufacturers of frames (looms) and tools for the carpet making process are represented mainly by men. They are responsible for teaching of interested boys in the making of looms and tools according to the requirements of traditional carpet making.
Finally, carpet weavers that also serve as carpet designers are represented mainly by women. They play main role in the safeguarding and transmission of rituals and traditions as well as creative skills, ethics of carpet weaving by teaching girls on the creation of carpets.
Local scholars and specialists in the field of preservation of local flora and fauna are also responsible for the transmission of the traditional knowledge on the turkmen carpet making art. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2019 |
