Elvira Kadyrova and Ravilya Kadyrova
It is both the land and the people. — Strong, geometric designs and vibrant colours have adorned the creative craft for about 6000 years in the land that is today’s Turkmenistan.
The people inhabiting this land changed but the basic designs and colours we find in so many things kept evolving without departure from the basic motifs.
One of the earliest finds is the Altyndepe, a Bronze Age archaeological site in Turkmenistan, near Aşgabat, inhabited first from c. 3200 to 2400 BCE in the Late Regionalization Era, and from c. 2400 to 2000 BCE in the Integration Era as a full urban site.
Here is a bowl from Altyndepe:
Please note the creative repetition of basic, simple patterns to achieve a fascinating effect. The choice of the colours is simply fantastic – just imagine how it looked when it was freshly created.
Here is a patch of design from the Iron Age, circa 1200 BC:
Their combination gave uniqueness to each piece of pottery. Some semi-glazed specimens have been found in the sites in Turkmenistan.
The period of the Great Seljuk Empire ((1037–1194), of which today’s Turkmenistan is a logical successor state, was the era of astonishing creativity in all areas of life.
The Seljuks rewrote the entire concept of the social contract between the state and the people, established the world’s first university with nine, possibly 12 campuses spanning nearly half the known world, and ensured equality before law for everyone in the empire, from the emperor down to the peasant.
Here are some pieces of ceramics from the Great Seljuk Era:
If you look closely, you will see that the creative artists did not abandon the basic designs but added to them in flashes of imagination. The designs evolved but did not depart from their roots.
The artistic talent in today’s Turkmenistan is multiplying the range of possibilities afforded by the basic designs and colours. The creative crafts people are outdoing themselves, always improving on their yesterday’s work.
It is everywhere, not just the pottery.
The beauty of the colours and designs of Turkmen is applied to dresses and clothing, headgear, purses, jewellery, wall clocks, covers for teapots, protective sleeve for the smartphone, and pretty much everything else that catches the imagination of the creative crafts person. ///20 June 2024
Here are just a few samples of the captivating beauty that can be created by using the basic colours and designs of the Turkmen in endless ways:
