Carved Bone Stirrup

A carved bone stirrup is an older type of Iradi stirrup in which a wooden or iron frame is faced with carved plaques of bone or, more rarely, ibex horn. Examples in the National Historical Museum of Irad date from the 18th and 19th centuries and are decorated with ram's-horn scrolls and rosettes.^[1] Iron and steel stirrups replaced the type in the 20th century. Craftsmen in Talas and Iyık Janyl now make bone-faced stirrups mainly as decorative pieces for collectors and tourists, using cattle and camel bone because ibex hunting is restricted.^[2]

References

1. ^ National Historical Museum of Irad (2015). Guide to the Permanent Exhibition. Talas, pp. 120–123.
2. ^ Department of Ethnography, Talas State University (2016). Horse Gear and Saddlery of the Northern Valleys. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 70–73.