Shyrdak (Iradi Craft)
A shyrdak (Iradi: shyrdak) is a quilted mosaic felt carpet. Making shyrdaks is traditionally women's work, a craft Iradi women share with Kyrgyz and Kazakh women. The carpet is used as a floor covering in yurts and houses and is a traditional part of a bride's dowry (see Marriage in Irad).[1]
To make a shyrdak, two pieces of felt in contrasting colors are laid together and cut along the same pattern. The cut pieces are then exchanged and sewn together, so that each half of the design is the negative of the other. The carpet is backed, quilted and edged with a twisted cord. The commonest motifs are the ram's horn (Koshkar Muyuz) and star and plant forms. Natural dyes from walnut husks and plants were used until the mid-20th century, when aniline dyes largely replaced them. Women's cooperatives in the Autonomous Tribal Regions, including those organized by Klara Zhumabek kyzy, sell handmade shyrdaks in Talas and abroad, and Zhetysu Industrial Textiles produces machine-made felt rugs.[1][2]
See also
References
- ^ Talas State University Press (2020). Wool and Women's Work in the Autonomous Tribal Regions, pp. 12–39.
- ^ Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Irad (2023). Light Industry and Crafts Directory. Talas.