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Art of Tajiks in Central Asia (by Tirdâd Gorgâni) May 2004 |
| Carpets Ceiling Painting Ceramics Costumes
Jewellery Fine Art Miniature Textile |
| Tajiks (Persians in Central Asia), as an
Indo-European speaking people, have inhabited Central Asia
since very early history (late Bronze Age), making them the
oldest of all Central Asian groups. (More about) The Tajiks have a rich and old cultural history as witnessed by the excavations at Panjikent, the architectural monuments of Samarqand, Bokhara and Khojand and by many illuminated manuscripts. The earliest known distinctive style of Tajik (Persian) painting dates back to the Seljuk period (11th-13th Century), which is often referred to as the "Baghdad School". Early painting was mainly used to decorate manuscripts and versions of the Holy Koran. During the Mongol period (1256 – 1394), paintings were used to decorate all sorts of books. However, the art of illustration and decoration of illuminated manuscripts which had attained perfection in the Middle Ages, gradually declined, while the masters of decorative art working on architectural monuments confined themselves to the use of conventional devices. It was in such crafts as metalwork, pottery and embroidery associated with the manufacture of household objects, that the national tradition flourished. For many centuries, the creative talent of the Tajik people found its outlet in an unusually wide range of folk art. Wood carving originated as a means of decoratingthe posts and beams that were widely used in the ancient architecture by Tajiks in Central Asia. Over time, wood carving was used to decorate other items; including doors, tables, pencil boes, jewelry boxes, and cutting boards. The manufacture of jewellery, and also armour, constituted a separate branch of artistic metalwork. Archaeological finds from excavations in various medieval towns of Transoxania and Khurasan provide evidence of the level of development of the jeweller’s art during the pre-Mongol period. Entire urban districts have been found which were occupied by jewellers and armourers. Women’s jewellery, elements of horses’ harnesses and of military equipment were made of gold, silver, copper, brass and other metals mined in the mountainous regions of Khurasan and Transoxania, and these might be ornamented with insets of emerald, turquoise, cornelian, chalcedony, garnet and crystal. From the ninth century, pottery was one of the most widespread of the crafts. Potters occupied large quarters of the towns in the region, producing both everyday ware and unique pieces, and Afrasiab, Chach, Ferghana, Merv, Nasa, Khwarazm and Nishapur were among the leading centres of ceramic production in the ninth to the twelfth century. This tradition is still going on among the Tajiks in Central Asia. |