Kazakh handcraft
This category offers the finest collection of Kazakh handmade products that represent the centuries old rich cultural heritage of Western Mongolia. Most of the items are made by household or women-led businesses.
e-Mongol is proud to support such small-scale artisans who have inherited the rich experience of traditional Kazakh handcraft art but have not had access to any marketplace in the world to market and publicize their unique skills.
Kazakh products offered for sale in our shop embody the spirit of Bayan-Ulgii, the homeland of Mongolian Kazakhs and the most western aimag (province) of Mongolia, known for its landscape beauties, eagle hunting and traditional embroidery.
The capital town Ulgii is considered the most continental place in the world located at the altitude of 2500 m above sea level.
The Kazakh make and designs capture the essence of the beautiful landscapes of Altai Mountains that dominate most parts of this province. Traditional bright embroidery used in Kazakh clothing, accessories and tapestry reflect the myriad colors of steppes and mountains during short but vibrant summers while the warm materials such as felt, cotton and wool imply the rigorous and unpredictable nature of this land.
Kazakh women are famous for their fine needlecraft which requires a lot of patience, dedication, care and talent. The traditional embroidery is done by a variety of different stitches, the most popular of which is the “loop stitch” that is made by pulling the thread around the needle and forming a chain of tightly interconnected loops.
Embroideries represent a combination of stylized patterns, symbolizing love, marriage, childbirth, prosperity and sometimes politics and religion, and natural patterns featuring river waves, mountain peaks, wild flowers and animals.
Kazakh clothing and tapestry reflect the nomadic lifestyle.
“Tuskgiigz” is a wall hanging inside the ger that can also be used as rug or bedspread. Kazakh women sew these wall hangings by hand. A young, newly married woman decorates her ger over the years of marriage with these colorful, vivid wall hangings. The circles in the inset commemorate the marriage and coming of their children.
The kazakhs kept their religion, Islam, and claim that on some patterns may be seen as koranic symbols. |
