Julkhirs in Mosque Courtyard - Mudaris Samarkand

 

 Julkhirs Bearskin Rug in Mosque Courtyard Mudaris Samarkand Circa 1910

An Uzbek Julkhirs used as a seating rug in the courtyard of a mosque. Julkhirs in Uzbekistan at the beginning of the 20^th century were documented by Prokudin-Gorskiĭ, Sergeĭ Mikhaĭlovich, 1863-1944, photographer. These early Julkhirs images compliment those shot by Dudin and ethnographic data collected by Moshkova, Semenov and Dudin. Julkhirs were sold at the markets of Bukhara and Samarkand. ¹  "Julkhirs served as floor covering near the hearth or cooking/heating brazier. However, the rug collection of the Uzbekistan Museum of Art contains a julkhirs in the shape of a long, wide runnner, probably intended for a rich mehmankhana (geust house). It is thus possible that rugs of this type were produced not only for purely domestic use but for the market as well."² The fabric merchant of Samarkand and the students in the Mudaris courtyard illustrate how julkhirs were used in a domestic setting, the long pile would provide a more comfortable and soft surface when seated for long periods and explains one reason why julkhirs proved so popular. "The distribution of the julkhirs, designated by identical or similar terms in the Samarqand Oblast, suggests that the geographic extent of this rug type was once rather great, although their production apparantly never exceeded the limits of the local market. " ³

Shoes are not worn whilst seated and books are placed on the rug. Used together with other rugs on the ground. This Julkhirs is new and typical of early 20^th century production.

IMAGES:

1 Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Prokudin-Gorskii Collection, [reproduction number: LC-DIG-prokc-21753 - LC-DIG-prok-11753] Views in Central Asia, Russian Empire, LOT 10338, no. 124.

REFERENCES:

1. Moshkova  V. G.  Carpets of the People of Central Asia  George O’Bannon,  Arizona Lithographers Tucson, Arizona, 1996 p.83 (Dudin noted this sometime between 1910 and 1914.)

2.  ibid., p.83.

3.  ibid., p.83.

The Fabric Merchant of Samarkand

 

The Fabric Merchant of Samarkand's Julkhirs ¹

Two Julkhirs in use on the floor of a fabric merchant’s store in Samarkand Circa 1910 silk, cotton and wool fabrics as well as a framed page of the Koran are hung on the wall.

Prokudin-Gorskii employed a unique colour photographic process to capture the image of the Samarkand cloth merchant. Three glass negatives exposed simultaneously, described as triple-frame images made with colour seperation filters. The effect can be seen at the edge of the image. In post production the negatives were sandwiched together to create a colour composite. We are fortunate to have access to these early colour images.

The two Julkhirs shown in this image are typical of early 20^th Century production where Julkhirs were produced using synthetic dyes. In some the dyes are extremely unstable and bright garish colours were used, presumably a shortcut to emulate the deeply saturated naturally dyed 19^th century examples.  Compare the image to the right to the one at the front of the fabric merchants store – this rug has all of the problems associated with the use of these dyes.

See also Moshkova for other example illustrated dating from the beginning of the twentieth century.²

1 Image: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-prokc-21725]

2. Moshkova  V. G.  Carpets of the People of Central Asia (George O’Bannon,  Arizona Lithographers Tucson, Arizona, 1996 pp,. 78,86

Bearskin Rugs of Central Asia

 

Bearskins of Central Asia

You just want to roll in one, so immediate is the thrill ¹

Long piled shaggy bearskins of Central Asia are referenced by many variations of the word Julkhirs. What is a bearskin rug?  Bearskins were woven by Central Asian nomads in Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Tajikastan - Amu Darya, the Oxus.  Uzbeks, Arabs, Kirghiz and Turkmen Uzbeks were the principal weavers of the shaggy pelt like rugs called Julkhirs. Other similar shaggy bearskins are found in Tibetan weavings – TsukTruk.

Stories abound about the origins of Central Asian Bearskins – the very name stirs the imagination – mountainous rugged terrain, cold windy mountain peaks, wild bears - their skins preserved and made into sleeping rugs – fiction. Some weavers of bearskins were hallucinating whilst weaving, their erratic weavings the result of long periods of hallucinogenic drug intake. ²

Primitive bearskins with their soft thick shaggy wool are a patterned facsimile of shaggy animals and an archaic link to a distant past. Extant examples give us a glimpse into this lost world of nomadic existence.

Julkhirs in Samarkand Uzbek, literally means Bearskin, in other locations called Pati Zulvarak or Julvarak. ³ Khirs in Nurata Uzbek means bear. ⁴ The meaning for the Turkmen Uzbeks of the Nurata Basin, Julkihrs was a saddle blanket of a rich man, jul - saddle blanket khirs - rich man. ⁵

Also interpreted as, skin of bear, djulchir, djul-y-khyr, djul-ykhir,julekhers, julkhyr (joorli-hur), Julhir, julykhir, jul-I-Khyr, julykhyrs,  , julihorc, Culkhir, Joolkhir, Joolkhyr, Joolykhyr, Joolykhyrs, Cunkur, Julkyr, Jul-i-khirs

Call them want you want, if you are lucky enough to own one of these rare shaggy bearskin rugs you won’t care how it’s spelt or pronounced the joy they bring is immense.

Bearskins used to illustrate this post: Collection The Author

1 Cater, M. The Bearskins of Oxiana (Antiques and Art in Queensland 2005) 58

http://www.orientalcarpets.com.au/home/newsletters/essays.html

2 Tanghe, P.  Wouters, H. Van Tongerloo, A. Pollet, L. Boenders, F. Beaulieux, D. Djulchir Tissus de defense et de protection (Kredietbank, Bruxelles, 1995) Illustration 27, 138

3 Moshkova, V. G.  Carpets of the People of Central Asia (George O’Bannon,  Arizona Lithographers Tucson, Arizona, 1996) 331

4 Moshkova, V. G. 333

5 Moshkova, V. G. 121

Uzbek Julkhirs Samarkand The Turkestan Album 1871 - 1872

 

Julkhirs were woven by semi nomadic Uzbeks and traded at the markets in Bukhara and Samarkand.² Nineteenth Century Julkhirs from Uzbekistan are rare, harsh use on the ground and floor as seating meant that the long shaggy pile of Julkhirs rugs became threadbare quickly. In 1944 and 1946when Moshkova visited the Turkmen Uzbeks of the Nurata basin no new Julkhirs were found and older examples were mostly threadbare.³ Nineteenth century photographs provide tangible evidence of how julkhirs primitive rugs were used. The Library of Congress in Washington houses the collections of The Turkestan Albums 1871 – 1872 and Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii who also photographed life in Uzbekistan between 1907 and 1915. Often Julkhirs are referred to as sleeping or bedding rugs – these Samarkand Julkhirs were used as seating rugs on the floor or the ground alongside other flatwoven rugs, pile rugs, and carpets. Photographic evidence provides a snapshot into the daily use of julkhirs rugs in their original setting.

IMAGE of musician seated on Julkhirs; Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Turkestan Album Collection, Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-14711

1. Moshkova V. G. Carpets of the People of Central Asia (George O’Bannon,  Arizona Lithographers Tucson, Arizona, 1996) 83 (ref Semenov ¹³¹ Dudin ¹³²)

2. ibid., p .112