Gunduri is a straw mat used in celebrations and ceremonial events in southern Bhutan. The name Gunduri comes from Lhotshamkha dialects of Nepali spoken across southern Bhutan, where this style of mat is locally woven and used in villages. Women weave the straw mats during the autumn season after the rice harvest. Traditionally, these mats are made with agricultural byproducts. They are woven from the dry stalks of crops after the grain and chaff have been removed. Cereal crops such as barley, maize, oats, rice, rye, and wheat can all be used, but rice is the most common across southern Bhutan, where mats are made in Tsirang, Dagana, Sarpang, and Samtse Dzongkhags. Thus, they are made of natural material that is both sustainable and biodegradable over time. Gunduri weaving in Semjong gewog (village block) under Tsirang dzongkhag is a unique and longstanding tradition, and locals prefer to use Gundari mats for events. Mr. Singh Bir Pradhan, who is 81 years old and from upper Dzomling, shared that he had used the Gunduri mat for large life events like marriage ceremonies, funeral rites, and when there was a celebration in the village that invited a large group to gather. With changes in time and the availability of cheap carpets in the market, the practice of making Gunduri is in decline. In many ways people prefer to use Gunduri mats because of their comfort and convenience, but making Gunduri takes time, patience, and lots of practice. These days people rarely make Gunduri in Semjong gewog (village block), yet they still use Gunduri mats from prior generations that are in good condition.

Traditional felt carpets represent one of the identity codes of the Kyrgyz people, and their recognizable, ethnographic features are an integral part of Kyrgyz cultural heritage. Kyrgyz people traditionally produce two types of felt carpets: Ala-kiyiz and Shyrdaks. Knowledge, skills, diversity, the semantics of ornaments, and the ceremonies of creating carpets, are all important cultural components. They provide Kyrgyz people with a sense of identity and continuity. Both types of felt carpets are included into the set of a traditional bride’s dowry. Shyrdaks sometimes are gifted for house-warming parties. The making of Kyrgyz felt carpets is inseparably linked with the everyday lifestyle of nomads, who used felt carpets to warm and decorate their homes. Ala-kiyiz are usually placed in the kitchen and the entrance area of the house. Shyrdaks are more complicated to produce and are more expensive, thus they are placed at the honourable part of the dwelling. The felt carpets ornaments reflect their creators’ outlooks and ideas about the Earth, water, mountains, celestial bodies and fertility.

Kyrgyzstan 2012

Knowledge of the Kyrgyz concerning treatment and use of medicinal plants is distinguished by depth and diversity. It contains knowledge and practice about harvesting, drying, and storing medicinal plants, and their use in traditional medicine. Different tinctures, decoctions, ointments, and powders made of plants for treatment purposes are used today in traditional medicine to treat bleedings, heart deceases, kinks, scabs. Except plants, natural objects, minerals, and animal limbs are used in traditional medicine. The so called psychological treatment methods such as spells and exorcisms were used in the past, to which the Kyrgyz, rarely, but still resort to nowadays.

Today, piled weaving is vividly demonstrated in the patterned piled carpets that are distinguished by their quality and durability. Sheep, caprine or camel hair is used for base of the carpets. Piled carpets are original and colorful as are other items of the applied and decorative arts of the Kyrgyz. Kyrgyz piled carpets, are weaved on a simple horizontal machine – ‘dyukoun’. Instruments of masters also include wooden comb – ‘tokmok’, which is used to nail picks and piles, a knife – to cut piled threads, and scissors – to trim the piles. Geometrical shapes are prevailing in the Kyrgyz piled carpets. These are: squares with jogged edges or elongated endings – ‘omurtka’, triangles – ‘tumarcha’, cross shaped figures – ‘chaidosh’, simple or stepped rhombs – ‘it taman’, star shaped forms – ‘jyldyz’ as well as various octangulars and etc. Plant and horn shaped motifs are also present in the ornaments such as ‘toguz doubou’ (nine hills), ‘alma kouchout’ (apple pattern) and etc.

The new ger warming feast is conducted when the marriage ceremony carried out or when some families renew their gers. The new ger warming feast starts as soon as the new ger is erected and the head of the family ties a khadag (sacred scarf) to the toono (crown of the ger). During the ger-warming feast the words of blessing are uttered and milk is sprinkled upon the crown, uni and khana (latticed wall of ger). When the blessing ceremony is over, the best pieces of meat are offered to the fire. Four pieces of cheese are placed in four directions under the vault of the ger. This type of custom of blessing a new ger is linked to ancient fire-worship practices.

Kazakh woven carpets fall into three general categories: pile carpets (tuktyi), flat-woven carpets (takhyr), functional and decorative tent bands for yurts (baskur, bau) made in a combination-technique. Other textiles include hand woven tuskyesteh, wall carpets (tuskiyiz) with heavy hand embroidery, saddle bag (khorzhyn), hand woven tassels (shashakh) for decoration of clothes and the yurt, hand woven men’s outerwear (shekpen), mats made off needlegrass (shiy), and many other ceremonial and textile products. Traditional wall felt carpets were decorated with mosaics, velvet applique, woolen cloth (with a U-shaped border) or embroidery made with colored thread made of different materials (woolen cloth, velvet, cotton) which was then sewn on the felt base. Tuz kiiz differ in that they, apart from solar signs, featured unusually rich and colorful flora (winding stems, leaves, trefoils, lotus flowers, buds, trees, pomegranates) that were to magically foster happiness and prosperity of the family.

For thousands of years, nomadic herders of Mongolia roamed across the country-side from season to season. Dry, windy areas close to rivers are best for summers while areas away from river-bank wind and close to mountains or hills are best for winter stays. In the country where pasture always was and still is a public domain, the herders moved freely to the best locations for the season. With this lifestyle of freedom of movement and pastoral animal husbandry was invented the national dwelling called the ‘Mongol ger’. It is a round structure of easily dismantle-able walls, polls and a round ceiling covered with canvas and felt, tightened with ropes. The ger was designed to be light enough for Mongolian nomads to carry, flexible enough to fold-up, pack and assemble, sturdy enough for multiple dismantling and assembling as well as easy for regulating temperatures within. Over many centuries the mongol ger was modified into a perfectly aerodynamic structure which can withstand Mongolia's fierce spring winds ranging up to 18-20 meter/sec. It can be dismantled in half an hour and assembled in an hour by a small family with 2-3 adults. The Mongol ger has many varieties. The most common “5-wall ger” consists of five lattice segments forming a circular wall, a door, a toono (round window ceiling), two bagana (columns that hold the toono), and 88 uni(long poles that connect wall lattices and toono which forms the roof of the ger). There are also several accessories attached to the ger.

Mongolia 2013

Historically, Margilan was the centre for making atlas and adras – vivid and fine traditional fabrics. Due to the acute need to revive and safeguard traditions at risk of disappearing, the local community came up with an initiative to launch the Crafts Development Centre (CDC) in 2007. The CDC’s goal is to safeguard, develop and promote the method of Uzbek traditional atlas and adras making through innovative training sessions, exhibitions and craft fairs, traditional textile festivals, and the publication of safeguarding materials and manuals. The CDC also promotes the use of natural materials, and supports the transmission of knowledge and skills about nature and the universe and their role in ensuring people’s health and wellbeing.

Uzbekistan 2017

Calligraphy is one of the branches of fine art, it is also often called the art of beautiful writing. Calligraphers of Central Asia actively developed their craft and thus brought it to the level of art. There were even separate schools of calligraphy: Tashkent, Kokand, Khorezm, Samarkand and Bukhara. Each school had its own distinctive features, and experts could easily determine who wrote this or that inscription. Various styles of Arabic writing began to be used in architecture, carving and painting on ganch and wood. She was even present in the design of household utensils, clothing and other types of artistic creation. Among the most common writing styles are naskh, raikhani, rivo, suls, kufic and others.

Weaving simple carpets for everyday use. Carpets are weaved in special tool with wool, cotton and some time with silk threads.

Weaving simple carpets for everyday use. Carpets are weaved in special tool with wool, cotton and with silk threads. For coloring of carpets in some workshops use natural dyes

Felt making is a traditional form of textile craftsmanship in Uzbekistan, practiced for centuries by nomadic and rural communities. It involves processing wool from sheep, cleaning, carding, and then manually felting it through rolling, pressing, and wetting techniques to produce dense, warm, and durable fabric used for carpets, clothing, yurts, and ceremonial items. This ancient craft combines utilitarian knowledge with cultural aesthetics, as felt products are often decorated with colorful, symbolic patterns representing protection, nature, or family values. The creation of felt is typically a communal activity, especially among women, where skills, stories, and songs are shared in the process. Felt making is not only an economic activity but also a symbol of identity, reflecting the pastoral heritage and sustainable lifestyle of many Uzbek regions.