Antique 19th Century Tashkent Palak Suzani

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“Suzani” or “suzane” derives from the Persian word "suzan" for "needle" and refers to bright silk embroidered wall hangings and … Read more “Suzani” or “suzane” derives from the Persian word "suzan" for "needle" and refers to bright silk embroidered wall hangings and bedspreads that adorned homes of people on festive occasions.

This gorgeous Tashkent Suzani is the palak type, which is the most famous kind to originate from Tashkent. These suzanis have a variable number of decorated circles, and the entire surface of the palak is covered with solid, embroidered symbols and dark red circles. Palak (or falak in Arabic) means the sky or fate. Falak is also a female name meaning sky or star. The warm red color symbolizes sun or fire worship indicative of the design’s pre-Islamic origins. This is the only kind of suzani where solar and astral motifs dominate over vegetative ones. The whole surface of the piece is entirely embroidered. Only natural dyes were used to colour the threads of the suzani. The dating of the item is supported by the bright hue of cochineal red dye, which was in use until the 1890s. See less