uzbekistaninitiative Uzbekistan Initiative Papers No. 9 February 2014 Seeking Divine Harmony: Uzbek Artisans and their Spaces Gül Berna Özcan Royal Holloway, University of London, UK Key Points - • DespiteCentral Asia.extensive Soviet purges and the state monopoly in manufacturing, Uz bekistan today still remains home to the most fascinating artisanal traditions in • Forinto morepottery. than a millennium, great masters and their disciples have expressed their virtuosity in weaving silk, shaping metals, carving wood, and turning mud - • The most fascinating region, rich with such traditions, is the Fergana Valley where, dotted along a stretch of the ancient Silk Road, numerous small towns are special ized in particular crafts. • Throughlivelihood. tireless repetition of time-honored practices, many artisans and families have managed to maintain their crafts as rituals, as well as a source of identity and- • The social fabric of the community is nested in craft production, cottage indus tries and barter trade. Neighbors and relatives frequently cooperate and perform additional tasks. Extensive networks of relatives and friends help with buying and selling. The opinions expressed here are • Uzbek Government praise artisans as symbols of Uzbek national authenticity, those of the author only and do not represent the Uzbekistan sources of pride and generators of jobs. But, there seems to be no real will and Initiative. structure in place to improve the working conditions of artisans. Moreover, trade restrictions, arbitrary customs rules and corruption suffocate small enterprises. IntroductionUzbekistan Initiative Papers No. 9, February 2014 repeatedly shown vocal opposition to external power domination, as seen during the Basmachi The Fergana Valley is the cultural and spiritual- revolts in the 1920s against Soviet expansion and heart of Central Asia. This fertile terrain has long most recently in 2005 in Andijon, against state been the most celebrated epicenter of agricul suppression. There is something else to be said ture, crafts and trade between China and Europe. about this most densely populated region in the Its past glory is long since gone, swept away by middle of the inhospitable geography of Central a couple of centuries of economic1 and spiritual Asia. Its soul has been preserved through passion decline along the Silk Road. Nevertheless, these and loyalty to traditional craft forms. Through towns exude a melancholic dignity and an almost tireless repetition of time-honored practices, surreal, timeworn visage. Although most of its many artisans and families have managed to land mass lies within the boundaries of modern maintain their crafts as rituals, as well as a source Kokand still is the de facto cultural capital of the Fergana with long tra- ditions in Islamic teaching and major crafts of identity and livelihood. Craft-based enterprises Uzbekistan, beyond the Fergana’s western gate is the historic city of Khojand (in Tajikistan) have occupiedikat people’s daily routines, created a and to the east it is embraced by the ancient sense of purpose and evolved into diverse forms towns7th of Osh and Uzgen, on the Kyrgyzstan side- of colorful silk patterns, glazed pottery, wood of the border. Since the Arab conquest of the carvings, beaten copper vessels and many other century, the Valley’s people have been pre- craft products. These exemplify a blessed divine dominantly Sunni Muslim. However, Persian, harmony transposed to the material world and Chinese and Hellenic cultures once intermin- one also linked to Islamic traditions and crafts. gled here. After the separation of Eastern and - Western Turkic Empires, it came under2 the domi However, there is no simple uniformity in the nation of Turco-Mongolian dynasties and the Valley: each town has a history to tell. The diver westward migration of their tribes. Compared sity in artisanal family traditions is also reflected to the sparsely populated mountainous areas in the social nature, temperament and skill of and steppe lands, the Valley is dotted with many individual Fergana towns. Kokand, for instance,- small and medium-sized towns renowned for was the capital of the last khanate before the their crafts and productive small farms. Today- Russianth colonial expansion and became the cen it has a predominantly Uzbek population along ter of an independent Turkestan movement in with Tajik-speaking villages and other small eth the 19 century. It still is the de facto cultural nic communities, including Russians, Meskhetian capital of the Fergana with long traditions in Turks, Kazakhs and Uyghurs. - Islamic teaching and major crafts. Margilan, once a center of Soviet silk production, is known to The Fergana Valley is unlike other parts of Cen have a more relaxedikat attitude to Islamic traditions, tral Asia. Throughout my travels in Kyrgyzstan3 with its streets enlivened by women walking in and Uzbekistan I came to appreciate the region’s traditional colorful dresses. Andijon has long distinctive character, resilience and charm. been a trade node between Kashgar (Xinjiang) Nowhere in Central Asia had I observed such a and Khojand (Tajikistan) but it lost most of its powerful sense of belonging and defiance. How historical center through Soviet urban planning. did this small oasis survive the Soviet bulldozer? Russian settlers and intellectuals established the Many scholars and travelers have pointed out town of Fergana near the ancient city of Sim. - that distinct features of agriculture and trade have long supported an integrated economy and Namangan, in contrast, appears to be an intro society. This is why the Fergana people have verted city with grim-looking streets. Situated 2 Uzbekistan Initiative Papers Artisans and Worship No. 9, February 2014 in the northern part of the Valley, it is one of- the biggest cities in the country, with almost half a million urban inhabitants and its sur The rulers and officials may be in charge of- rounding district home to almost 2 million- streets, bazaars and public spaces, with their people, mostly engaged in small crafts, cotton power extending into neighborhoods, tea farming, small-scale trading and food process houses and mosques through various forms of ing. Today Namangan’s vernacular architecture hierarchy. However, their power has failed to has certain similarities to old Mesopotamian eliminate the bonds of family and the sanctity buildings, with tall mud-brick walls and houses of home. Despite economic hardship and bad set along snaking roads. Soviet town planning management since the fall of the Soviet Union, with its straight wide boulevards and public strong family ties have maintained the vitality buildings is juxtaposed against this old fabric of Fergana people. The traditional walled house Despite economic hardship and bad management since the fall of the Soviet Union, strong family ties have maintained the vitality of Fergana people along with radiating main intercity axes. The is a sacred space and as such is a world within- result is a seemingly detached co-habitation of yard.worlds. This Behind is where tall householdsornate wooden with gatesextended and two forms, awkwardly out-of-touch with one walls, multiple rooms often encircle a court another. The one is characterized by elongated - concrete blocks, meaningless large open spaces families carry out their daily routines. Most and wide roads, whilst the other comprises crafts rest on patriarchal traditions and lin smaller blocks of buildings secluded somewhat eage. However, unlike in the formal separation by the traditional winding pattern of roads with- of modern workplaces, women do take part in their low-rise houses protected by tall fences the organization of daily tasks and routines, and garden walls4 veiling vivid, colorful, tradi being adept in the use of domestic space. They tional quarters. frequently join in the production of textiles, - pottery, and embroidery. The social fabric of Crafts prevailed even under the Soviet Union, the community is nested in craft production, when all means of production for private pur additionalcottage industries tasks. Extensiveand barter networks trade. Neighbors of rela- pose were strictly prohibited. Collectivization and relatives frequently cooperate and perform and Soviet industrial planning aimed to eradicate- the independent artisanal spirit and production tives and friends help with buying and selling.- entirely. Following the failure of early coop- Many time-honored artisanal traditions are erative experiences during the 1920s, silk and transformed into “mundane” routines and eco- pottery factories were established and all pri- nomic livelihoods at home; households consent vately held equipment, including looms, were to government authority but resist the intru confiscated in order to prevent household pro sion of the state and the market. Some crafts duction. Artisanal traditions were channeled into are performed collectively while others, being Soviet factories, thus deforming the quality and highly specialized, require specific skills. In the style of craftsmanship. Despite this, traditional mostly Tajik town of Rishton, more than 200- techniques managed to survive underground households work in the production of pottery at home. Home-based craft production not only and ceramics. They each function as an inde passedefforts tofrom annihilate one generation it. to another but also pendent unit, but also cooperate at various- became a symbol of resistance to the Soviet stages of glazing and design. This is