Suzani Runner

Most suzanis that exist today are from the 18th and 19th century since the nomadic lifestyle didn’t help the preservation of textiles, but the tradition goes back to at least the 15th century. This runner is a piece of a suzani from Uzbekistan, most likely Bukhara in the 20th century. A suzani is a textile produced in Uzbekistan that was a part of a woman’s dowry. The embroidery was started when she was a child, and various members of the family (and sometimes even friends) would get together and work on separate panels. These panels would then be combined once they were completed to make a large piece.

This piece is the side panel of a large suzani, with borders sewn on to frame it into a long, rectangular shape. The design consists of a floral border around five large flowers with smaller flowers, vines, and leaves surrounding them. The embroidery is done with polychrome silk on a cotton ground, and is in excellent condition.