About Central Asian Suzanis Suzani comes from the Persian word
for "needle," and the word refers to embroidered hangings or
fabric coverings, generally a meter and a half wide (4-5') but
sometimes much more. The birthplace of suzanis is in what is now
Uzbekistan, the area along the Silk Roads that interconnected
the cultures of Europe, Turkey and China with the Muslim world.
Islam came to this area in the eighth century, and over time
splendid cities arose there: among them Bukhara, Samarkand,
Shakhrisabz and Khiva. Central Asia has always been a land of
textiles. The lives of nomads and settled peoples alike have
always been hard, and the landscape is often bleak, but women
have long decorated every object they could, prayer rugs,
saddlecloths, cradle covers, mirror cases, yurt bands, tent
flaps, salt bags and gift wraps with weaving, embroidery and
applique in wool, silk, cotton or felt. As children, nomad and
village girls alike began putting together dowries to show the
community their skill and industrio