We all loved to play dolls in childhood. Especially in girls, they reflected childhood dreams and formed the first ideas about beauty and motherhood.
In Uzbekistan, the art of making dolls occupies a special place. There is a belief that the first dolls were brought to the territory of modern Uzbekistan by the ancient Greeks, during the time of Alexander the Great. But they were not widely disseminated and forgotten. With the arrival of Islam in Central Asia, the manufacture of dolls was prohibited, as no human face could be depicted anywhere.
Only during the Timurid period did a large number of masquerading masqueraders appear, who entertained the local population of Maverannahr in open squares and markets. This is where the history of puppetry in Uzbekistan began.
The first dolls in Central Asia were made from hand tools: straw, reed, papier-mâché, wood, and later from clay and ceramics. Moreover, each region of Uzbekistan had its own style of making dolls. The characters of the dolls were very diverse - heroes of fairy tales and folk epics. For example, the beloved Khoja Nasreddin Afandi, the swinging Polvon and the beautiful Bikyahon.
In the 1940s, the Republican Puppet Theater began operating in Tashkent and continues to this day. Different types of dolls have survived to our day: glove dolls, puppet dolls, cane and horse dolls.
Today, the Uzbek national doll is the key to knowing the country's unique culture and history. Reviving in the hands of the master-dweller, she conveys all the atmosphere and spiritual experiences of the author of the stage work.
The skill of making dolls in Uzbekistan has a continuity and is passed down from generation to generation. The unique traditions of puppet making began to be revived thanks to the efforts of modern jugglers.
Among such masters, a special place is occupied by the craftsman Mansur Kuryazov, who lives in the Xonkin district of the Khorezm region. He prepares his works specially for the legendary Khiva puppet theater.
The uniqueness of his work lies in the fact that, in addition to embroidery and making dolls, he teaches the game itself, puppetry.
Doll necklaces in Uzbekistan are mainly made from national fabrics. Such brightly painted dolls have long been a traditional Uzbek souvenir, which can be purchased when traveling to any of the cities of Uzbekistan. More expensive dolls began to be used as a worthy interior item in the home or office.
The school of puppetry in Bukhara also occupies a worthy place.
The artists of Bukhara have long studied the history of Bukhara costume, using traditional clothing cutting technology, gold embroidery, and Bukhara fabrics. For example, in the center of the city of Bukhara, near the Lyabi-Hauz square, there is a unique museum and a doll shop.
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