Uzbek costume

The national dress of the inhabitants of Uzbekistan surprisingly combines features common to all eastern peoples and has its own individual and unique characteristics.

Although over time, the Uzbek national costume has undergone modifications, in its modern form it has preserved all the richness of the cultural traditions of the Eastern people and a historical connection rooted deep in antiquity.

A distinctive feature of the Uzbek costume was and remains skillful gold embroidery. Such outfits are typical for wealthy people. National Uzbek robes embroidered with gold were popular, which the ruler gave to his entourage, and also received such gifts in return.

Not only garments, but also hats and shoes were decorated with gold thread embroidery. At present, a men's wedding dress in Uzbekistan is traditionally decorated with brocade with gold or silver.

The color range of the national Uzbek costume is quite wide. Residents of different regions of the country have their own color preferences, however, Uzbeks do not like dark clothes, because they believe that they can attract trouble.

Another characteristic feature of Uzbek traditional outfits is the choice of rich fabrics for tailoring - velvet and corduroy.

But the cut of suits, on the contrary, is very simple and the same for male and female models. At the heart are even pieces of fabric, which in some remote settlements were not even cut out, but simply torn off along a straight thread.

The traditional items of men's wardrobe in Uzbekistan have always been shirts of various styles and robes, which were tied with belts. Below, Uzbeks wear leather pants and boots. The head in Uzbekistan must be covered not only by women, but also by men, which is associated with the Islamic religion.

For men, a turban or skullcap is used for these purposes.

A shirt for everyday wear is called kuilak. Initially, this shirt was long and was below the knee, but later the style was changed, and the shirt became a standard length. The style of the neckline had two interpretations: in the first case, the shirt had a vertical slit to which the collar was sewn; in the second case, there was a horizontal incision in the collar area reaching the shoulders.

Pants called ishton were completely devoid of additional decorative and functional elements. The length of such trousers, reminiscent of wide trousers, reached the ankles.

The men's robe is called chapan and has a uniform cut for all ages and statuses, which has not changed for a long time. There are different types of robe for different seasons of the year - a thin summer robe, a lined robe for the off-season and warm wadded robes for the cold season. There are vertical slits on the sides of the robe for easy movement.

As decorative elements, braid and fabric of a different color are used, which are sewn along the edges of the robe and on the sleeves. There are ties to fasten the robe. A sash is used as a belt in national Uzbek men's costumes. It is a cotton or silk scarf folded into a triangle.

As a headdress, men in Uzbekistan traditionally wear a kulokh or a duppi skullcap. The most popular among all skullcaps is the headdress of the inhabitants of the Fergana Valley. Its distinctive feature is an interesting floral ornament embroidered with white threads on a black background.

Today, velvet or cotton skullcaps of blue, black and dark green colors are in great demand in Uzbekistan.

The women's national costume in Uzbekistan consists of a dress, wide trousers, a robe, as in men, and a headdress. In addition, Uzbek girls and women adorn themselves with gold and silver items. Traditional kashgar-boldak earrings and dome earrings, rings and bracelets are made in an exquisite oriental style. Women wear coral beads or a necklace made of coins around their necks.

Dresses from the national costume in Uzbekistan called kuilak look like a tunic with straight long sleeves and almost toe-length. Only by the beginning of the last century there was a slight variety in the styles of dresses: the sleeves could have cuffs or the collar could be made with a stand. Noble silk and satin are traditionally used to sew this part of the costume.

Women's harem pants have been an obligatory part of a girl's wardrobe almost from the very birth. As in the men's version, the pants are wide at the top and taper towards the bottom. The lower part of the leg is decorated with a tape with tassels.

In some regions of Uzbekistan, long and fitted robes called rumcha were common. Also, Uzbek women wear mursaks - something between a tunic and a robe. Usually the mursak is sewn on a warm lining for cold times, heel-length and has a wrap cut.

Less than two hundred years ago, fitted dressing gowns with shortened and tapered sleeves called kamzur came into use. At the same time, nimcha sleeveless jackets became popular clothes among Uzbek women.

Women in Uzbekistan use a headscarf as a headdress. It is common in traditional culture to wear two headscarves at once. One of them is tied on the forehead, while the other is covered. head

In the 19th century, women's headdress was complex and multi-layered - first, a scarf was put on, which had a hole for the face, then a scarf was tied on the forehead, and a turban was erected on top. Women from noble families wore headscarves adorned with gold or silver. At the beginning of the last century, traditional Uzbek skullcaps with silk or gold embroidery received a wide response.

When a woman went out into the street, she definitely had to put on a robe on her head in order to hide the beauty of her body from prying eyes. Later, the robe was modified and turned into a burqa. At first, the sleeves of this robe were simply removed back, and later they were completely sewn together.

An obligatory attribute to the burqa was chavchan - a net woven from horsehair, which is designed to cover a woman's face. The burqa and chavchan were mandatory elements of women's clothing in Muslim countries for all women and girls, starting from the age of nine. However, in Uzbekistan, this wardrobe item was widespread only in cities, and even then not everywhere. And with the advent of Soviet power, the burqa began to gradually disappear from the everyday life of Uzbek beauties.

In the modern world, the clothes of the inhabitants of Uzbekistan are quite diverse. City dwellers and some people from the countryside, especially educated youth, prefer to wear modern European clothes. However, Uzbeks also strive to add a certain touch of details characteristic of their country to modern attire - girls use traditional jewelry, young people can wear skullcaps.

The elderly people, especially those who do not live in the city, sacredly respect traditions and wear the outfits of their people. However, at events such as a wedding or a national holiday, a costume is still an obligatory attribute, which speaks of the rich traditions of the Uzbek people, which this people respects.