Suzani

A dowry, assembled in strips, one stitch at a time. Suzani, from the Persian word for needle, are the embroidered hangings and covers of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, made in Bukhara, Samarkand, Nurata and Shakhrisabz. A bride’s mother and female relatives stitched them in strips, then sewed them together for her dowry, to serve in her new home as bedcovers, wall hangings and prayer cloths. Sun and moon medallions, vines, pomegranates and tulips are worked in silk chain and couched stitch on cotton. As pillows, often backed with ikat, they bring Silk Road color to a sofa.