Uzbek Ikat
In 1813, Mir Izzatullah, an Indian Muslim, watched the caravans depart from Bukhara for Siberia, Russia and Afghanistan. In dry, clerical style, he described the goods laden on each camel's back. Among the bales of muslin, colored calico and yarn were robes made of a meterial called "adras". Izzatullah was not an interested tourist, but a spy in the forbidden Khanates, and his reports to British Intelligence was the first mention of the adras ikat silks that were the most brilliant creations of the artisans of nineteenth-century Central Asia.
The Malay-Indonesian word "Ikat" derives from the verb "meng-ikat" which means "to bind, tie or wind around". Ikat is an ancient technique, a method of wrapping yarns to form areas of resist, and then dyeing these section of yarn before the weaving of a cloth begins. Ikat dyeing is well known in many parts of the world - Southern Asia, Japan, Yemen and South and Central America all have strong traditions of Ikat production. Through wide usage, the word ikat has become the generic terms for these textiles in the West, regardless of their geographic origin.
What does ikat mean?
It is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing the threads before the fabric is woven. In Uzbekistan, villagers especially in Ferghana Valley take the weft (crosswise filling threads) and tie tiny bits of plastic onto the threads. The tightly tied areas of thread, when put into the dye pot, resist the color and create a pattern, once the plastic ties are removed. Traditional Uzbek ikat cottons are often dyed in lively and engaging motifs representing the village life and beliefs of the people. Ikats are often symbols of status, wealth, power and prestige. Modern Uzbek adras ikats in cotton and silk are brightly colored with good imported NATURAL dyes.
How does the ikat fabric differ from other fabric?
Ikat fabrics are woven by hand on narrow looms in a labor-intensive process. Uzbek ikat fabrics are GeneRally 15.7” (40 cm) to 23.6” (60 cm) wide. Handwovens, free of the chemical additives and stresses of power-loom production, are vastly different in appearance and feel from machine-made fabrics. Plainweave ikat fabrics, due to the unique resist patterning, look the same on both sides of the fabric; there is no right side and wrong side to the cloth. The Uzbek adras ikat typically have 2” to 3” solid borders along each selvage. Many designers make use of these special qualities.
How they were used?
In the ninteenth century, when these fabrics were woven, they had a purpose beyond their commercial role as luxury trade goods and beyond their social functions as presentation robes and ceremonial costumes. The Central Asian ikat were made to give pleasure, to delight and entrance the viewer.