Any similarity between Wokingham and Khiva in Uzbekistan seems improbable but both were important centres for silk weaving in the 16th Century.
While silk weaving in Wokingham ended in 1832, the craft survived in Khiva until the Soviet occupation of Uzbekistan in 1921, when traditional crafts were discouraged.
Almost 100 years later, silk carpet weaving in Khiva was revived through the extraordinary efforts of British Aid volunteer, Chris Aslan Alexander, whose lecture to The Arts Society Wokingham on February 21 described the traditional Timurid silk carpet craft.
Funded by a teaching and travel scholarship, Chris went to Uzbekistan as a volunteer and was asked by the local mayor to produce a guidebook for tourists to this walled city with classical Islamic architecture.
The high unemployment rate in Khiva prompted him to search for crafts that the local people could develop to sell as souvenirs and he initially encouraged some wood carvers, who mainly carved wood pillars for mosques, to diversify into making coffee tables to sell in the markets of Tashkent.
The success of this venture led him to consider other crafts and despite the misgivings of his sponsors and, with no knowledge of weaving, he proposed that the skills used by the local silk portrait carpet weavers could be employed in reviving the 15th Century Timurid carpet weaving industry.
The Timurid, a Sunni Muslim dynasty goes back to Genghis Khan. Unfortunately, early carpet designs had not survived and Chris had to undertake considerable research to unearth designs of this period.
Often they could only be found in paintings and in illustrations in books including those from the Tudor Period in England.
Eventually, with the support of UNESCO, he was able to organise a conversion to a workshop of a 19th Century madrassah in the heart of the tourist trail in Khiva.
In due course they ran out of space and had to open a second workshop which concentrated on Suzani (small rugs), handbags and cushion covers as well as Kilims using ceramic tiling designs, many with a pomegranate signature unlike very early designs which were never signed.
It would be nice to report that everything continued to go well but with a change in the political climate and a high level of corruption, Chris was denied entry into Uzbekistan and the factories requisitioned, though he was able to return as a visitor some time later.
After writing a book entitled A Carpet Ride to Khiva about his experience, Chris now leads tours to Uzbekistan and advises that visitors to Khiva which include a visit to a silk carpet factory need “heavy wallets and big suitcases”.
The society’s next talk, on Monday, March 21, is entitled Denys Lasdun and The National Theatre: Architectural Masterpiece or Was Prince Charles Right After All?
Alan Read aims to convince his audience that this austere building deserves their appreciation.
Guests, in person at Newbold Church or in the comfort of their own home, are most welcome. Email: memsectheartssocitywham@gmail.com for more details.
Details of all future talks are available at www.TheArtsSocietyWokingham.org.uk
Dudley Cooper
