April 30, 2011
On a sunny morning of April 30, Bukhara, a city steeped in history and a hub of architecture, spirituality and trade in Central Asia, was filled with the sounds of karnai and surnai Uzbek national instruments, signaling the start of the eagerly-awaited “Asrlar sadosi” Festival of Traditional Culture, a collaborative effort between the Fund Forum and the UNESCO Tashkent Office. Over 300 participants of folk groups walked through the central streets of old Bukhara in a festive procession, drawing hundreds of residents, tourists and guests into a festival whirlpool.
The ancient city of Bukhara has been chosen as the venue for the fourth “Asrlar sadosi” Festival of Traditional Culture. Around 100 ceramists, weavers, artists and jewelers from Bukhara and other regions of Uzbekistan formed long lines stretching from Bukhara Art to Labi Hauz Ensemble, demonstrating all the colors of traditional crafts. Ablaze in color, the shopping rows offer exquisitely patterned chapans (caftans), dresses, carpets, wooden boxes, toys, headwear, pictures and fabrics. The highlight of all these goods is golden embroidered clothing as it is in this city that the art of golden embroidery reached its height back in the day. Bukharian embroiderers are famous well beyond the confines of Uzbekistan. Guests from Austria, Russia, France, the USA, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, Switzerland, the UK, Israel, Poland, Morocco and other countries, who had arrived to attend the Festival, were seen trying on golden embroidered pieces.
The first day of the Festival kicked off with a loud procession led by folk performers through the whole old city. Hundreds of people committed to the cause of conserving Uzbek originality came together in Bukhara in order to demonstrate the full diversity of traditions and customs of people who live here. Folk music groups, with their members clad in costumes indigenous to particular areas, danced and played music instruments greeting the Festival guests and inviting them to join the procession.
A whole town of festivities and entertainment was bustling at Ark Citadel, where the string of festivities started. While the youth could participate in national games organized as part of the festival, adults could watch the exciting performance of tightrope walkers. All these contributed to the unique atmosphere of an oriental holiday. Watching the popular merrymaking and the enthusiasm of the people involved, it may be said with certainty that the Festival is sure to help conserve many types of applied art, sport, national cuisine and crafts for centuries to come.
This time the Festival attendees had a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in history when a group of local archeologists unveiled an ancient bath complex they unearthed during excavations between Magoki-Attori Mosqie and Toki Telpak Furushon Dome in Bukhara. Believed to be as old as 1,000 years, the bath complex is set to be added to the list of major tourist attractions in Bukhara. The excavations commissioned by the Institute of Archeology of the Academy of Sciences have been under way for 2 months.
Another spectacular event that has drawn hundreds of people is kurash national wrestling, a sport central to Uzbek tradition. Roughly 100 young athletes participated in the competition. The philosophy of kurash wrestling consists in the demonstration of humanism, courage, strength and respect for the contender, qualities that have always united the Uzbek nation. In the final part of the wrestling, champions of the world and Asia also demonstrated their skills for the younger generation.
The solo exhibition of Japan`s leading master calligrapher of Arabic, Koichi Honda, fit in perfectly with the Festival agenda. Honda is chairman of the Japan Arab Calligraphy Association and a professor at Daito Bunka University in Japan. Some of his calligraphic masterpieces, e.g. “The Face of God” (a series of Koranic quotes on blue, red and yellow backgrounds), can be found in the British Museum in London.
The popular merrymaking, traditional games, tightrope walker shows, an applied art fair, folk music group performances, master classes, presentations and exhibitions made up the first day of “Asrlar sadosi 2011” Festival of Traditional Culture, creating an original oriental feast that offers a treasure trove of memorable experience.
Related links
“Asrlar sadosi 2011”: Day Two culminates in gala concert