Asmalyk

Yomut asmalyk, pile carpet, first half of 19th century

Tekke asmalyk, embroidered silk, mid-19th century

An asmalyk (Turkmen language, "a thing to be hung"^[1]) is a textile trapping used in a Turkmen wedding procession. Asmalyks may be pile or embroidered, and are usually five-sided, but some are seven-sided. Yomut asmalyks are the most common, followed by those of the Tekke tribe.^[2] Asmalyks were made in pairs to decorate the flanks of a bride's wedding camel, and were then hung in her domed, felt-covered tent.^[3]

References

1. per Seyitguly Batyrov, 2003
2. The Asmalyk Section of the Guide to the Yomut by J. Barry O'Connell.
3. Yomut, Turkmenistan 5-sided bridal trapping (asmalyk)

External links

• Camel, bridal trappings and asmalyk, old photograph
• A Rare "Jewelry" Asmalyk, Stylistic and Technical Analysis by Dr. Paul Mushak, Oriental Rug Review, Vol. 8/2, December/January, 1988
• Tekke "Bird" Asmalyk, by Elena G. Tsareva, Oriental Rug Review, Vol. 11/1, October/November, 1990
• Google Image search for asmalyk, accessed 8/20/2010