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Suzhou Embroidery - Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

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Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

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Suzhou Embroidery - Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

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Suzhou, or Su, embroidery is named for the garden city in Jiangsu Province that has long been the center of the country’s silk trade. With its dense, fine needlework and depictions of idealized landscapes, this craft has been a source of local identity and pride—even as Suzhou developed into one of…

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Korean folding screen with royal links finds new home in U.S. | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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OSAKA--A 19th-century folding screen with links to the Korean royal court has found a new home in New York, having survived Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula as well as the Korean War.

The 10-panel screen, 4.91 meters wide and 2.14 meters tall, was likely created by artisans of the royal court of Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The panels are elaborately embroidered in golden silk thread with images of bronzeware used during religious rites in ancient China, such as bells and three-legged "ding" vessels.

"Chinese bronzeware was highly treasured in the Joseon Dynasty as a symbol of wealth and power," said Kenichi Osawa, director of the Osaka Museum of History. "An artwork embroidered with similar bronzeware images, which is labor-consuming to create, is extremely rare. In all likelihood, no similar article survives even in South Korea."

The artwork, which was owned by Shin Gi-su, an ethnic Korean historian in Japan, was entrusted to the museum's care after it opened in Osaka's Chuo Ward in 2001.

The folding screen left for New York in August after it was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which possesses types of ancient Chinese bronzeware depicted on it. It is scheduled to be displayed at a special exhibition in spring 2023.

Kenichi Osawa, left, director of the Osaka Museum of History, poses with Rika Shin in front of the folding screen in Osaka on Aug. 9. (Jin Nishioka)

The "folding screen embroidered with images of ancient bronzeware" dates from the second half of the 19th century, a time of upheaval in East Asia.

Han Myo-sook, the screen's previous owner, had married into the family related to Queen Min, posthumously known as Empress Myeongseong, who was assassinated in 1895 by Japanese military officers and others under the command of the Japanese minister to Korea.

The folding screen was kept at the family's residence throughout Japan's colonial rule (1910-1945) and the ravages of the Korean War (1950-1953), according to Rika Shin, Shin Gi-su's second daughter, who interviewed Han.

Shin, who died in 2002, had told his daughter that he acquired the folding screen in 1991 at the behest of a former Japanese diplomat, not on his own initiative.

A London-based researcher for documentary programs, Rika, 57, was curious to learn why it ended up crossing the straits.

Rika began exploring its origins after she went to study in the land of her ancestors and tracked down Han, who was living in Los Angeles, in 2012.

Han, who died in 2017, said she had no choice but to ask her younger sister to dispose of the folding screen when she married a U.S. military officer in 1964 and moved overseas.

The former Japanese diplomat, who was stationed in South Korea at the time, agreed to take charge of the screen.

The folding screen with links to Korea's Joseon Dynasty, seen here in Osaka on Aug. 9, was acquired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Jin Nishioka)

Shin, who aspired to serve as a bridge between Japan and Korea, kept the artwork from slipping into obscurity and possibly being lost to history.

More than 140 items from Shin's collection, including works of calligraphy and paintings, have been kept at the Osaka Museum of History.

But the folding screen remained in its underground repository after it was shown during an exchange exhibition at the Daegu National Museum in South Korea in 2010, the centenary of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula.

"There was no other folding screen associated with the royal court in Shin's collection, so it was not easy to create opportunities to display only this one," Osawa said.

The folding screen saw the light of day in an unexpected fashion.

A curator with the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was visiting the Osaka Museum of History in February last year asked Rika if the museum could add the artwork to its collection as it represents cultural links in East Asia.

"The folding screen is a living witness to the turbulent history of East Asia," Rika told herself at the time. "The artwork could be appreciated from diverse viewpoints if it were to go to a melting pot of races, rather than being kept in Japan or South Korea."

Shin Gi-su (Photo provided by Rika Shin)

Shin, a historian with no institutional affiliation, uncovered documents and materials concerning "Joseon Tongsinsa" diplomatic missions, which the Korean dynasty sent on 12 occasions to Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867).

He also created video works, including "Korean missions of the Edo Period," a 1979 documentary movie that had an impact on the way the Korean envoys were depicted in school textbooks. A second-generation ethnic Korean born in Kyoto, Shin was influenced by famed film director Nagisa Oshima, a friend who also hailed from the ancient capital.

"Ties between Japan and Korea go back a millennium in history," Rika quoted her father as telling her all the time. "When you take action, you should be looking not just at an unhappy 50 years of the past but also toward the future 100 years down the road."

Rika said: "I hope the folding screen, which has awakened from its long sleep, will weave out a new story of peace with people of the world."

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Korean folding screen with royal links finds new home in U.S. | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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OSAKA--A 19th-century folding screen with links to the Korean royal court has found a new home in New York, having survived Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula as well as the Korean War. The 10-panel screen, 4.91 meters wide and 2.14 meters tall, was likely created by artisans of the royal court of Korea's Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

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Neon-themed parties are taking over every type of celebration. These neon party ideas will get your celebration glowing from start to finish

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Her husband made design history - primarily due to a single piece of furniture. 2018, on the 50th anniversary of its inception, Marianne Panton looks back on their life together and the creation of the Panton Chair. This portrait by Jochen Overbeck was first published in Icon magazine.
What a delightful laugh Marianne Panton has! Exuberant, friendly, self-confident. She spent 36 years at the side of the great Verner Panton, and now she is sitting in the lounge of the Vitra furniture company in Weil am Rhein. Marianne Panton, her husband's lifelong advisor and manager, enjoys spending time on the Vitra Campus. Many pieces created by Verner Panton, who died in 1998, are housed in the Schaudepot - the visible storage facility of the Vitra Design Museum, which also holds a large part of his estate. From the bright colours and curves of the Flowerpot Lamp to the tapered shape of the Cone Chair to the vibrant interior of the Spiegel canteen, his designs have gone down in history. The Panton Chair remains unsurpassed as an icon of Sixties design. Fifty years after its initial launch, Vitra issued two limited editions in 2018: 666 pieces of Panton Chrome (with a mirrored chrome surface) and 333 Panton Glow (with a fluorescent finish). A good moment to reflect on the past with Marianne Panton.

Mrs. Panton, what was your childhood like? Did you already have an interest in design during your youth?

Not in the least. I come from the country - from the last row of potatoes, as we say in Sweden. My father owned a large farmstead where my brother and I grew up surrounded by numerous animals, which were needed to run the farm in those days. At that time, everything in Sweden was still very conservative. First I went to a normal rural school, then attended a girls' school and later transferred to another secondary school. Finally, I studied at a business college, where I met my first husband. It was what we called a student marriage in Sweden: two naive children who got married. But we separated soon afterwards. Then I met Verner Panton in 1962.

You met in Tenerife, where you were recovering from an injury - is that right?

Yes, I had been injured in a motor scooter accident and had to walk with crutches for a long time. I was recuperating at a girlfriend's villa. She was a Finnish countess who made beautiful haute couture. She owned a wonderful house in the traditional Canarian style with a lovely interior courtyard. There were always a few fashion models at the house, who would show the latest collection to tourists.

What was Verner Panton doing there?

Taking a holiday! He claimed it was the first vacation of his entire life. He said that he had never taken a break from his work, up until that point. And it's true - even in Tenerife he didn't stop working; he always had drawing paper and a pencil on hand. When Verner arrived on the island, his travel agent sent him to us - back then he was already very interested in textiles. And as a trained architect, they thought he should see the house as well. One day - I was lying in a hammock in this beautiful garden - this man in blue clothing arrived and spoke to me. Asking whether he could take a look at the garden, and if he might be allowed to photograph the house. That's how we met. And of course I couldn't walk away, because my leg was in a cast.

By that point he had already produced his first furniture designs, and had also made a name for himself as an architect. Did you know who he was?

No, I had no idea. And the first time I visited him in Denmark, I was very disappointed. I expected a designer and architect to have an impressive house and lots of nice furniture. When I saw his place on the Øresund coastline in Copenhagen, it certainly was a nice house, with large windows that offered a beautiful view of the water. But he didn't own any furniture at all. He had a Cone Chair, and four or five boards resting on painting trestles for his drawings. And old wooden beer crates, which he used as furniture.

The Panton Chair was designed in 1960, but it took seven years to reach production. How important was this project to your husband?

He always had a thousand ideas. The Panton Chair was one of them, but it was very, very important to him. And that's why Verner and I drove all over Europe with this chair: Milan, Cannes - we travelled far and wide in search of a manufacturer.

Why was it so hard for him to find a manufacturer for the Panton Chair?

Many people thought it was interesting - but nothing more. They didn't regard it as a chair. It looked like an amoeba! Besides, you couldn't even sit down on the prototype! But Willi Fehlbaum, from Vitra, was interested, and Verner sensed that. So he visited him in Basel. They tried out a few things and but ended up putting the project on hold. Then one day Rolf Fehlbaum, his son, came by and spotted the chair on our terrace. He brought Manfred Diebold over (then head of product development at Vitra - editor's note), and they started to tinker with it.

What was the problem with the early models?

Plastic was only used to make buckets and that sort of thing. The idea of sitting on it was a very risky undertaking. Besides, the chairs were heavy and difficult to manufacture. After they came out of the mould, they had to be sprayed and sanded and sanded again. That was way too much work, which made the chairs very expensive. And Verner's real intention was to produce a chair for the masses. It just wasn't possible at the time. A lot of experimentation was needed before Vitra finally found the right material.

Where did Verner Panton get the inspiration for his colour schemes?

Even as a student, he actually wanted to study colour psychology. He was already enrolled but quickly came back to reality when he was told that he would need another eight years to finish. By the way, red and orange were not his favourite colours. Blue probably was. And he would only wear blue: blue socks, blue underwear, blue suits. But for his designs, he liked to use colours that sizzle, colours that pull you in.
© Verner Panton Design AG
The new edition of the Panton Chair gives off a blue glow. Do you like it?

(laughs) The ghost? Of course! I have one in my apartment. When you get up at night and walk through the room and then see this chair glowing in the dark, it really frightens you! The day it arrived, we experimented with it. Turned the lights on and off, and nothing happened. So we thought: Oh dear, this is a real flop. But at night it suddenly started to glow. Maybe it has to be exposed to daylight first. I think it's a great idea. And Verner would have liked it - along with the new chrome version as well. It's wonderful when chairs continue to be developed. Last summer there were a large number of yellow Panton Chairs here on the Vitra Campus. They looked like animals in a meadow. As if they were alive!
Publication Date: 30.05.2018, first published in Icon magazine, March 2018
Author: Jochen Overbeck, Icon magazine
Images: Nathan Aebi, Marc Eggimann, © Verner Panton Design AG, Schnakenburg & Brahl, Tom Ziora

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Her husband made design history - primarily due to a single piece of furniture. 2018, on the 50th anniversary of its inception, Marianne Panton looks back on their life together and the creation of the Panton Chair. This portrait by Jochen Overbeck was first published in Icon magazine.

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10 of the Best Limited Edition Luxury Designs Available Right Now

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For lovers of luxury design, there's nothing quite like an exclusive. Whether presented as a one-off piece or part of a numbered collection, limited editions offer a new take on iconic styles while revealing the designer at their most daring. In today's blog post we'll take a look at 10 of the best limited edition luxury designs available today.

1) Cassina Taliesin Limited Edition Armchair

Our first limited edition comes from the legendary American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wright dismissed the idea of democratic design, insisting on designing each item of furniture for a unique interior and client. The Taliesin Armchair was designed for his family home in Wisconsin and consequently features the same sculpted structure and overhanging planes. Crafted from a single piece of folded plywood, it has been described as origami in wood, and can now be upholstered in three limited edition short hair leathers.

Fancy a closer look? All three versions are currently available in our luxury lifestyle showroom in Hatch End.
In Stock (3 Available)

While each of these limited editions tells a story, the Sanluca's is particularly special. Its sculpted silhouette was born from the Castiglioni brother's desire to create a chair that would not require traditional padding to be comfortable. Ergonomic and avant-garde, the shape is contoured to fit your body, in a beautiful exploration of comfort and style.

The limited edition Sanluca also connects the Castiglioni's with one of their dearest friends, graphic designer Max Huber. It features Huber's original Geophysical Waves upholstery, crafted from a Jacquard loom as per the original design.

An icon of contemporary design, it's the ultimate limited edition armchair for Italian design buffs.
In Stock (2 Available)

Arguably one of the most recognisable chairs of all time, Knoll's limited edition Barcelona Relax features a stunning black chrome finish, infusing the tubular frame with new impact and style. It was introduced in honour of the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus School of the Arts, of which Mies Van Der Rohe was the third and final Director. A gorgeous way to celebrate two great legacies, there are 365 editions available, one for every day of the centenary.
In Stock (2 Available)

One of the greatest skills of a contemporary designer is the ability to reimagine an everyday item with new vigour and purpose. In 1962, Achille and Pier Castiglioni did just that with a contemporary floor lamp named Toio.

Illumination was provided by a car headlight attached to a telescopic stem, the kind you might expect to find on a modern fishing rod. Industrial yet playful, it showcased a distinct masculine beauty and kick-started the vogue for mechanical-looking modern lighting.

Widely recognised as an icon of contemporary design, Flos's Limited Edition Toio features a matt black finish and holographic label. With just 2,500 copies in existence, it's your chance to take home a slice of design history.
In Stock (2 Available)

5) Vitra Panton Chrome and Glow Dining Chair

It was the chair that defined an era. All sinuous curves and cheerful hues, Vitra's Panton Dining Chair was the first cantilevered plastic chair to be manufactured in one piece.

And yet, it wasn't quite how Verner Panton had always envisioned it looking. Ever the perfectionist, he dreamt of cool chrome and a mirrored finish, a look he believed would accentuate its statement curves. After months of experimentation in the early 1970s, he gave up, unable to resolve the issue of scratching on such a reflective surface.

In 2017, Vitra made a major breakthrough, launching a complex coating system that would be suitable for domestic use. In a clever interpretation of his desire for reflectivity, they also developed a glow-in-the-dark Panton, and both were officially released at Milan Design Week 2018. Symbols of hope and progress, they represented the realisation of a long-forgotten dream.

With extremely limited stock available in the UK, Chaplins is delighted to have secured 2 Chrome Pantons and 1 Glow. Pop by the showroom or browse online to find out more.
In Stock (3 Available)

The idea that "less is more" is a commonly held view. However, in 1859, minimalists were few and far between. It's surprising then that with just 6 parts, 10 screws and 2 nuts, Michael Thonet created one of the most successful products of all time, the 214 Cafe Chair.

To celebrate its 200th anniversary, Studio Besau Marguerre were invited to give the 214 Chair a colourful makeover. The result is a stunning two-tone finish available in black, white, velvet red and sage. The new looks highlight its minimalistic construction while transporting it into a contemporary context. Available to order throughout 2019.

Foscarini's Be Colour! Capsule Collection reimagines some of their classic lighting designs with retro flavours. Highlights include the Twiggy Floor Lamp and Gregg Table Lamp, each of which takes on an invigorating new personality thanks to striking new chromatic combos.

When asked to comment on the collection, Ferruccio Laviani described how colour has historically been seen as an accessory rather than something fundamental. With this new collection, he and his colleagues seek to blow that notion out of the water, bringing new life to contemporary living spaces.

An enigmatic artist, Carlo Mollino has been held up as the embodiment of the ' homo universalis', a 'universal man' who counted writing, designing and acrobatic flying among his many talents.

He was particularly fascinated with organic, surreal forms, and all but banished straight lines from his portfolio. Between the years of 1940 and 1950, he produced a series of limited edition chairs, tables and desks - the most valuable of which would sell for 3.8 million dollars in a 2005 Christie's auction.

Due to popular demand, Zanotta have re-released one of his most iconic designs as a numbered edition. Crafted from 7 pieces of solid maple wood, Fenis is a striking occasional chair. Its sinuous form recalls the curvatures of human limbs and wouldn't look out of place in a Salvador Dali painting. Part sculpture, part chair, it promises to add drama and intrigue to any interior.

Zaha Hadid never shied away from making history. One of the most influential architects of all time, she ushered in a new way of building, shaping skylines the world over. Her ability to evoke a sense of motion through powerful lines and dramatic curves translated perfectly into contemporary design and she left behind several exciting products before her untimely death in 2016.

The Avia Pendant Light by Slamp was one such example. Crafted from 50 layers of CristalFlex, Avia is a dramatic, futuristic pendant. Its many layers ensure that light and movement ripples across its surface, in a constant play between solid and void. And yet, for all its advanced technology there is something wonderfully organic about it, reminiscent of a glowing jellyfish or the ethereal fauna in James Cameron's Avatar.

In 2018, Slamp released the Avia Pendant Light in three new limited edition colours, blue, turquoise and ultramarine. With just 99 numbered editions for each hue, they represent the essence of Zaha and are bound to become a precious collector's item.

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10 of the Best Limited Edition Luxury Designs Available Right Now

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For lovers of luxury design, there's nothing quite like an exclusive. Whether presented as a one-off piece or part of a numbered collection, limited editions offer a new take on iconic styles while revealing the designer at their most daring. In today's blog post we'll take a look at 10 of the best limited edition luxury designs available today.

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30 Glow-in-the-Dark Furniture to Enlighten Your Spirit

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Ever wished of having lighted home decor to keep your interiors modern, trendy and tasteful? The idea just awesome but not those outdated radium wall stickers for sure. All those lurking online to find creative ways to add a glowing charm to their home interior, we're listing a few mind-blowing glow-in-the-dark furniture that are just perfect to add a unique charisma to any space.

From glowing resin table and lighted bench to a LED bed, out list includes 30 best glow-in-the-dark furniture to bring a lively element to your home.

Refurbished glow-in-the-dark marble table

I would really love to light up my living room with river table that glows beautifully in the dark, and I am sure you would love it too. The table is a DIY project by an Imgur user. To erect this, he bought a broken marble table for $9. He removed the marble surface and broke it further into pieces. After molding them to make a fine tabletop, he used casting resin with glow-in-the-dark blue pigment to repair the cracks and voids. He also put a glaze coat epoxy over the tabletop for a smooth glass-like finish. The table looks surprisingly bright and shining in dark.

Glow-in-the-dark table by Mat Brown

If you want a gleaming table with a clean and sleek appeal, get this glow-in-the-dark table by Mat brown. He built this charming table using some wood planks, resin, photoluminescent powder and basic woodworking tools. The end product you can see in the pictures below, and get an idea about about what kind of charm it can add to your dinner parties.

Bright Woods collection by Giancarlo Zema

Have a look at this brilliant Bright Woods furniture collection by Giancarlo Zema for the Avanzini Group. The collection of illuminated tables and chairs was a big hit at the Triennale Design Museum in the Milan Furniture Fair. I just love its unique design and a smooth stripped surface that ensures to capture everyone's attention with a tempting glow. They exude beautiful colors including orange, pink purple, and white. The glowing furniture carries lovely appeal that looks lovely in any indoor and outdoor setting.

Mobius light bench

Displayed at Wanted Design in New York City, the amazing Mobius light bench is a great artwork of Louis Lim. Created using new building material called Dark Chroma, the circular bench lights up in pink and blue shades. The best thing about this bench is that you don't have to wait until it's dark to see its magical lighting effects. It has a series of built-in motion sensors that are sensitive to touch. When you sit on it, the bench automatically glows in different appealing ambient shades.

Eudora fiberglass chair

Looking for a perfect seating to make your bedroom look stunning? Have a look at this Eudora fiberglass chair upholstered in different printed fabrics. Don't you think these chairs would look too pretty in a dark room? Yes, they will! Just look at the aura they bring in a room. I can't resist the urge to buy one for my home. The good thing about it is you don't have to buy an additional lamp for your bedroom, as it is all decked in premium LED lights and works as a perfect lamp.

Glowing chair by Philips Design

Want to keep it contemporary? Get inspired by this glowing chair by Phillip Design. The great combination of black and white makes this chair an ideal pick for modern spaces. Whether it is your home, backyard, restaurant or a shopping mall, it's an innovative take on illuminating the interiors in warm colors. The chairs with black rest and white body completely look stunning when sets up on a wooden deck alongside a glass coffee table. People who have extensive living room can try this to transform the entire space.

Nuvola Di Luce illuminating chair

Create a dramatic atmosphere in your bedroom with this Nuvola Di Luce (cloud of light) chair by Natevo. The chair looks simple at first glance, but when lit up it spreads a uniform subtle light while giving an appeal of a lighted cloud. Entirely made of stretch mesh, the chair is available in two different versions, one is illumined by virtue of an innate luminous panel located at the base of the chair, while the other one sans panels.

Sqill illuminating coffee table

Want to illuminate your living space with an enticing aura? I don't think there is a better way of doing it than with this Sqill illuminating coffee table. Designed by David Chapman for Clay Design, the table perhaps is the most elegant table I have seen in a long time. The table looks like a traditional wooden table, but it illuminates your space beautifully as soon as the sun goes down and you need to light up the house. Wondering how? The table is embedded with premium LEDs that make the table glow like a lamp.

Microcromo coffee table

Make your space look vibrant and attractive with this lovely Microcromo coffee table by an Italian company, Art is Therapy. The 3D printed coffee table is a multi-functional furniture piece that becomes a beautiful wall painting and ambient light when tabletop is hung on the wall. The furniture is perfect for people who live in small apartments and need simple ways to make their space look visually appealing.

Infrared sensing coffee table

Check out this infrared sensing coffee table that illuminates your interior very beautifully with your hand movement near the tabletop. You can create this DIY table following the procedure here.

Glow-in-the-dark bed

The glow-in-the-dark bed is a great pick to prevent nighttime slips and falls as it provides dim illumination in the entire room and makes things clearly visible without having to switch on the lights at midnight. Made with twin pine wood, the bed frame comes coated with a specialized paint that gives off a cool green glow in the dark. Buying it for just US$396 is a great deal.

G low-in-the-dark table by Woodeyes Woodworks

This glow-in-the-dark table by Woodeyes Woodworks is sure to be the talk of any event you host. Handcrafted using hardwood, the table is beautifully filled with shimmery resins that beautifully shine in dark. Suitable for both indoors as well as outdoors, the table is available in different appealing colors like blue, green, magenta, orange, purple, yellow, teal, copper, silver, and gold. The best thing is that you can customize its size and color according to your space.

Rousseau hanging chair

A glowing hanging chair is just perfect to make living room alluring when lights go off. Have a look at this gleaming chair by a UK-based Rousseau. The white metal chair with a comfy seat goes well with modern interiors having bright-colored walls. Your children will love playing around it. They will love to spend most of their time swinging in it.

Air-filled glow-in-the-dark sofa

Sofas have to be exceptional, as the entire appeal of your living room depends upon the sofa you choose. If it's air-filled glow-in-the-dark sofas from the Via Lattea collection, designed by the famous architect, Mario Bellini, an unforgettable charm of elegance with a tinge of beautiful lighting effect is surely going to take over the boring appeal of the entire space. Made of recycled materials, the sofa accompanied by small seats and cushions filled with air and sidereal light is a modern take on the traditional padded furniture design. If we talk about the price, Via Lattea doesn't come cheap: a three-piece sofa costs as high as $7,800.

Glow-in-the-dark bed by Treecycled Furniture

The glow-in-the-dark bed by Treecycled Furniture is something which I have never seen before. The bed looks gorgeous when lights go off. Instead of using glow paint, the manufacturer uses clever LED lights to glam the entire bed. To promote green living, the designer has used reclaimed wood. They filled the wood cavities with LED lights and non-toxic Rubio Monocoat oil to make the bed look gleamier.

The illuminated island bench

There is nothing like a well-organized display of indoor plants! I love decorating my house with indoor plants as my living space is quite extensive and allows me to do experiment with its look. Recently, I come across this diamond-patterned illuminated island bench by Vondom that is just perfect to add flair to my space with premium LED version. The island bench has a recessed basin in the center to accommodate plant container, and LEDs display white, red, green, blue, light blue and yellow colored light to make the interior or the deck area look magnificent.

Sereno illuminated outdoor armchair

You probably won't find a better way to illuminate your backyard than this beautiful white Buddha sculpture armchair. The translucent Buddha sculpture armchair with white LEDs is great to add an unforgettable charm to your patio area. Made of polyethylene, the light sculpture changes colors and comes with a remote and cord. You can buy it for US$1,995 without additional shipping and handling charges.

Illuminating wooden chair by Valuma

If you like to bring the charm of Italian craftsmanship and meticulous German precision into your home, consider buying this illuminating wooden chair by Valuma. The chair is beautifully crafted with Italian interlace woodworking art. The chair looks calm and simple during the daytime, but when lights go off you will see a new chair altogether, projecting intricate design patterns with fascinating lighting effects.

Tree-ring light stools by Judson Beaumont

Outdoor stools are great to bring an appeal, comfort, and functionality to outdoor spaces. A glazing charm is an added advantage. Have a look at these stunning outdoor stools that are made using tree rings by Judson Beaumont. The lights appearing on the surfaces are made out of beetle pine shell topped with mirrored Plexiglas, which allow fluorescent light to shine in the dark. These small seating units are durable and a great addition to yards and patios.

Illuminated outdoor daybed

Leave a lasting impression about your luxury lifestyle with this illuminated outdoor daybed by Vondom. The gorgeous geometric Faz daybed with lights on its base will leave your peers astonished when they will see it illuminated in your backyard or swimming pool deck. Made from 100% recyclable polyethylene, the dynamic bed also offers a Bluetooth sound system and illuminated base that changes the intensity of light according to the music you play. The great thing is that this daybed is available in matte or high gloss lacquer finish in different appealing colors.

Illuminated eco chair

Add a vintage appeal to your house with this illuminated eco chair by Lee Broom. I just love the idea of ornamenting a dark brown leather sofa with fairground jewel lights. The chair is a great pick for people who love decorating their home with a vintage element. It is priced at US$18931.

Fullmoon cabinet

Incorporating a glowing cabinet in a bedroom or living room is an ideal storage solution. I just fell in love with the appeal of the Fullmoon cabinet by Sotirios Papadopoulos for Ennezero. Built using hardwood and eco-friendly paint, the Fullmoon cabinet glows in the dark and gives the expression of the room lit in the moonlight. This cabinet has the dual function of being a great storage piece and an artistic decorative element.

Lighting table series by Bae Seh Wa

I really enjoy simplicity as much as I enjoy the whimsical side of life, and a Korean designer Bae Seh Wa combines both in his Lighting Table series, without sacrificing minimalistic design. He has created an undercover persona that is cleverly exposed at the flick of a switch. He used acrylic and wood to build the Lighting Table series and there is no hint at the designs that lay beneath their surfaces; they seem to magically emerge when they shed the light on.

Handmade illuminated Lego table

Looking for a study table for your kids' room? Have a look at this handmade illuminated Lego table that provides 20 different lighting effects to jazz up display as well as the setting of your kids' room. Handmade out of wood, the table is covered in colorful Lego bricks along with 250 mini figures resting on the top. It comes with a removable 6 mm thick tabletop of glass that adds a touch of transparency to the bench.

Illuminated coffee table

If you are a party animal and can't decorate your home over and again in jazzy theme, buy this illuminated coffee table that simply adds a party charm to your entire space. Made from stainless steel and toughened glass, the independently controlled illuminating tabletop with warm light and built-in power connection comes with a mind-numbing price tag of US$2600.

Terrance chairs

It is time to pay attention to your patio and terrace as well. Consider setting up these beautiful Terrance chairs by Kaare Bækgaard for a comfortable stargazing session at night. You don't need extra lighting in your patio, just place these chairs with an illuminated base and be ready to bathe in a soft beautiful light as the sun sets in the distant horizon.

Acrylic glass lounge chair

Looking for a vibrant lounge chair for beach get-togethers and night parties? Have a look at this gorgeous acrylic glass lounge chair with a minimalist design and impressive lighting. The ethereal form of the lounge chair has been kept pretty simple with the application of curvature. Its working is pretty simple - it has a built-in battery to brighten up your space with colorful LEDs. A beam of a flat stature is emanated from the translucent structure when illuminated.

Illuminated log stools

If you love staying amid wilderness, these tiny illuminated log stools are certainly the best pick for you. Designed by a Tasmanian furniture designer Duncan Meerding, these log stools with colorful LED lights can be a great addition to your backyard getaway. Talking about the crafting procedure, the designer scoured tree logs and filled them with LED lights emenating soft and warm lights that luminate each piece of wood from within in the dark.

DIY illuminated dining table

Want an illuminated dining table to enjoy a dim-lightened dinner with your family? You can if you have a glass dining table. Install LED light strips beneath the glass-top as shown in the pictures below. The DIY glowing table is a great idea to turn your ordinary dinner time into a joyous occasion every day, celebrated by an array of colorful lights.

Starry sea table by Alexander Chapelin

Want to bring in a great piece of art? Pay attention to this Starry sea table by Alexander Chapelin. The starry table provides a mesmerizing reflection of the stars on water. The best thing is that it blends both, the stars and the sea in one unit. It has a Wi-Fi-connected array of LED lights embedded in it that offer 300 hours of glowing charm on a six-hour of charge.

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30 Glow-in-the-Dark Furniture to Enlighten Your Spirit

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Ever wished of having lighted home decor to keep your interiors modern, trendy and tasteful? The idea just awesome but not those outdated radium wall stickers for sure. All those lurking online to find creative ways to add a glowing charm to their home interior, we're listing a few mind-blowing glow-in-the-dark furniture that are just perfect to add a unique charisma to any space.

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First evidence of turkic nations and language written in runic language.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Tonyukuk inscriptions ( Chinese: 暾欲谷碑), also called the Bain Tsokto inscriptions are Turkic inscriptions of the 8th century located in modern-day Mongolia. They are the oldest written attestations of the Turkic language family, predating the Orkhon inscriptions (Khöshöö Tsaidam monuments) by several years.

The inscriptions are in Tuul River valley at (southeast of Ulan Bator and Nalaikh). They are often confused with, or considered as a part of, the Orkhon inscriptions (Khöshöö Tsaidam inscriptions), although the Orkhon inscriptions are actually located about 360 kilometres (220 mi) to the west of Bain Tsokto.

Bain Tsokto inscriptions are about Tonyukuk, the counselor of four Turkic khagans -- Ilterish Khagan, Kapaghan Khagan, Inel Khagan and Bilge Khagan -- of the Second Turkic Khaganate. He died in the 720s. Unlike the two other Orkhon inscriptions which were erected after the hero had died, Bain Tsokto inscriptions were erected by Tonyukuk himself around the year 716. (His deeds after 716 had not been narrated.) The narrator is Tonyukuk. The inscriptions were inscribed on two steles. The writing, which proceeds vertically from top to bottom, is in the Old Turkic alphabet.

1st stele (35 lines)

West side: The revolt of Turks against the Tang dynasty in 681. (After the Tang subjugated the Turks in 630)

South side: War against Oghuz Turks

East side: Capture of 23 cities and plan to counterattack against a possible alliance of the neighbors (Tang, Onoq and Yenisei Kirghiz)

North side: Defeat of Yenisei Kirghiz (north) and campaign to Turgesh (Onoq territory, west)

2nd stele (27 lines)

West side: Battle of Bolchu (711) against Turgesh and annexation of Onoq territory (roughly present Turkestan)

South side: Annexation of Temir Kapig, Ilterish Qaghan's 7 campaigns to Khitan people (east), 17 campaigns to Tang dynasty (south), 5 campaigns to Oghuz Turks

East side: (Tonyukuk praises himself on his valuable assistance to khagans and adds that he gets old)

North side: (Epilogue) After the victories, Turks and Sir (people) live happily.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Tonyukuk inscriptions ( Chinese: 暾欲谷碑), also called the Bain Tsokto inscriptions are Turkic inscriptions of the 8th century located in modern-day Mongolia. They are the oldest written attestations of the Turkic language family, predating the Orkhon inscriptions (Khöshöö Tsaidam monuments) by several years.

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Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road - Ackland Art Museum

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The trade routes known collectively as the Silk Road not only allowed merchants throughout Asia and Europe to exchange goods - such as Chinese silk, Byzantine gold, and Indian spices - but they also introduced people in disparate parts of the continent to new beliefs, systems of government, literary genres, musical styles, and visual forms. In turn, these exchanges shaped each region's art, language, religion, economics, and politics.

Drawing from the Ackland's celebrated collection of Asian art, the special exhibition Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road features over sixty objects which were created along these storied corridors of trade. Individually and in groups, these objects - dating from the first through the sixteenth centuries - reflect the broad scope of cultural exchange which occurred along the Silk Road. Newly acquired Chinese ceramics, a rarely seen sixteenth-century Russian painting, vibrant Roman glass from the first three centuries of the millennium, and Hellenistic coins are only a few of the objects which have either never been seen in the Museum, or have not been exhibited in many years. These will join several longtime Ackland favorites, including the fifteenth-century Thai Head of Buddha, the 1570 Mosque Lintel with Calligraphy, and the second-century Indian sculpture of a Yakshi.

Installed in three Museum galleries, Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road highlights the significance of trade-related cross-cultural contact with works of art created and traded in numerous parts of Asia and Europe - from China and India to points west (Iran, Syria, Italy, and France), north through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, on to Russia, and south and east to Burma, Thailand, and Japan.

Director of Academic Programs Carolyn Allmendinger, curator of the exhibition, collaborated with a number of UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members and students to shape the form and content of Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road. Specialists in Asian history, art, languages, literature, religion, and geography suggested connections between objects and ideas, ways to understand the works of art as evidence of historical trends, and posed questions and issues for visitors to consider. Brand new research will continue throughout the course of the exhibition as scholars continue to examine the objects on view, approaching the exhibition itself as an ongoing research project. New findings and perspectives will appear as additional wall labels installed periodically.

"This exhibition gives us the opportunity to bring together two of the Ackland's greatest resources: our University collaborators and our Asian art collection," said Allmendinger.

Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road uses the relationships between objects from geographically distinct regions to illustrate the considerable cultural exchange that occurred along the Silk Road. For example, a second-century funerary relief sculpture from Palmyra (in Syria) and a Buddhist narrative relief sculpture from Gandhara (in Pakistan and Afghanistan) both share specific visual characteristics - details of drapery folds, ornamental garlands, and decorative columns - that suggest the close cultural connections between these regions in Asia and the ancient Mediterranean. Similarly, centuries later, a sixteenth-century lintel from a mosque in India bears inscriptions in Arabic and Persian, a cultural mix indicative of the diverse linguistic, religious, and political traditions deeply embedded in that region and due in large part to the influence of the Silk Road.

"As the works in this exhibition suggest, modern notions of globalization have strong historical antecedence," said Ackland Director Emily Kass. "Alone, these objects are interesting and beautiful works of art, but together they tell an entirely different story about cultural interaction and influence."

In addition to the works of art on display, Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road will use maps produced by University scholars and period maps drawn from the Rare Book Collection at the Wilson Library to illustrate the paths along which these works traveled. Text panels and related materials explore the objects' visual characteristics and connect them with other forms of historical evidence. Music, food, textiles, and literature are just some of the themes that will be explored in public programs related to the exhibition.

In 2010-2011 public programming for Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road is made possible by the generosity of Philip and Linda Carl.

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Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road - Ackland Art Museum

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The trade routes known collectively as the Silk Road not only allowed merchants throughout Asia and Europe to exchange goods - such as Chinese silk, Byzantine gold, and Indian spices - but they also introduced people in disparate parts of the continent to new beliefs, systems of government, literary genres, musical styles, and visual forms. In turn, these exchanges shaped each region's art, language, religion, economics, and politics.

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Uzbekistan and the Silk Road Travel Guide

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View over the mausoleums and domes of the historical cemetery of Shahi Zinda through an arched gate, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo: Shutterstock

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy's Trusted Travel Experts for Central Asia and the Silk Road: Zulya Rajabova of Silk Road Treasure Tours.

Zulya grew up in Uzbekistan (her hometown, Bukhara, is one of the legendary cities of the Silk Road trading route) and returns often to visit her large and charismatic family-the same family that her travelers are often lucky enough to meet. Since Zulya has had a home in the U.S. since 2003, she fully understands what sophisticated Americans want to see and do amid the stunning landscapes and ancient sites of Central Asia (including all five "Stans"), and she can also address any and all safety concerns they might have. Her expertise with languages (in addition to Uzbeki and English, Zulya speaks German, Russian, and Farsi) set her on a path in tourism: She started out as a private guide for journalists, diplomats, and heads of state visiting Uzbekistan. Her personal contacts at museums, exhibition sites, and performance companies translate to exclusive access for her clients, and the encounters that she orchestrates with artisans and businesspeople help bring alive aspects of the culture both ancient and contemporary. To make sure that every trip lives up to her savvy travelers' standards, Zulya not only arranges for superlative guides and comfortable hotels and homestays but also handles the potential logistical hurdles of travel to this region, such as border crossings and visa procurement.

Travel arrangements start at $500 per day for two travelers. NOTE: Zulya is currently not accepting credit cards.

Where to Stay and Eat

Best bang-for-your-buck hotelsThe Lotte Tashkent Palace provides four-star comfort and service, with large rooms that have all been recently renovated. Request a quiet one at the back, as there is often a sound-and-light show at the fountain across the street. The Lotte is in a super location, and Zulya's travelers get early check-in, late checkout, and upgrades for a special occasion.

The five-star Hyatt Regency in Tashkent is luxury on a world-class scale, and in Samarkand the Hotel Dili Mah offers affordable elegance.

Restaurants the locals loveIn Tashkent: Head to Caravan for Uzbek décor and traditional menus, April Verdant for the lovely setting and wide international menu-including vegetarian options-and the Afsona for great service and super Uzbek food.

In Samarkand, go to Osh Markazi for great Samarkand-style plov (the national dish of Uzbekistan, a savory mix of meat, vegetables, and rice) and to Platan for shurpa: a hearty soup made with meat, fat noodles, and fresh vegetables. Platan has both a traditional dining room and a fabulous rooftop terrace.

In Khiva (see "Don't miss"), Terassa offers rooftop dining in the old town; at night the surrounding architecture is lit up beautifully.

Meal worth the splurgeGet a table at Labi Khaus Restaurant, in the heart of old Bukhara, beside an ancient pool surrounded by 14th-century mulberry trees. It's been the city's gathering place for centuries! Order either the shurpa or the shashlik (they serve meat, chicken, fish, and veggie versions of this shish kebab), and a cup of the special Silk Road spiced tea. Ask any of the locals to recount one of the humorous stories of Khodga Nasreddin, a 13th-century philosopher who disguised his moral lessons in amusing anecdotes; his statue is nearby.

What to See and Do

Don't miss The mud fortresses at Ayaz Kala, in the Karakalpak region, are a truly fascinating destination. Travelers can explore archaeological treasures from the fourth century B.C., ride camels, and overnight in a yurt (where they'll be treated to a performance of traditional desert music under the stars). Easily accessible from Ayaz Kala is the world-class Savitsky Collection of "forbidden" Russian avant-garde art; the story connected to this museum is a terrific tale of one man's secret mission against Soviet-style repression.

Khiva. This city is a pedestrian-only "living museum" with original and restored medieval Islamic architecture of gorgeous green- and white-tiled adobe; plus, there are gorgeous desert sunsets and a lively restaurant and shopping scene.

Bragging rights Uzbekistan is a hot destination for fashion and interior designers, drawn by the gorgeous fabrics, detailed workmanship, and traditional designs in cotton, silk, and lavish embroidery. Zulya can introduce you to local fashion designers, textile experts, and jewelry makers, and you can get one-of-a-kind, fabulous ikat fabric or custom-embroidered clothing made.

DowntimeIn Tashkent: Alisher Navoi National Park. This man-made park is an oasis of green with ornamental gardens, a lake, canals, cafés, and plazas. Head to the fountains behind the Palace of People's Friendship, where you'll find the Abul Kasim Madrassah, which now houses artisans' workshops. There's a nice view of the lake in Navoi Park and the bright blue dome of the Uzbek parliament, and on Saturdays the nearby Navruz Wedding House is a hive of celebrations.

In Bukhara: Mokhi Hossa Summer Palace (the Palace of Moon and Stars). Located in the countryside just outside the city, this palace was once the summer residence of the Emir of Bukhara; it's a beautiful, peaceful spot for a stroll around the Asian- and European-influenced early-20th-century buildings.

A perfect day
Visit the bazaars and the hammam in Bukhara. The historic center's old trade domes (covered bazaars) are bursting at the seams with food, spices, fabrics, handicrafts, and souvenirs, most produced locally. They're busiest and most colorful on Sundays, Thursdays, and during the Silk and Spice Festival in May. One of the most interesting is the Toki Zargaron trade dome, where you can find fabulous jewelry, the best embroidery and silk items, and even carpets. Afterward, stop for tea and perhaps lunch at the chaikana of either the Labi Khaus complex or the Bolo Hauz, in the park opposite the Ark. Then make the short walk to the city's hammam, or Turkish bath, for your massage (best to book ahead); the well-preserved stone domes and corridors here date from the 16th century. Relax and reenergize in the hot and cold baths and enjoy the tasty local ginger tea.

Need to get back to nature? Head to Lake Charvak, just outside of Tashkent, for some boating or swimming. Further afield, Mount Chimgan has cool summer temperatures, hiking vistas galore, and charming rural villages. In late spring and summer, take the old Soviet chairlift up with the local grannies for a picnic, or stop for coffee at the Beldersay hotel.
Contact Zulya Not sure if this is the right person for you? Ask Wendy

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Uzbekistan and the Silk Road Travel Guide

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View over the mausoleums and domes of the historical cemetery of Shahi Zinda through an arched gate, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo: Shutterstock The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy's Trusted Travel Experts for Central Asia and the Silk Road: Zulya Rajabova of Silk Road Treasure Tours.

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A yurt is a portable, circular dwelling made of a lattice of flexible poles and covered in felt or other fabric. They are a sturdy, reliable type of tent. Yurts have been the primary style of home in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years. Yurts take between 30 minutes and 3 hours to set up or take down, and usually house between five and 15 people. They are usually a little over 2 meters (6 feet) high, with a slightly domed top rising another meter. A wood-burning iron stove sits in the middle of a traditional yurt, with a long chimney reaching up past the roof. Constructing a Yurt A yurt is essentially a tent constructed on top of a flat piece of earth, often covered by carpets. The traditional yurt is white with a red door. The lattice of a traditional yurt is divided into sections, called Each khana is a collapsible series of crisscrossed wooden poles. The poles are made of light wood, such as willow, birch, poplar, or even bamboo. Khana are attached to each other with ropes made of leather or animal hair. The roof of a yurt is the most complex part of the structure. The central part of the roof is called the crown. The crown is a ring to which roof poles, called uni﻿, are attached. The crown's pattern of wood, reeds, or fabric can be handed down for generations. The khana and fabric of a yurt may be replaced, but the crown may last for years. The crown is partially open, allowing air to circulate and a chimney to penetrate the structure. The circular ceiling window formed by the crown is called the and the columns that sometimes support the heavy crown are called Yurt communities are often herding cultures, and the felt that covers the yurt is usually made of wool collected from domesticated sheep, goats, or yaks. Most yurts have three to five layers of felt, and, often, an outer layer of waterproof fabric such as canvas. There are two main types of yurts: gers and bentwood yurts. The only difference is their roof. A ger is the older, traditional style of yurt. In fact, "yurt" is a Russian word for what the Mongolian people call ger. The roof of a ger is made of straight poles (uni) attached to the circular crown. Gers have a very gently sloping roof. Bentwood yurts, sometimes called Turkic yurts, are more common in western Central Asia. Makers of bentwood yurts use steam to bend the roof poles before attaching them to the crown. Uni serve as both the top of the walls as well as the roof of a bentwood yurt. Bentwood yurts usually have a taller, steeper shape. Modern yurts are popular in North America and Europe, especially in "backcountry" or camp settings. Some consumers choose to use native hardwoods, such as ash or chestnut, for their yurts. More consumers use high-tech material, such as aircraft cables, for a more secure construction. Unlike traditional yurts, these modern yurts are usually meant to be relatively permanent. Geography of Yurts Yurts have existed for thousands of years in Central Asia, in virtually the same form as they exist today. They are ideal dwellings for the nomadic cultures of the formidable Central Asian steppe. The dry, flat grassland of the steppe is a study in extreme weather. It is a very windy biome because no trees, shrubs, or tall grasses serve as windbreaks. Spring winds can regularly blow up to 9 kilometers per hour (6 miles per hour). The steppe also has an enormous temperature range, from about 24° Celsius (75° Fahrenheit) to -28° Celsius (-19° Fahrenheit). Yurts are ideally suited to this biome. The circular shape of yurts makes them able to resist winds from any direction. Only the door of the yurt is vulnerable, and yurt doors are usually very strong and modern. They often have a wooden frame, and sometimes the door itself is made of wood, as opposed to a flap opening in the felt. This strengthens the door, and the yurt, against the strong winds of the steppe. The sloping, aerodynamic shape of the roof also means winds are unlikely to tear off roof beams. The circular shape of yurts also allows them to be easily and efficiently heated and cooled. The toono, or crown opening, ensures that fresh air is continually circulated. A central stove provides heat evenly, and extra layers of felt can further insulate against the frigid winter of the steppe. During the rainy season, it is not unusual for families to dig a trench around the yurt, similar to a moat. This catches the rain and prevents the yurt from becoming too muddy or unstable. The traditional orientation of a yurt is with the door to the south. The yurt's most sacred space is to the north. This is where an altar would be placed, if the residents were Christian or Buddhist, and would serve as the traditional seating area for village elders or respected leaders. A yurt's interior design had some significance, too. The western half of the ger was considered the "male" part of the dwelling, while the eastern was where women lived and worked. Yurt History Yurts are a part of Central Asian identity. Central Asian nomads historically moved several times a year. Not only did gers make moving easy by being so fast to set up, they were also very light. Large family gers could be entirely dismantled in an hour and hauled on two or three pack animals, such as horses, camels, or yaks. (Farther west, in what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan, nomads were more likely to use donkeys as pack animals.) Because the steppe has no trees, nomads had to trade with residents of river valleys (and, later, the Silk Road) for wood. Merchants and skilled woodworkers would sell or trade ger construction materials in different forms. For the least amount of goods or services, they would trade logs of willow or birch. For a medium price, consumers could trade pre-cut poles. For the highest price, they could buy complete khana. The thick felt, or non-woven wool, used to cover gers came from the nomads' own animals. Central Asian nomads had herds of sheep, yak, and goats. (Cashmere, for instance, one of the softest, lightest, and most valuable wools, comes from Mongolian goats.) The wool of all these animals could be felted. The traditional method of felting wool among steppe communities was to thoroughly wet it, roll it around a pole, wrap it in yak hide, and drag it behind a galloping horse. This efficiently compressed the wool fibers to tough, sturdy felt. Yurts have been well-documented through history. The Buryat Mongolian community of Siberia claim their land as the birthplace of the ger, and the earliest known depiction of the structure comes from a bronze bowl unearthed in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. The bowl dates to about 600 BCE. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about yurts used by the Scythian people around 440 BCE. Scythians were nomadic people from the land surrounding the Black and Caspian Seas. Italian explorer Marco Polo detailed the gers used by Mongols in the time he lived with them, between 1274 and 1291. Mongolian leader Genghis Khan commanded his entire empire from a large ger. That empire stretched throughout all of Central Asia, from the Korean Peninsula in the east; through China, Tibet, and Iran in the southwest; and through Georgia and Russia in the north. According to legend, Genghis Khan's ger was never entirely dismantled. Instead, it was mounted on a huge, wheeled cart pulled by 22 oxen. The ger was 9 meters (30 feet) in diameter and guarded at all times by Mongolian soldiers and cavalry. As the Mongol Empire expanded, it eventually reached Eastern Europe. The steppe of what is now Turkey, Hungary, and Romania was conquered by the successors of Genghis Khan. As the Mongols expanded their empire, they brought yurt culture with them. Yurts remained very common in Turkey until the 1960s and 1970s, and they are still found in rural areas of Hungary. Yurts Today Yurts are still most often associated with the country of Mongolia. In fact, the word "ger" itself means home or household in Mongolian. Today, more than half of Mongolians live in gers, including about 61% in the capital of Ulaanbaatar and 90% of the rural population. Large cities, like Ulaanbataar, have "yurt quarters" separated from other development zones by tall fences. The yurt quarter lifestyle is much more communal than traditional city life. Large families share dwelling spaces and meals. Gers or other dwellings in yurt quarters are rarely connected to the city's water supplies, so saunas, spas, and bathhouses are shared by the community. Ulaanbaatar's yurt quarters are becoming more crowded, and more controversial. In a scant three decades, more than 20% of Mongolia's population has moved to Ulaanbaatar. These former nomadic herders come seeking a more stable economic future, as well as greater access to health care and education. Many rural Mongolians are also forced due to natural hazards. The city's sprawling yurt quarters provide huge infrastructure challenges-roads and transportation networks, health care, schools, and connections to the city's water and sewage lines. The yurt quarter is a huge contributor to the city's pollution. Although most yurt quarters have sufficient access to the electrical grid, most residents prefer to use coal for heating and cooking. This contributes to air pollution. Ulaanbaatar suffers from some of the worst air pollution in the world, and as much as 80% of it is directly caused by coal-burning stoves. A lack of connection to the city's sewage lines leads most yurt quarters to use pit latrines, which contribute to water and soil pollution. As more Mongolians move from gers to houses and apartments, pollution is decreasing. Yurts are a key part of the cultural geography of Central Asia. Ger stays are part of the rustic charm of Inner Mongolia, a popular tourist destination in Northern China. The Tuva, Siberian nomads of Russia, also use gers as they follow the reindeer herd throughout the year. Bentwood yurts are more prevalent farther west in Central Asia. Nomads in the dry steppes of Iran and Iraq use bentwood yurts. The yurt has also become a unifying symbol of "the Stans": Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The flag of Kyrgyzstan features the pattern of a yurt crown in the center of its design. The coat of arms of Kazakhstan is built around a knotted yurt crown.

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A yurt is a portable, circular dwelling made of a lattice of flexible poles and covered in felt or other fabric. They are a sturdy, reliable type of tent. Yurts have been the primary style of home in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia, for thousands of years.

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TURKS

There are perhaps 135 million Turkic people in the world today, with only about 40 percent of them living in Turkey. They rest are scattered across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and northern and western China, making them one of the most widely scattered races in the world. All these people descended from a small tribe of horseman that originated in the Altai region

The word "Turk," is derived from the Chinese character "Tu-Kiu", which means "forceful" and "strong." The Chinese believed these Turks descended from wolves and the Great Wall of China may have been built to keep them out. According to legend a gray wolf led the first Turkic tribes from their homeland in Central Asia into Anatolia.

Turks have been known throughout history for their fierceness and fighting skills. Most of the warriors in the Mongol armies were Turks. Turks also dominated the Mamluk forces and beefed up the Persian Safavid and Indian Mogul armies. Turkic tribes were a threat to the Byzantines and Persians starting in the A.D. 6th century. They absorbed Islam during the Arab invasions which began after Mohammed's death in 632.

Websites and Resources: Ottoman Empire and Turks: The Ottomans.org theottomans.org ; Ottoman Text Archive Project - University of Washington courses.washington.edu ; Wikipedia article on the Ottoman Empire Wikipedia ; Encyclopædia Britannica article on the Ottoman Empire britannica.com ; American Travelers to the Holy Land in the 19th Century Shapell Manuscript Foundation shapell.org/historical-perspectives/exhibitions ; Ottoman Empire and Turk Resources - University of Michigan umich.edu/~turkis ; Turkey in Asia, 1920 wdl.org ; Wikipedia article on the Turkish People Wikipedia ; Turkish Studies, Turkic republics, regions, and peoples at University of Michigan umich.edu/~turkish/turkic ; Türkçestan Orientaal's links to Turkic languages users.telenet.be/orientaal/turkcestan ; Turkish Culture Portal turkishculture.org ; ATON, the Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative at Texas Tech University aton.ttu.edu ; The Horse, the Wheel and Language, How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes shaped the Modern World", David W Anthony, 2007 archive.org/details/horsewheelandlanguage ; Wikipedia article on Eurasian nomads Wikipedia

Origin of the Turks

The first Turks were nomads who spoke an Ural-Altaic tongue similar to Mongolian, Finnish, Korean and Hungarian. Other Turkic people include the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmen in Turkmenistan, Kazakhs in Kazakhstan, Mongolians, Tartars in Russia, Uighars in western China, Azeris in Azerbaijan, Yakuts in Siberia. Some even regard Koreans and Hungarians as the relatives because their languages are similar.

Denis Sinor wrote in the "Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia": "In the 540s there appeared on the Chinese horizon a people previously barely known which, within a few years, not only changed the balance of power in Mongolia - the traditional basis of great, nomad empires - but also introduced into the scene of Inner Asian and world history an ethnic and linguistic entity which in earlier times could not be identified or isolated from other groups showing the same cultural characteristics. It bore the name Türk, an appellation left in legacy to most later peoples speaking a Turkic-language. [Source: The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, edited by Denis Sinor. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1990]

"It stands to reason that the Türks of Mongolia were not the products of spontaneous generation and that one must, by necessity, reckon with other Turks living there or elsewhere in centuries preceding the foundation of the empire bearing their name. Yet, such considerations notwithstanding, it should not be lost from sight that the Türks are the first people to whom we can attribute with certainty a Turkic text written in a Turkic language, and that their name - so widely used ever since their rise to power - cannot be traced with absolute certainty before the sixth century A.D." [Ibid]

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "The Turkish family of nations first emerged into the light of history in the mid-sixth century, when they built up a short-lived nomad empire in the heart of Asia, the steppes which have ever since borne the name Turkestan, the land of the Turks. When it broke in pieces, in the manner of such confederacies, fragments of the Turkish race, under a bewildering variety of names, were scattered over a vast area, from the Uighurs, who once dwelt in Mongolia, to the Polovtsians of the Russian steppes, familiar to us from Borodin's opera Pnnce Igor. Despite the wide differences between them -- some came under Chinese, others under Persian influence -- some were pure nomads, others were settled agriculturists -- they all spoke dialects of the same tongue; they possessed common folk memories and legends; in religion they were shamanists, and they reckoned time according to a twelve-year cycle named after animals, events being placed in the Year of the Panther, the Year of the Hare, the Year of the Horse, and so on. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

Ancient Turks

The Turks were such excellent horsemen the ancient Chinese called them "horse barbarians." Turkish women reputedly could conceive and gave birth while riding. Based on excavations and stele observations in Mongolia, archaeologists say that early Turks dressed themselves in silk, wool and animal skin garments; men wore daggers in their belts and earrings in both ears; and both men and women braided their hair.

These ancient Turks raised millet, lived in felt "gers" ("yurts") like Mongolian nomads today, and worshiped a fertility goddess, a god of the underworld and their Turkish ancestors. They made swords and spears from iron and were known for their metal working skill. Some of their leaders wore armor made from golden plates.

Throughout Central Asia, Mongolia, the Altai area of Russia and western China they left behind large stone figures known as "balbals" or man stones. Dated to the A.D. 6th through 8th centuries, they are thought to be memorial erected to honor warrior who had fallen in battle. Almost all face east towards the rising sun. Most hold a sword and a bowl and wear a distinctive belt and earrings. They are often found with lines of stone slab that perhaps represent the number of men killed by person the man stone honors.

The ancient Turks were adept hunters, preying on roe deer and mountain goats, which they sometimes drove into pens. They were one of the first groups of people to use saddles with stirrups. This enabled them to swiftly attack their enemies because they could stand up and shoot their long bows while riding. Ancient Turks were so attached to their horses that rulers and warriors often had their fully harnessed mounts buried with them after they died.

Altai Turks

Turkic people trace their ancestry back to the A.D. 3rd century Altai Turks, who came from the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

The Altai (also spelled Altay) Turks were united in A.D. 552 under leadership of a chieftain named Bumin, who, with the help of the Chinese, defeated the overlords that ruled the tribes in the Altai region and then subjugated the tribes on the Mongolian steppe. Later, with the help of the Sassanid Persians, Bumin conquered Central Asia, which gave the Altai Turks control over the Silk Road trade route between China and the West.

The Altai controlled much of southern Siberia and Central Asia from the A.D. 6th century. They were one of the first Central Asian groups to realize the importance of trade and the wealth the trade brought them allowed them to establish permanent settlements.

The ancient Turks of the Altai region developed a written languages which they left in on runic stones as far away as the Yenisei Valley in Siberia to the north and Orkhon Valley in Mongolia to the east. This writing system resembled the script of early Germanic tribes. Later the Uigar script was adopted by many Turkic-speaking peoples. The Uigar script is related to the alphabets of Western Asia and was also used by the Mongols during the era of Genghis Khan.

Altai Region

The Altai Region is a mountainous area in central Asia where Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China all come together. Situated between the Gobi Desert and the Siberian Plain, it is regarded as the homeland of the of the Mongolians, Turks, Koreans and Hungarians. Ural-Altaic languages are named after the region. Ancient petroglyphs found in the area are believed to have been made the ancestors of the Altay.

The Altay region today is one of the wildest and most interesting parts of Mongolia and Russia. It is varied region with forest, steppes, wild river, lakes, deserts, snow capped mountain and abundant wildlife. On windward sides of the mountains are some of the wettest places in Mongolia, with glaciers, streams and numerous lakes. On the leeward side are some the driest areas.

Natural vegetation in the region includes steppe grasses, shrubs and bushes and light forests of birch, fir, aspen, cherry, spruce, and pines, with many clearings in the forest. These forest merge with a modified taiga. Among the animals are hare, mountain sheep, several species of deer, "bobac", East European woodchucks, lynx, polecat, snow leopard, wolves, bears, Argali sheep, Siberian ibex, mountains goats and deer. Bird species include pheasant, ptarmigan, goose, partridge, Altai snowcock, owls, snipe and jay, In the streams and rivers are trout, grayling and the herring-like sig.

The Altai Mountains stretch for 1,200 miles across southwestern Mongolia from Siberia to the Gobi Desert. The mountains are of moderate height. There are several peaks over 4,500 meters. Those that are higher than 3,000 meters are snowcapped throughout the year. The region is rich in lakes and streams. The Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei all have their sources in the Altai. The Altai people live mainly in the broad plateaus, steppes and valleys of the ranges, where water is plentiful. The Altai complex of mountain ranges embraces the water divide mountains for all of Asia: the South Altai, the Inner Altai and the east Altai. The Mongolian Altai is connected to this mountain complex, rising to the southeast of the Siberian Altai region.

The climate is continental with extremes in temperatures between the summer and the winter. The mountains help to mitigate the extremes to some extent by causing a winter temperature inversion that produces an island of winter temperatures that are warmer than those in the Siberian taiga to the north and the Central Asian and Mongolian steppes to south and east. Even so temperatures drop as low as -48̊C in the winter. The mountains are a gathering point for precipitation in a region that otherwise is dry. The most rain falls in July and August, with another smaller period of rain in late autumn. The western Altai receives around 50 centimeters of precipitation a year. The eastern Altai receives less: around 40 centimeters a year

The archeological and historical evidence that the Altai Mountains is the original homeland of all Altaic-speaking people is a bit flimsy. The argument is based on simple geography: the fact that it lies at the center of a scattering of Turkic-speaking peoples.

In the first millennium B.C., the Altai were inhabited by pastoral nomads who domesticated sheep, horses and other animals. See Pazyryk, History

Historical and archeological evidence indicate that the people that lived here from 5th to the 1st centuries B.C. were a herding people under the rule of chief or king. These people had contact with peoples in Central Asia. The language of these people is unknown but it seems unlikely that there were Turkic speakers. Turkic speakers arrived in the Altai region at a later time, some time in the A.D. first millennium.

See Separate Article ALTAI REGION AND ALTAI PEOPLE factsanddetails.com

Early Mentions of Türks

Pazyryk HorsemanIt could be that the first mention of the name Türk was made in the middle of the first century A.D. Pomponius Mela (I,116) refers to the Turcae in the forests north of the Azov Sea, and Pliny the Elder in his Natural History (VI, 19) gives a list of peoples living in the same area among whom figure the Tyrcae.

The first historical references to the Turks appear in Chinese records dating around 200 B.C. These records refer to tribes called the Hsiung-nu (an early form of the Western term Hun ), who lived in an area bounded by the Altai Mountains, Lake Baykal, and the northern edge of the Gobi Desert, and who are believed to have been the ancestors of the Turks. Specific references in Chinese sources in the sixth century A.D. identify the tribal kingdom called Tu-Küe located on the Orkhon River south of Lake Baykal. The khans (chiefs) of this tribe accepted the nominal suzerainty of the Tang Dynasty. The earliest known example of writing in a Turkic language was found in that area and has been dated around A.D. 730. [Source: Library of Congress, January 1995 *]

Other Turkish nomads from the Altai region founded the Görtürk Empire, a confederation of tribes under a dynasty of khans whose influence extended during the sixth through eighth centuries from the Aral Sea to the Hindu Kush in the land bridge known as Transoxania (i.e., across the Oxus River). The Görtürks are known to have been enlisted by a Byzantine emperor in the seventh century as allies against the Sassanians. In the eighth century, separate Turkish tribes, among them the Oguz, moved south of the Oxus River, while others migrated west to the northern shore of the Black Sea.*

Rise of the Ancient Turks

Northern Wei was disintegrating rapidly because of revolts of semi-tribal Toba military forces that were opposed to being sinicized, when disaster struck the flourishing Ruruan Empire. The Türk, a vassal people, known as Tujue to Chinese chroniclers, revolted against their Ruruan rulers. The uprising began in the Altai Mountains, where many of the Türk were serfs working the iron mines. Thus, from the outset of their revolt, they had the advantage of controlling what had been one of the major bases of Ruruan power. Between 546 and 553, the Türks overthrew the Ruruan and established themselves as the most powerful force in North Asia and Inner Asia. This was the beginning of a pattern of conquest that was to have a significant effect upon Eurasian history for more than 1,000 years. The Türk were the first people to use this later wide-spread name. They are also the earliest Inner Asian people whose language is known, because they left behind Orkhon inscriptions in a runic-like script, which was deciphered in 1896. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

It was not long before the tribes in the region north of the Gobi--the Eastern Türk--were following invasion routes into China used in previous centuries by Xiongnu, Xianbei, Toba, and Ruruan. Like their predecessors who had inhabited the mountains and the steppes, the attention of the Türk quickly was attracted by the wealth of China. At first these new raiders encountered little resistance, but toward the end of the sixth century, as China slowly began to recover from centuries of disunity, border defenses stiffened. The original Türk state split into eastern and western parts, with some of the Eastern Türk acknowledging Chinese overlordship.*

Early Turkish States

For a brief period at the beginning of the seventh century, a new consolidation of the Türk, under the Western Türk ruler Tardu, again threatened China. In 601 Tardu's army besieged Chang'an (modern Xi'an), then the capital of China. Tardu was turned back, however, and, upon his death two years later, the Türk state again fragmented. The Eastern Türk nonetheless continued their depredations, occasionally threatening Chang'an. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

The Turks began their rise to power when one of their leaders was denied the hand of daughter from another tribe, the Juan Juans, who enlisted the Turk's help. The leader married a daughter of Chinese group who united with Turks to break the Juan Juans. [Source: "History of Warfare" by John Keegan, Vintage Books]

The first great state which carried the name Turk was the Kok-Turk State which extended from Manchuria to the Black Sea and Iran between the A.D. 6th and 8th centuries. This empire had trade links with China, Iran and the Byzantines and left behind inscriptions and an unusual alphabet on stones in Mongolia.

The Turkish migrations after the sixth century were part of a general movement of peoples out of central Asia during the first millennium A.D. that was influenced by a number of interrelated factors--climatic changes, the strain of growing populations on a fragile pastoral economy, and pressure from stronger neighbors also on the move. Among those who migrated were the Oguz Turks, who had embraced Islam in the tenth century. They established themselves around Bukhara in Transoxania under their khan, Seljuk. Split by dissension among the tribes, one branch of the Oguz, led by descendants of Seljuk, moved west and entered service with the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. [Source: Library of Congress, January 1995 *]

Turks and the Arab-Muslim Conquest

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "The Oxus was the traditional boundary between civilization and barbarism in Western Asia, between Iran and Turan, and Persian legend, versified in Firdawsi's great epic, the Shah-namah, told of the heroic battles of the Iranians against the Turanian king Afrasi- yab, who was at last hunted down and killed in Azerbaijan. When the Arabs crossed the Oxus after the fall of the Sassanids, they took over the defence of kan against the barbarian nomads and pushed them back beyond the Jaxartes. The Turkish tribes were in political disarray, and were never able to oppose a unified resistance to the Arabs, who carried their advance as far as the Talas river. For nearly three centuries Transoxiana, or as the Arabs called it, Ma Wara al-Nahr, 'that which is beyond the river', was a flourishing land, free from serious nomadic incursions, and cities like Samarkand and Bukhara rose to fame and wealth. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"From the ninth century onwards the Turks began to enter the Caliphate, not in mass, but as slaves or adventurers serving as soldiers. They thus infiltrated the world of Islam as the Germans did the Roman Empire. The Caliph Mu'tasim (833-842) was the first Muslim ruler to surround himself with a Turkish guard. Turkish officers rose to high rank, commanding armies, governing provinces, sometimes ruling as independent princes: thus Ahmad b.Tulun seized power in Egypt in 868, and a second Turkish family, that of the Ikhshidids (from an Iranian title ikkshid, meaning 'prince'), ran the same country from 933 until the Fatimid conquest in 969. The disintegration of the Abbasid Empire afforded ample scope for such political adventurism, but so long as Transoxiana was held for civilization, the heart of Islam was safe from a massive barbarian break-through. When the Caliphs ceased to exercise authority on the distant eastern frontier, the task was shouldered by the Samanids, perhaps the most brilliant of the dynasties which took over from the enfeebled Abbasids. In the end it proved too heavy a burden, and the Samanid collapse at the end of the tenth century opened the floodgates to Turkish nomad tribes, who poured across both Jaxartes and Oxus into the lands of the Persians and Arabs. \=\

Central Asia in the Early Turkish Period

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "Despite their brief rule of little more than a hundred years, the Samanids had much to their credit. Of Persian origin, they set up a strong centralized government in Khurasan and Transoxiana, with its capital at Bukhara; they encouraged trade and manufactures; they patronized learning, and they sponsored the spread of Islam by peaceful conversion among the barbarians to the north and east of their realm. It was during their time that the vigorous and commercially-minded Vikings gained possession of Russia, and traded their furs and wax and slaves in the markets of the south in exchange for textiles and metal goods, evidence of this trafflc being provided by the hoards of Arabic coins dug up in Sweden, Finland and North Russia. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"One of the main international trade routes of the age ran through the territory of the Bulghars, a Turkish race living in the region of the middle Volga, who accepted Islam before 921, in which year a mission from the Caliph Muktadir visited them and reported on life among this most northerly of Muslim peoples. The Bulghars in turn tried to convert the Russians, but Vladimir of Kiev decided in 988 in favour of Christianity, thereby barring Islam's advance into Eastern Europe. Most probably the Bulghars were converted by merchants from the Samanid kingdom, who also brought the faith to the Turks beyond the Jaxartes, nomads who did a brisk trade in sheep and cattle with the frontier towns. About 956 the Seljuks, destined to so glorious a future, embraced Islam, and in 960 the conversion of a Turkish tribe of 200,000 tents is recorded: their precise identity is unspecified. Thus the tenth century witnessed the islamization, under Samanid auspices, of a large section of the Western Turks, an event of great significance. \=\

"Notwithstanding the prosperity of their kingdom, the Samanids failed to keep the loyalty of their subjects. Their heavily bureaucratized despotism was expensive to maintain, and the burden of taxation alienated the dihkans, on whose support the regime depended. One of their rulers, Nasr al-Sa'id, who reigned from 914 to 943, favoured the Isma'ilis and corresponded with the Fatimid Caliph Ka'im, thereby forfeiting the sympathy of the orthodox. Following the example of the Abbasids, they surrounded themselves with Turkish guards, whose fidelity was far from assured.

Mahmud of Ghazna

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "In 962 one of their Turkish officers, Alp-tagin ('hero prince'), seized the town and fortress of Ghazna, in what is now Afghanistan, a wealthy co mercial centre whose inhabitants had grown rich on the Indian trade and set up a semi-independent principality. He died in the following year, and after an interval another Turkish general, Sabuk-tagin, won control of Ghazna in 977 and founded a dynasty which gained immortal lustre from his son Mahmud. The Samanid kingdom fell into anarchy; the Kara-Khanids, a Turkish people of unknown antecedents (they may have been the tribe converted to Islam in 960), crossed the Jaxartes and captured Bukhara in 999, while Mahmud of Ghazna, who had succeeded his father Sabuktagin two years earlier, annexed the large and flourishing province of Khurasan. Thus Persian rule disappeared along the eastern marches of Islam, and Turkish princes reigned in Khurasan and Transoxiana. Barbarians though they might be, they found a certain favour with their subjects: they stood for order, they allowed Persian officials to run the government, they protected trade, they were orthodox Sunnite Muslims, and they professed themselves ardent champions of the faith against heretics and unbelievers. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"The fame of Mahmud of Ghazna rests upon his expeditions into India. In the thirty years between 1000 and his death in 1030 he led some seventeen massive raids into the Indus valley and the Punjab. Ghazna was an admirable base for such attacks; the vast Indian sub-continent was a mosaic of principalities great and small; no strong state existed capable of throwing back the invader, and there was no trace of national consciousness. Mahmud's motives were a mixture of cupidity and religious zeal: when he was looting Hindu shrines he could claim to be destroying idolatry in the name of God and his Prophet, and he received congratulations and honours from the Caliph for his services to the faith. He fought not only against the unbelievers of Hindustan but against the Isma'ili heretics among them the Muslim ruler of Multan. His most celebrated expioit was the capture of Somnath in Gujarat in 1025, where he stormed the temple of Shiva, one of the most richly endowed in India, and levelled it to the ground amid frightful carnage. Ghazna was flooded with Indian plunder, and the multitude of prisoners was such that they were sold as slaves for two or three dirhams apiece. Some of the wealth was used to promote art and learning, and the court of Mahmud was adorned by such notabilities as Firdawsi, Persia's greatest epic poet, Biruni, the most distinguished scientist of the age, and Utbi, the historian of the reign. \=\

"Two consequences of immense importance flowed from Mahmud's repeated incursions into India. First, the collapse of Hindu resistance in the Punjab turned this province into an area of Muslim settlement and exposed the whole Gangetic plain to invasion from the north-west. The early raids up and down the Indus in the days d Muhammad b.Kasim had only touched the fringe of a vast country but Mahmud's expeditions penetrated deep into Hindustan, disoganized its defences, and opened the way to later Muslim invaders, fom the Ghurids to the Moguls, who gradually brought all nortbern and central India within the domain of Islam. Secondly, the preoccupation of Mahmud and his son and successor Mas'ud with their Indian campaigns left them little time or opporunity to observe and check the steadily mounting pressure of Turkish nomads along the Oxus. While their backs were turned, so to speak, the Seljuks rose to prorninence and power in their rear and bcame the masters of all Western Asia. \=\

Turkish Tribes in the Middle Ages

Dominant Turkic tribes in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries included the Uighars, Khazars, Kipchacks and Seljucks. The Mongols were slightly related to Turkic groups. One of the main differences between the Mongols and the Turks is that the Mongols tended to return home after their conquests while the Turks tended to stay in their conquered lands. The Russians lumped the Mongols, Tatar and Turks together and called them "Tatars."

All the Turkic tribes converted to Islam except for the reindeer herding Yakuts in Siberia and the Chuvash in the Volga region of Russia, but the wolf mythology stayed with them. Ninth century stelae in Mongolia show young Turkic children suckling from the teats of a mother wolf like Romulus and Remus, and the Osmanli Turks, the forbears of the Ottomans, marched with banners depicting a wolf's head when they conquered their way from Central Asia to the outskirts of Constantinople.

In the 11th Turkish tribes began invading western Asia from their homelands in Central Asia. The strongest of these tribes was the Seljuks. In the wake of the Samanids (819-1005) - Persians who set up a local dynasty in Central Asia within the Abbasid Empire - arose to two Turkish dynasties: the Ghaznavids, based in Khorasan in present-day Turkmenistan, and the Karakhanids from present-day Kazakhstan. Karakhanids are credited with converting Central Asia to Islam. The established a large empire that stretched from Kazakhstan to western China and embraced three important cities: Balasagun (present-day Buruna in Kyrzgzstan), Talas (present-day Tara in Kazakhstan) and Kashgar. Bukhara continued as a center of learning. The Karakhanids and Ghaznavids fought one another off and on until they were both out maneuvered diplomatically and militarily by the Seljuk Turks, who created a huge empire that stretched from western China to the Mediterranean.

Ancient Turkmen

Historians believe that the original Turkmen - of present-day Turkmenistan - were nomadic horse-breeding clans known as the "Oghuz" from the Altai region of what is now Mongolia and Siberia. They began migrating from their homeland around the 6th century, then were driven out by the Seljuk Turks, and formed communities in the oases around the Kara-kum deserts of modern Turkmenistan and also parts of Persia, Anatolia and Syria.

The Orguz first appeared in the area of Turkmenistan is the A.D. 8th to 10th centuries. According to legend Turkmen are descended from the fabled Orghuz Khan or the warriors who formed clans around his 24 grandsons.

The name Turkmen first appeared in 11th century sources. It referred to groups among the Oghuz that converted to Islam. During the 13th century Mongol invasions they fled to remote areas near the shores of the Caspian Sea. There they remained relatively isolated. Unlike many other Central Asian peoples, they were not influenced much by Mongol culture or political traditions.

In the 11th and 12th century Orguz-Turkmen established the Khorosan and Khorsem khanates, the core of the future Turkmen nation. In the 15th century what is now Turkmenistan was divided between the Khivan and Bukharan khanates and Persia..

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wikipedia, BBC, Comptom's Encyclopedia, Lonely Planet Guides, Silk Road Foundation, "The Discoverers " by Daniel Boorstin; " History of Arab People " by Albert Hourani (Faber and Faber, 1991); "Islam, a Short History" by Karen Armstrong (Modern Library, 2000); and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2016

TURKS

There are perhaps 135 million Turkic people in the world today, with only about 40 percent of them living in Turkey. They rest are scattered across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and northern and western China, making them one of the most widely scattered races in the world. All these people descended from a small tribe of horseman that originated in the Altai region

The word "Turk," is derived from the Chinese character "Tu-Kiu", which means "forceful" and "strong." The Chinese believed these Turks descended from wolves and the Great Wall of China may have been built to keep them out. According to legend a gray wolf led the first Turkic tribes from their homeland in Central Asia into Anatolia.

Turks have been known throughout history for their fierceness and fighting skills. Most of the warriors in the Mongol armies were Turks. Turks also dominated the Mamluk forces and beefed up the Persian Safavid and Indian Mogul armies. Turkic tribes were a threat to the Byzantines and Persians starting in the A.D. 6th century. They absorbed Islam during the Arab invasions which began after Mohammed's death in 632.

Websites and Resources: Ottoman Empire and Turks: The Ottomans.org theottomans.org ; Ottoman Text Archive Project - University of Washington courses.washington.edu ; Wikipedia article on the Ottoman Empire Wikipedia ; Encyclopædia Britannica article on the Ottoman Empire britannica.com ; American Travelers to the Holy Land in the 19th Century Shapell Manuscript Foundation shapell.org/historical-perspectives/exhibitions ; Ottoman Empire and Turk Resources - University of Michigan umich.edu/~turkis ; Turkey in Asia, 1920 wdl.org ; Wikipedia article on the Turkish People Wikipedia ; Turkish Studies, Turkic republics, regions, and peoples at University of Michigan umich.edu/~turkish/turkic ; Türkçestan Orientaal's links to Turkic languages users.telenet.be/orientaal/turkcestan ; Turkish Culture Portal turkishculture.org ; ATON, the Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative at Texas Tech University aton.ttu.edu ; The Horse, the Wheel and Language, How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes shaped the Modern World", David W Anthony, 2007 archive.org/details/horsewheelandlanguage ; Wikipedia article on Eurasian nomads Wikipedia

Origin of the Turks

The first Turks were nomads who spoke an Ural-Altaic tongue similar to Mongolian, Finnish, Korean and Hungarian. Other Turkic people include the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmen in Turkmenistan, Kazakhs in Kazakhstan, Mongolians, Tartars in Russia, Uighars in western China, Azeris in Azerbaijan, Yakuts in Siberia. Some even regard Koreans and Hungarians as the relatives because their languages are similar.

Denis Sinor wrote in the "Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia": "In the 540s there appeared on the Chinese horizon a people previously barely known which, within a few years, not only changed the balance of power in Mongolia - the traditional basis of great, nomad empires - but also introduced into the scene of Inner Asian and world history an ethnic and linguistic entity which in earlier times could not be identified or isolated from other groups showing the same cultural characteristics. It bore the name Türk, an appellation left in legacy to most later peoples speaking a Turkic-language. [Source: The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia, edited by Denis Sinor. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1990]

"It stands to reason that the Türks of Mongolia were not the products of spontaneous generation and that one must, by necessity, reckon with other Turks living there or elsewhere in centuries preceding the foundation of the empire bearing their name. Yet, such considerations notwithstanding, it should not be lost from sight that the Türks are the first people to whom we can attribute with certainty a Turkic text written in a Turkic language, and that their name - so widely used ever since their rise to power - cannot be traced with absolute certainty before the sixth century A.D." [Ibid]

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "The Turkish family of nations first emerged into the light of history in the mid-sixth century, when they built up a short-lived nomad empire in the heart of Asia, the steppes which have ever since borne the name Turkestan, the land of the Turks. When it broke in pieces, in the manner of such confederacies, fragments of the Turkish race, under a bewildering variety of names, were scattered over a vast area, from the Uighurs, who once dwelt in Mongolia, to the Polovtsians of the Russian steppes, familiar to us from Borodin's opera Pnnce Igor. Despite the wide differences between them -- some came under Chinese, others under Persian influence -- some were pure nomads, others were settled agriculturists -- they all spoke dialects of the same tongue; they possessed common folk memories and legends; in religion they were shamanists, and they reckoned time according to a twelve-year cycle named after animals, events being placed in the Year of the Panther, the Year of the Hare, the Year of the Horse, and so on. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

Ancient Turks

The Turks were such excellent horsemen the ancient Chinese called them "horse barbarians." Turkish women reputedly could conceive and gave birth while riding. Based on excavations and stele observations in Mongolia, archaeologists say that early Turks dressed themselves in silk, wool and animal skin garments; men wore daggers in their belts and earrings in both ears; and both men and women braided their hair.

These ancient Turks raised millet, lived in felt "gers" ("yurts") like Mongolian nomads today, and worshiped a fertility goddess, a god of the underworld and their Turkish ancestors. They made swords and spears from iron and were known for their metal working skill. Some of their leaders wore armor made from golden plates.

Throughout Central Asia, Mongolia, the Altai area of Russia and western China they left behind large stone figures known as "balbals" or man stones. Dated to the A.D. 6th through 8th centuries, they are thought to be memorial erected to honor warrior who had fallen in battle. Almost all face east towards the rising sun. Most hold a sword and a bowl and wear a distinctive belt and earrings. They are often found with lines of stone slab that perhaps represent the number of men killed by person the man stone honors.

The ancient Turks were adept hunters, preying on roe deer and mountain goats, which they sometimes drove into pens. They were one of the first groups of people to use saddles with stirrups. This enabled them to swiftly attack their enemies because they could stand up and shoot their long bows while riding. Ancient Turks were so attached to their horses that rulers and warriors often had their fully harnessed mounts buried with them after they died.

Altai Turks

Turkic people trace their ancestry back to the A.D. 3rd century Altai Turks, who came from the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.

The Altai (also spelled Altay) Turks were united in A.D. 552 under leadership of a chieftain named Bumin, who, with the help of the Chinese, defeated the overlords that ruled the tribes in the Altai region and then subjugated the tribes on the Mongolian steppe. Later, with the help of the Sassanid Persians, Bumin conquered Central Asia, which gave the Altai Turks control over the Silk Road trade route between China and the West.

The Altai controlled much of southern Siberia and Central Asia from the A.D. 6th century. They were one of the first Central Asian groups to realize the importance of trade and the wealth the trade brought them allowed them to establish permanent settlements.

The ancient Turks of the Altai region developed a written languages which they left in on runic stones as far away as the Yenisei Valley in Siberia to the north and Orkhon Valley in Mongolia to the east. This writing system resembled the script of early Germanic tribes. Later the Uigar script was adopted by many Turkic-speaking peoples. The Uigar script is related to the alphabets of Western Asia and was also used by the Mongols during the era of Genghis Khan.

Altai Region

The Altai Region is a mountainous area in central Asia where Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and China all come together. Situated between the Gobi Desert and the Siberian Plain, it is regarded as the homeland of the of the Mongolians, Turks, Koreans and Hungarians. Ural-Altaic languages are named after the region. Ancient petroglyphs found in the area are believed to have been made the ancestors of the Altay.

The Altay region today is one of the wildest and most interesting parts of Mongolia and Russia. It is varied region with forest, steppes, wild river, lakes, deserts, snow capped mountain and abundant wildlife. On windward sides of the mountains are some of the wettest places in Mongolia, with glaciers, streams and numerous lakes. On the leeward side are some the driest areas.

Natural vegetation in the region includes steppe grasses, shrubs and bushes and light forests of birch, fir, aspen, cherry, spruce, and pines, with many clearings in the forest. These forest merge with a modified taiga. Among the animals are hare, mountain sheep, several species of deer, "bobac", East European woodchucks, lynx, polecat, snow leopard, wolves, bears, Argali sheep, Siberian ibex, mountains goats and deer. Bird species include pheasant, ptarmigan, goose, partridge, Altai snowcock, owls, snipe and jay, In the streams and rivers are trout, grayling and the herring-like sig.

The Altai Mountains stretch for 1,200 miles across southwestern Mongolia from Siberia to the Gobi Desert. The mountains are of moderate height. There are several peaks over 4,500 meters. Those that are higher than 3,000 meters are snowcapped throughout the year. The region is rich in lakes and streams. The Ob, Irtysh and Yenisei all have their sources in the Altai. The Altai people live mainly in the broad plateaus, steppes and valleys of the ranges, where water is plentiful. The Altai complex of mountain ranges embraces the water divide mountains for all of Asia: the South Altai, the Inner Altai and the east Altai. The Mongolian Altai is connected to this mountain complex, rising to the southeast of the Siberian Altai region.

The climate is continental with extremes in temperatures between the summer and the winter. The mountains help to mitigate the extremes to some extent by causing a winter temperature inversion that produces an island of winter temperatures that are warmer than those in the Siberian taiga to the north and the Central Asian and Mongolian steppes to south and east. Even so temperatures drop as low as -48̊C in the winter. The mountains are a gathering point for precipitation in a region that otherwise is dry. The most rain falls in July and August, with another smaller period of rain in late autumn. The western Altai receives around 50 centimeters of precipitation a year. The eastern Altai receives less: around 40 centimeters a year

The archeological and historical evidence that the Altai Mountains is the original homeland of all Altaic-speaking people is a bit flimsy. The argument is based on simple geography: the fact that it lies at the center of a scattering of Turkic-speaking peoples.

In the first millennium B.C., the Altai were inhabited by pastoral nomads who domesticated sheep, horses and other animals. See Pazyryk, History

Historical and archeological evidence indicate that the people that lived here from 5th to the 1st centuries B.C. were a herding people under the rule of chief or king. These people had contact with peoples in Central Asia. The language of these people is unknown but it seems unlikely that there were Turkic speakers. Turkic speakers arrived in the Altai region at a later time, some time in the A.D. first millennium.

See Separate Article ALTAI REGION AND ALTAI PEOPLE factsanddetails.com

Early Mentions of Türks

Pazyryk HorsemanIt could be that the first mention of the name Türk was made in the middle of the first century A.D. Pomponius Mela (I,116) refers to the Turcae in the forests north of the Azov Sea, and Pliny the Elder in his Natural History (VI, 19) gives a list of peoples living in the same area among whom figure the Tyrcae.

The first historical references to the Turks appear in Chinese records dating around 200 B.C. These records refer to tribes called the Hsiung-nu (an early form of the Western term Hun ), who lived in an area bounded by the Altai Mountains, Lake Baykal, and the northern edge of the Gobi Desert, and who are believed to have been the ancestors of the Turks. Specific references in Chinese sources in the sixth century A.D. identify the tribal kingdom called Tu-Küe located on the Orkhon River south of Lake Baykal. The khans (chiefs) of this tribe accepted the nominal suzerainty of the Tang Dynasty. The earliest known example of writing in a Turkic language was found in that area and has been dated around A.D. 730. [Source: Library of Congress, January 1995 *]

Other Turkish nomads from the Altai region founded the Görtürk Empire, a confederation of tribes under a dynasty of khans whose influence extended during the sixth through eighth centuries from the Aral Sea to the Hindu Kush in the land bridge known as Transoxania (i.e., across the Oxus River). The Görtürks are known to have been enlisted by a Byzantine emperor in the seventh century as allies against the Sassanians. In the eighth century, separate Turkish tribes, among them the Oguz, moved south of the Oxus River, while others migrated west to the northern shore of the Black Sea.*

Rise of the Ancient Turks

Northern Wei was disintegrating rapidly because of revolts of semi-tribal Toba military forces that were opposed to being sinicized, when disaster struck the flourishing Ruruan Empire. The Türk, a vassal people, known as Tujue to Chinese chroniclers, revolted against their Ruruan rulers. The uprising began in the Altai Mountains, where many of the Türk were serfs working the iron mines. Thus, from the outset of their revolt, they had the advantage of controlling what had been one of the major bases of Ruruan power. Between 546 and 553, the Türks overthrew the Ruruan and established themselves as the most powerful force in North Asia and Inner Asia. This was the beginning of a pattern of conquest that was to have a significant effect upon Eurasian history for more than 1,000 years. The Türk were the first people to use this later wide-spread name. They are also the earliest Inner Asian people whose language is known, because they left behind Orkhon inscriptions in a runic-like script, which was deciphered in 1896. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

It was not long before the tribes in the region north of the Gobi--the Eastern Türk--were following invasion routes into China used in previous centuries by Xiongnu, Xianbei, Toba, and Ruruan. Like their predecessors who had inhabited the mountains and the steppes, the attention of the Türk quickly was attracted by the wealth of China. At first these new raiders encountered little resistance, but toward the end of the sixth century, as China slowly began to recover from centuries of disunity, border defenses stiffened. The original Türk state split into eastern and western parts, with some of the Eastern Türk acknowledging Chinese overlordship.*

Early Turkish States

For a brief period at the beginning of the seventh century, a new consolidation of the Türk, under the Western Türk ruler Tardu, again threatened China. In 601 Tardu's army besieged Chang'an (modern Xi'an), then the capital of China. Tardu was turned back, however, and, upon his death two years later, the Türk state again fragmented. The Eastern Türk nonetheless continued their depredations, occasionally threatening Chang'an. [Source: Library of Congress, June 1989 *]

The Turks began their rise to power when one of their leaders was denied the hand of daughter from another tribe, the Juan Juans, who enlisted the Turk's help. The leader married a daughter of Chinese group who united with Turks to break the Juan Juans. [Source: "History of Warfare" by John Keegan, Vintage Books]

The first great state which carried the name Turk was the Kok-Turk State which extended from Manchuria to the Black Sea and Iran between the A.D. 6th and 8th centuries. This empire had trade links with China, Iran and the Byzantines and left behind inscriptions and an unusual alphabet on stones in Mongolia.

The Turkish migrations after the sixth century were part of a general movement of peoples out of central Asia during the first millennium A.D. that was influenced by a number of interrelated factors--climatic changes, the strain of growing populations on a fragile pastoral economy, and pressure from stronger neighbors also on the move. Among those who migrated were the Oguz Turks, who had embraced Islam in the tenth century. They established themselves around Bukhara in Transoxania under their khan, Seljuk. Split by dissension among the tribes, one branch of the Oguz, led by descendants of Seljuk, moved west and entered service with the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad. [Source: Library of Congress, January 1995 *]

Turks and the Arab-Muslim Conquest

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "The Oxus was the traditional boundary between civilization and barbarism in Western Asia, between Iran and Turan, and Persian legend, versified in Firdawsi's great epic, the Shah-namah, told of the heroic battles of the Iranians against the Turanian king Afrasi- yab, who was at last hunted down and killed in Azerbaijan. When the Arabs crossed the Oxus after the fall of the Sassanids, they took over the defence of kan against the barbarian nomads and pushed them back beyond the Jaxartes. The Turkish tribes were in political disarray, and were never able to oppose a unified resistance to the Arabs, who carried their advance as far as the Talas river. For nearly three centuries Transoxiana, or as the Arabs called it, Ma Wara al-Nahr, 'that which is beyond the river', was a flourishing land, free from serious nomadic incursions, and cities like Samarkand and Bukhara rose to fame and wealth. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"From the ninth century onwards the Turks began to enter the Caliphate, not in mass, but as slaves or adventurers serving as soldiers. They thus infiltrated the world of Islam as the Germans did the Roman Empire. The Caliph Mu'tasim (833-842) was the first Muslim ruler to surround himself with a Turkish guard. Turkish officers rose to high rank, commanding armies, governing provinces, sometimes ruling as independent princes: thus Ahmad b.Tulun seized power in Egypt in 868, and a second Turkish family, that of the Ikhshidids (from an Iranian title ikkshid, meaning 'prince'), ran the same country from 933 until the Fatimid conquest in 969. The disintegration of the Abbasid Empire afforded ample scope for such political adventurism, but so long as Transoxiana was held for civilization, the heart of Islam was safe from a massive barbarian break-through. When the Caliphs ceased to exercise authority on the distant eastern frontier, the task was shouldered by the Samanids, perhaps the most brilliant of the dynasties which took over from the enfeebled Abbasids. In the end it proved too heavy a burden, and the Samanid collapse at the end of the tenth century opened the floodgates to Turkish nomad tribes, who poured across both Jaxartes and Oxus into the lands of the Persians and Arabs. \=\

Central Asia in the Early Turkish Period

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "Despite their brief rule of little more than a hundred years, the Samanids had much to their credit. Of Persian origin, they set up a strong centralized government in Khurasan and Transoxiana, with its capital at Bukhara; they encouraged trade and manufactures; they patronized learning, and they sponsored the spread of Islam by peaceful conversion among the barbarians to the north and east of their realm. It was during their time that the vigorous and commercially-minded Vikings gained possession of Russia, and traded their furs and wax and slaves in the markets of the south in exchange for textiles and metal goods, evidence of this trafflc being provided by the hoards of Arabic coins dug up in Sweden, Finland and North Russia. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"One of the main international trade routes of the age ran through the territory of the Bulghars, a Turkish race living in the region of the middle Volga, who accepted Islam before 921, in which year a mission from the Caliph Muktadir visited them and reported on life among this most northerly of Muslim peoples. The Bulghars in turn tried to convert the Russians, but Vladimir of Kiev decided in 988 in favour of Christianity, thereby barring Islam's advance into Eastern Europe. Most probably the Bulghars were converted by merchants from the Samanid kingdom, who also brought the faith to the Turks beyond the Jaxartes, nomads who did a brisk trade in sheep and cattle with the frontier towns. About 956 the Seljuks, destined to so glorious a future, embraced Islam, and in 960 the conversion of a Turkish tribe of 200,000 tents is recorded: their precise identity is unspecified. Thus the tenth century witnessed the islamization, under Samanid auspices, of a large section of the Western Turks, an event of great significance. \=\

"Notwithstanding the prosperity of their kingdom, the Samanids failed to keep the loyalty of their subjects. Their heavily bureaucratized despotism was expensive to maintain, and the burden of taxation alienated the dihkans, on whose support the regime depended. One of their rulers, Nasr al-Sa'id, who reigned from 914 to 943, favoured the Isma'ilis and corresponded with the Fatimid Caliph Ka'im, thereby forfeiting the sympathy of the orthodox. Following the example of the Abbasids, they surrounded themselves with Turkish guards, whose fidelity was far from assured.

Mahmud of Ghazna

J.J. Saunders wrote in "A History of Medieval Islam": "In 962 one of their Turkish officers, Alp-tagin ('hero prince'), seized the town and fortress of Ghazna, in what is now Afghanistan, a wealthy co mercial centre whose inhabitants had grown rich on the Indian trade and set up a semi-independent principality. He died in the following year, and after an interval another Turkish general, Sabuk-tagin, won control of Ghazna in 977 and founded a dynasty which gained immortal lustre from his son Mahmud. The Samanid kingdom fell into anarchy; the Kara-Khanids, a Turkish people of unknown antecedents (they may have been the tribe converted to Islam in 960), crossed the Jaxartes and captured Bukhara in 999, while Mahmud of Ghazna, who had succeeded his father Sabuktagin two years earlier, annexed the large and flourishing province of Khurasan. Thus Persian rule disappeared along the eastern marches of Islam, and Turkish princes reigned in Khurasan and Transoxiana. Barbarians though they might be, they found a certain favour with their subjects: they stood for order, they allowed Persian officials to run the government, they protected trade, they were orthodox Sunnite Muslims, and they professed themselves ardent champions of the faith against heretics and unbelievers. [Source: J.J. Saunders, "A History of Medieval Islam," (London: Routledge, 1965), chap. 9. "IX The Turkish Irruption" \=]

"The fame of Mahmud of Ghazna rests upon his expeditions into India. In the thirty years between 1000 and his death in 1030 he led some seventeen massive raids into the Indus valley and the Punjab. Ghazna was an admirable base for such attacks; the vast Indian sub-continent was a mosaic of principalities great and small; no strong state existed capable of throwing back the invader, and there was no trace of national consciousness. Mahmud's motives were a mixture of cupidity and religious zeal: when he was looting Hindu shrines he could claim to be destroying idolatry in the name of God and his Prophet, and he received congratulations and honours from the Caliph for his services to the faith. He fought not only against the unbelievers of Hindustan but against the Isma'ili heretics among them the Muslim ruler of Multan. His most celebrated expioit was the capture of Somnath in Gujarat in 1025, where he stormed the temple of Shiva, one of the most richly endowed in India, and levelled it to the ground amid frightful carnage. Ghazna was flooded with Indian plunder, and the multitude of prisoners was such that they were sold as slaves for two or three dirhams apiece. Some of the wealth was used to promote art and learning, and the court of Mahmud was adorned by such notabilities as Firdawsi, Persia's greatest epic poet, Biruni, the most distinguished scientist of the age, and Utbi, the historian of the reign. \=\

"Two consequences of immense importance flowed from Mahmud's repeated incursions into India. First, the collapse of Hindu resistance in the Punjab turned this province into an area of Muslim settlement and exposed the whole Gangetic plain to invasion from the north-west. The early raids up and down the Indus in the days d Muhammad b.Kasim had only touched the fringe of a vast country but Mahmud's expeditions penetrated deep into Hindustan, disoganized its defences, and opened the way to later Muslim invaders, fom the Ghurids to the Moguls, who gradually brought all nortbern and central India within the domain of Islam. Secondly, the preoccupation of Mahmud and his son and successor Mas'ud with their Indian campaigns left them little time or opporunity to observe and check the steadily mounting pressure of Turkish nomads along the Oxus. While their backs were turned, so to speak, the Seljuks rose to prorninence and power in their rear and bcame the masters of all Western Asia. \=\

Turkish Tribes in the Middle Ages

Dominant Turkic tribes in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries included the Uighars, Khazars, Kipchacks and Seljucks. The Mongols were slightly related to Turkic groups. One of the main differences between the Mongols and the Turks is that the Mongols tended to return home after their conquests while the Turks tended to stay in their conquered lands. The Russians lumped the Mongols, Tatar and Turks together and called them "Tatars."

All the Turkic tribes converted to Islam except for the reindeer herding Yakuts in Siberia and the Chuvash in the Volga region of Russia, but the wolf mythology stayed with them. Ninth century stelae in Mongolia show young Turkic children suckling from the teats of a mother wolf like Romulus and Remus, and the Osmanli Turks, the forbears of the Ottomans, marched with banners depicting a wolf's head when they conquered their way from Central Asia to the outskirts of Constantinople.

In the 11th Turkish tribes began invading western Asia from their homelands in Central Asia. The strongest of these tribes was the Seljuks. In the wake of the Samanids (819-1005) - Persians who set up a local dynasty in Central Asia within the Abbasid Empire - arose to two Turkish dynasties: the Ghaznavids, based in Khorasan in present-day Turkmenistan, and the Karakhanids from present-day Kazakhstan. Karakhanids are credited with converting Central Asia to Islam. The established a large empire that stretched from Kazakhstan to western China and embraced three important cities: Balasagun (present-day Buruna in Kyrzgzstan), Talas (present-day Tara in Kazakhstan) and Kashgar. Bukhara continued as a center of learning. The Karakhanids and Ghaznavids fought one another off and on until they were both out maneuvered diplomatically and militarily by the Seljuk Turks, who created a huge empire that stretched from western China to the Mediterranean.

Ancient Turkmen

Historians believe that the original Turkmen - of present-day Turkmenistan - were nomadic horse-breeding clans known as the "Oghuz" from the Altai region of what is now Mongolia and Siberia. They began migrating from their homeland around the 6th century, then were driven out by the Seljuk Turks, and formed communities in the oases around the Kara-kum deserts of modern Turkmenistan and also parts of Persia, Anatolia and Syria.

The Orguz first appeared in the area of Turkmenistan is the A.D. 8th to 10th centuries. According to legend Turkmen are descended from the fabled Orghuz Khan or the warriors who formed clans around his 24 grandsons.

The name Turkmen first appeared in 11th century sources. It referred to groups among the Oghuz that converted to Islam. During the 13th century Mongol invasions they fled to remote areas near the shores of the Caspian Sea. There they remained relatively isolated. Unlike many other Central Asian peoples, they were not influenced much by Mongol culture or political traditions.

In the 11th and 12th century Orguz-Turkmen established the Khorosan and Khorsem khanates, the core of the future Turkmen nation. In the 15th century what is now Turkmenistan was divided between the Khivan and Bukharan khanates and Persia..

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wikipedia, BBC, Comptom's Encyclopedia, Lonely Planet Guides, Silk Road Foundation, "The Discoverers " by Daniel Boorstin; " History of Arab People " by Albert Hourani (Faber and Faber, 1991); "Islam, a Short History" by Karen Armstrong (Modern Library, 2000); and various books and other publications.

Last updated May 2016

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There are perhaps 135 million Turkic people in the world today, with only about 40 percent of them living in Turkey. They rest are scattered across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and northern and western China, making them one of the most widely scattered races in the world.

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50 Shades of Blue: A Journey Through Uzbekistan | SUITCASE Magazine

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Uzbek(Ozbek) are one of the oldest turkic clans even current time turkish and uzbek people have the same numbers ,names and words.

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We trace one part of the storied Silk Road, traversing a country of mosques, markets and aqua-hued mosaics.

If If you received a postcard from Tashkent in the 1970s, it probably would've borne the image of Hotel Uzbekistan. The wide, curved structure, with its interlinking-cube façade, is a classic example of Soviet modernist architecture. The lobby of the once "10-star" hotel is now a picture of faded glamour: salmon pinks, pine-hued marble flooring and large gilt chandeliers. Stepping outside brings a sharp contrast; into dry heat and onto the flat, wide Imperial Russian esplanades and lawns of Amir Temur Square. Beyond that extend wide, tree-lined, perfectly manicured boulevards.

Vol. 28

Istanbul * Chicago * Athens * Lima * Uzbekistan * Warsaw

Much of Tashkent was devastated by an earthquake in the 1960s and the Uzbek capital's modern-day aesthetic was shaped during rebuilding under Moscow's direction. The result: a mix of blocky, clean-lined Soviet edifices, classical Russian architecture and restored, dazzlingly blue-tiled 12th-century mosques. I am drawn to Uzbekistan for its unique design mash-up of a few lucky surviving buildings and newly added architecture that combines to reflect a fascinating political and cultural history.

Tashkent has the look and feel of a modern post-socialist city - its clean-lined buildings and pristine boulevards are much like those you'll find in the Chinese city of Shenzhen or the newer parts of Beijing. The city feels tidy, intriguingly homogeneous: around 80% of the cars in Tashkent are Chevrolets (thanks to a deal with the Uzbek government) in a heat-reflecting white. Perpetual sprinklers keep the impeccably tended street-side foliage lush in this desert city.

Uzbekistan's aesthetic edge, though, is in the incorporation of traditional Islamic design. In Independence Square (Lenin Square until independence in 1991), solid white marble columns hold up mirrored, silver beams and three storks (the national animal) dancing on a globe - but look closer for typically Islamic cobalt, cyan and white tile patterns. Design reflects the imperial approach: opposed to nation building, but making just a small concession to local identity.

A stone mural above the entrance to the square's subway depicts a typically Soviet image of the region's different nationalities working together, while inside is a temple to modernism with an art deco nod in boxy, tiered gold-and-glass chandeliers. Each of the 29 stations on the Tashkent Metro - built in the 1970s and one of the most ornate in the world - are different, taking inspiration from their location. There are underground baroque caverns, ornate Islamic interchanges of turquoise and carved alabaster, and stark, pared-back post-modern marble-walled spaces - linked by a fleet of trains, some of them baby-blue with heavy purposeful doors that look like something straight out of the Eastern Bloc.

As the country begins to open up more to visitors, it's adding more flights from major global cities (Uzbekistan Airways flies from Heathrow three times a week and a weekly JFK flight just launched) and working towards making the visa process cheaper and easier. Get here before the crowds: there's enough mosaic, geometric and floral majolica tile porn in all shades of blue to rival Lisbon. And it's wonderful to have the country's mosques, monuments and mausoleums in all their beauty almost to yourself - my photos are tourist-free and I have the space to wander, imagination running wildly to the time when these architectural masterpieces were first unveiled.

I am most awestruck by Samarkand, one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. Registan Square deserves its status as the country's most famous monument (even here it's refreshingly un-busy). Built during the dynasty of Amir Temur - a Turco-Mongol conqueror who ruled over much of Persia and Central Asia and went on to conquer Delhi and found the Indian Mughal empire - Registan was once the commercial heart of medieval Samarkand. As a major stop on the Silk Road, the turquoise domes and mosaic-clad buildings housed hectic, thriving bazaars selling textiles and fabrics. The flat roof inside its ornate mosque is painstakingly painted in dark blue and gold to create the illusion of a dome.

Samarkand's Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, with its intricate gold leaf and tiered azure interior, and ribbed exterior turquoise domes, is worth checking out, and we spend hours photographing the Shah-i Zinda Necropolis in the north-eastern part of the city, with its palatial medieval tombs for royalty and nobles that stand as a shrine to Islamic art.

Key cities are linked by an inexpensive high-speed rail line, also calling at Bukhara - worth a stop for its Old Town, endless domes (always in a shade of cyan, chosen in the 15th century to represent ascension to paradise in the sky), old bazaars, Po-i-Kalyan Mosque and and Kalyan Minaret, a former execution site. Here, we make our base at Hélène Oasis, a charming, traditional Bukhara-style courtyard guesthouse, with Gallic hospitality (and breakfasts), run by French-born Hélène, who fell in love with the country and decided to stay.

But Uzbekistan isn't all about the cities: 60% of the population live in the countryside. The Nurata Mountains are as good a place as any to experience the Central Asian desert. The drive out from Bukhara traverses an arid, almost Martian landscape of arid banks and craters, swathes of burnt scrubland and dust devils whipping themselves up on the sand. A harsh landscape, yes, but one that leads to the vast Aidar Lake, perfect for a cooling swim and respite in an eponymous camp of charming, cosy yurts with handmade carpets and textiles inside. Entertainment here comes in the form of camel rides, Uzbek wine and music by a campfire.

The stars are way too bright here for sleeping inside, though: with zero light pollution, we can even see Jupiter shining bright in the night sky. To our hosts' wonder - apparently we're the first to have this idea here - we drag our mattresses out onto benches and spend a peaceful (thankfully mosquito-free) night under the twinking, panoramic canopy.

Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara: A Journey through Uzbekistan's Silk Road Cities

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50 Shades of Blue: A Journey Through Uzbekistan | SUITCASE Magazine

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We trace one part of the storied Silk Road, traversing a country of mosques, markets and aqua-hued mosaics. If If you received a postcard from Tashkent in the 1970s, it probably would've borne the image of Hotel Uzbekistan. The wide, curved structure, with its interlinking-cube façade, is a classic example of Soviet modernist architecture.

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Bompas & Parr creates Glow-in-the-Dark Sushi bar

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Design studio Bompas & Parr has created a pop-up bar serving glow-in-the-dark sushi and cocktails in Abu Dhabi.

London-based Bompas & Parr created the Glow-in-the-Dark Sushi bar at Mother of the Nation, a festival that took place in the UAE capital from 9 to 18 December 2021.

By combining ultraviolet light with bioluminescent ingredients, the designers were able to create sushi dishes and cocktails in an array of lurid colours.

The menu included fluorescent pink nigiri, and maki in shades of electric blue and neon green.

The effect was created by using black light, a type of UV light that emits ultraviolet radiation.

According to Bompas & Parr, around 15 per cent of all minerals are capable of emitting vivid colours when subjected to this light.

The phenomenon, called "electron displacement", sees ultraviolet energy push certain atoms to higher orbits. The light effect is caused as they return to normal orbit.

"The black light emits ultraviolet radiation, which excites atoms and causes them to release fluorescent light," said Rian Coulter, senior account manager for Bompas & Parr.

Bompas & Parr uses algae to create glowing Mermaid's Lunchbox jewellery

"It only works with specific foods and/or the vitamin B2," he told Dezeen. "Examples include tonic water, bananas, peppers and honey."

Other food ingredients with natural luminescence include fish, mushrooms and shiso, a type of salad leaf.

Bompas & Parr developed its menu using as many of these light-reactive ingredients as possible, then used food extracts and pigments to create more exaggerated effects.

"The menu endeavours to bring the wider themes of entertainment and indulgence together in the best spirit of food, community and creativity," said studio co-founder Harry Parr.

"Now more than ever we're ready to glow!" he added.

Bompas & Parr specialises in creating designs and experiences that appeal to the senses, often including food.

Recent projects include the world's lightest dessert, a non-melting ice lolly and a spa filled with unconventional healing rituals. The studio also teamed up with Dezeen on the Fountain Of Hygiene competition.

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Bompas & Parr creates Glow-in-the-Dark Sushi bar

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Design studio Bompas & Parr has created a pop-up bar serving glow-in-the-dark sushi and cocktails in Abu Dhabi. London-based Bompas & Parr created the Glow-in-the-Dark Sushi bar at Mother of the Nation, a festival that took place in the UAE capital from 9 to 18 December 2021.

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If you do have an accidental spillage, the key is to act fast. Take these steps and your velvet furniture will be good as new in no time. Use a super absorbent cloth to soak up the spill before it sinks past the top layer of fabric. Dampen a clean, white cloth in a solution of warm water and a drop of washing up liquid. Dab the affected area gently to remove any marks. If necessary, rub gently in the direction of the velvet. The key is to avoid getting your velvet furniture too wet. Cleaning Velvet furniture can be tricky. For quick spot cleaning, the above method works wonders, however, should you come across any deeper set stains, it's a good idea to contact the professionals. Velvet is a delicate fabric so hard cleaning may affect the pile. Call in the pros for a deeper clean.

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If you do have an accidental spillage, the key is to act fast. Take these steps and your velvet furniture will be good as new in no time. Use a super absorbent cloth to soak up the spill before it sinks past the top layer of fabric.

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The Definitive List of Cool and Trendy Restaurants in London

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Welcome to our essential list of the coolest restaurants in London where you'll find all the latest cutting-edge foodie hotspots. If you want to eat out at places that are up to date with the latest culinary trends, or have been dying to try that dish you've seen all over your Instagram feed, you're likely to spot it here. Our curated pick of the best trendy restaurants in London is full to the brim with foodie places where you might just spot a celebrity or two, as well as ones that boast the most fashionable interiors.

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The Definitive List of Cool and Trendy Restaurants in London

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Welcome to our essential list of the coolest restaurants in London where you'll find all the latest cutting-edge foodie hotspots. If you want to eat out at places that are up to date with the latest culinary trends, or have been dying to try that dish you've seen all over your Instagram feed, you're likely to spot it here.

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TEXTILES FROM THE SILK ROADIntercultural Exchanges among Nomads, Traders, and Agriculturalists

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TEXTILES FROM THE SILK ROADIntercultural Exchanges among Nomads, Traders, and Agriculturalists

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By: Angela Sheng View PDF

Silk was one of the most luxurious commodities traded along the many routes of the Silk Road. But one should not assume that only silks were traded, or that silks were the most important of all exchanged goods. Since the late 19th century, archaeologists have unearthed textile fragments made of other fibers such as wool, cotton, and hemp from sites around the Taklamakan Desert in Central Asia. In this article, different types of cloth found in Central Asia will be described and illustrated by photographs of artifacts from Secrets of the Silk Road.

The first evidence for weaving silk appears 5,000 to 7,000 years ago in China. Any evidence of silk outside China proper at this time would strongly suggest that the non-Chinese traded with the Chinese for this much sought-after textile. Chinese silks were prized in ancient Rome, which led to the forging of a trade route between the East and West. Whereas scholars have amply documented the complex long-and short-distance trade between China and the Mediterranean world and between China and Korea and Japan, few have examined the contemporaneous exchange of goods to the north and south, such as between the pastoral nomads, who roamed seasonally across the pastures to the north of ancient Iran and China, and the sedentary agriculturalists in China. The extensive representation of nomadic legacies in Secrets of the Silk Road -in the form of practical as well as extraordinary wool textiles-addresses this imbalance.

Reading Culture In Textiles

Textile patterns attract the eye, and textile textures invite the hand. Textiles can further reveal much about their makers, traders, and users. For example, a specific kind of fiber would suggest the maker's way of life. Pastoral nomads sheared wool off domesticated sheep that required large pastures. Sedentary agriculturalists reeled silk off silkworms that necessitated the planting of the mulberry for feeding the silkworms. Each type of textile construction required different kinds of tools, some portable such as a back-strap loom, others less so, such as a treadle loom. Design and ornamentation revealed the source of inspiration for textile-makers: stylized flora and fauna or imagery with figures suggest myths and narratives, perhaps seen on other objects transported by traders from faraway places. The study of cloth manufacturing leads us to understand how various peoples- nomads, traders, and agriculturalists-contributed to the development of textile art and technology.

A glossary of terms shown in bold is provided to help you understand words like warp and weft: the language of textile production.

Woolen Finds

Textile historian Elizabeth Barber dates the domestication of sheep at 7000 BCE, or perhaps as early as 10,000 BCE. In ancient times, woolen fibers were short, scaly, and much rougher than they are today. Normally, short woolen fibers would require twisting and spinning into long, continuous yarn before they could be woven into textiles. The scaly surfaces of early wool fibers, however, allowed textiles to be manufactured without weaving. The fibers interlocked when felted or compressed by the combined application of damp heat and kneading pressure. The scaly surfaces of these fibers also meant that a felted textile contained a myriad of tiny air pockets between the kinks of the fiber. These air pockets retained body heat when the wool mass was made into clothing and worn in bitterly cold winters.

Felted Wool

Felted wool was used to make clothing and furnishings, such as hats, capes, carpets, and even saddle blankets for both functional and aesthetic purposes. This example of a short conical hat (1) dates to ca. 1800-1500 BCE. It is made of very dense felt in its original off-white hue, and is conspicuously stitched with a red cord going around the hat several times as if marking a pathway. The hat was further adorned with feathers and two weasel pelts. A red cord attached to the rim of the hat afforded the wearer a chin strap. Similar red wool cords are found on other objects from the same time period. Here you see a red cord used to string a jade bead as a bracelet (2).

Pastoral nomads used felt headgear to mark distinct social status, and many hats, as shown here in the Xinjiang Musuem, have been recovered from burials (3). This tall, peaked hat (32.7 cm) (4) was excavated in 1985 from Tomb No. 5 at Zaghunluq, Chärchän, an oasis on the Chärchän River to the south of the Taklamakan Desert. Dated to ca. 800 BCE, it is made of two thick brown felt pieces sewn with buff stitching. To stiffen the peak and prevent it from collapsing, the tip was stuffed with tufts of felt. The use of buff yarn (natural color faded over time) for both functional and decorative stitching shows that the maker of this unusual hat was aware of aesthetic needs (form and color) while frugal with resources. Note that the peak curls backward in contrast to the forward curl of the peaked hat worn on the bronze figurine of a kneeling warrior (5) from a tomb dated to ca. 500 BCE in Xinyuan county of Ili vally-a mountain valley to the northwest of the Taklamakan Desert.

The peaked brown felt hat is only one of ten hats associated with the famous mummy known as "Chärchän Man" from Tomb No. 2 at Zaghunluq, Chärchän ( see page 28 in this issue). He was buried in a wool trouser suit with pale red piping. His legs and feet were wrapped in hanks of combed wool (in primary colors: red, yellow, and blue) underneath white deerskin boots. Elizabeth Barber speculates that felting might have been discovered when a man, wearing hanks of wool such as these, inadvertently compressed the wool inside his boots; sweat given off as he moved would have fused the fibers creating felt.

A type of felt similar to that used for Chärchän Man's leggings was made into a blue bonnet with red edging for a 3-month-old infant found in Tomb No. 1 at Zaghunluq, Chärchän ( see page 28 in this issue). Similar textiles were found on both the man and the infant, including the twisted red and blue wool cord tied over the clothing and around the arms of the man and around the small shroud of the infant.

Larger felt textiles-such as carpets and saddle blankets-allowed space for more intricate designs. An outstanding example (6) (not in exhibition) is a felt saddle from Kurgan (burial mound) No. 1 at Pazyryk in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, which dates to the second half of the 4th century BCE. It features a crested griffin, horned feline heads, and a goat or ram intertwined in transformative combat. Such animal designs as nomadic expressions were more commonly found in metal ornaments, like this gold plaque with a tiger design (7).

Pastoral nomads created their own textile patterns as well as adapting complex motifs from others. The peripatetic lifestyle of the nomads ensured widespread transmission of motifs, resulting in many local variations. one example of the sharing of designs is found on a wooden container, carved with quadrupeds, that dates to the 5th century BCE (8). Rows of triangles at the top and bottom of the vessel recall the design of the crown worn by a seated female figure (goddess?) in the earliest pictorial felt carpet, also from Pazyryk, Kurgan No. 5 (9) (not in exhibition). Anne Farkas and others have already traced various motifs on this large carpet (measuring 4.5 by 6.5 m) to ancient Iranian designs, notably those seen at Persepolis, such as the throne of the goddess on the felt carpet which recalls a carved stone relief of Persian King Darius' throne. Such similarities reveal the contact between pastoral nomads in the north with the neighboring centralized empire to the south-a pattern also found in the nomads' trade with or raiding of the Chinese for silk, described below.

Woven Wool

The woolen cloak from Small River Cemetery 5 (xiaohe) (10), dated to 1800-1500 BCE, is woven in the simplest plain weave of tabby ground; it features horizontal bands achieved by inserting a darker yarn through as weft at regular intervals-a simple method of ornamentation that shows an acute sense of aesthetics.

While plain wool garments were more common (11), dyed textiles were also sewn together to form bold patterns, as on the skirted dress (12) from Tomb No. 55 at Zaghunluq. Both garments date to the 5th to 3rd century BCE.

More elaborate designs were woven using the knotted pile and tapestry weaves. In 1984 a woolen saddle blanket, measuring 76 by 74 cm, was unearthed from Horse Pit No. 2, Cemetery 1, at Shanpula (Sampul) near Khotan on the southern route (13). This blanket has regularly patterned leaves in several colors, knotted as pile over a plain t abby ground weave. Dated to the 1st or 2nd century BCE, the leaves seem of local design. They foreshadow a popular Sogdian (from ancient Iran) and more evolved silk design of later times: the brocaded tree-leaf. Fragments of the Sogdian design, discussed in more detail below, were discovered in Astana tombs near Turfan, dated to 551 CE (14).

Pictorial representations were also woven as tapestry, a method that afforded maximum flexibility to the weaver in making motifs with wefts of different colors. An interesting example is the contemporaneous remains of trousers showing a human-headed horse moving through a field of stylized flowers, and a larger warrior with a spear (15). The trousers were created from a large wall hanging with a celebratory theme. Although the human-headed horse might have been inspired by the mythological Centaur of Hellenistic origin, Elfriede Knauer indicated that the warrior was Parthian, based on the animal-headed weapons tucked into his belt (not shown on the section in the exhibition). This tapestry fragment was unearthed from Shanpula, Tomb No. 2, near the Horse Pit tomb where the saddle blanket was found.

The pastoral nomads and settlers who inhabited the oases around the Taklamakan Desert most often wove tapestries in narrow bands that they used to embellish clothing and accessories. Many such fragments came to light in Shanpula, broadly dated from 100 BCE to 300 CE. The exhibition includes an example of stylized flora in a tapestry weave as the central decoration of a cosmetic bag with strap (16). The bag contained a bronze mirror, an iron clasp, red yarn, a bag of rouge, and hair when it was unearthed in 1995 from Tomb No. 5 of Cemetery 1 at Niyä on the southern route. The strap clearly made it portable, essential for a lady on the move.

Lastly, spectacular wool garments were found on Yingpan Man (see cover and page 30 in this issue). He was unearthed in 1995 from Tomb No. 15 near Yingpan, south of Korla to the north of the Taklamakan Desert. He was approximately 30 years old and was buried supine in a wooden coffin that was painted with flowers on the outside and covered with a woolen pile carpet with designs of lions. Inside the coffin, the man's head rested on a silk pillow in the shape of two back-to-back roosters, metonymical of the rooster's crowing at dawn to imply the re-awakening after death. His face was covered with a painted mask embellished with gold leaf. His body was clothed in a silk robe and embroidered wool trousers underneath a woolen robe of exceptional artistic and technical competence. on his feet he wore felt boots with silk insteps also embellished with gold leaf. Miniature silk funerary garments, the purpose of which is unknown, were placed at his waist and on his left side.

Judging by his exotic burial dress and the square of brocaded silk with the word shou, or longevity, placed by his head, he may have been a rich merchant familiar with Chinese customs. In addition, the Sasanian cut-glass bowl buried with him would indicate that he traded with partners from farther west.

The embroidered patterns on his brown woolen trousers show arrays of stylized flora: four directionally oriented long petals in red and green separated by four smaller sprigs in buff (faded) surrounded by large dots forming a diamond. When examined closely, the slight irregularities of the shapes and stitching, though still remarkable, would suggest either the handiwork of a group or an amateur effort. It contrasts sharply with the professionalism of the red and yellow woolen robe worn as an overcoat, clearly the product of an accomplished workshop.

The robe shows spectacular motifs of paired bulls, goats, and human figures interspersed with fruit-bearing pomegranate trees in yellow on a red ground. Cut as a caftan with crossed lapels, but closed on the right in a Chinese style, it features naked males with muscular bodies and prominent genitalia, some wearing a fluttering scarf. Each male figure has curly hair and big eyes above a high nose-definitely not of Chinese ethnicity. Emma Bunker has identified the conventionalized poses of these putti as derived from late Antique motifs inherited from earlier Hellenistic and Roman times. Such designs on silver cups or shields traveled from Roman-Western to Parthian-Eastern lands. The bulls and goats are also portrayed in typical Near Eastern pose: standing on their hind legs with their forefeet lifted in the air and their heads turned backwards. Elfreide Knauer points out that the bulls are encircled with garlands, indicating they were to be sacrificed.

Based on the adaptation of similar motifs on late Antique (3rd to 7th century) metalware, Emma Bunker suggests that this woolen robe was woven locally near Yingpan. The structure is a double-weave (tabby-based), woven with two sets of weft, one in yellow and the other in red. The pattern repeat consists of six alternating rows of animals and figures in the weft and in the warp, the reverse of each combination of an animal, half of a tree, and a figure. Both the structure and the pattern repeat indicate technological mastery of a complex pattern loom. The tight weave could have been enhanced with the weft beater (17), where the teeth of the comb would have been inserted among the warp threads so as to press the weft down.

The motifs closely resemble those found on a woolen textile fragment, also unearthed from Xinjiang, with a dendro-calibrated C-14 date of 430-631 CE; naked and winged figures chase butterflies amid scrolled vines (18) (not in exhibition). Even the structure of the textile is similar: weft-faced compound tabby. Thus, the Yingpan woolen robe can probably be dated to a similar time period, from the mid-5th to the mid-7th century. This coincides with the radical developments in silk weaving at precisely the same time, as evidenced by silk finds from the Astana tombs of Turfan, to which we now turn.

Highlights Of The Silk Finds

The discovery of artificially cut silkworm cocoons ( Bombyx mori) dated to the Neolithic Yangshao Culture in China traces the awareness of silk as a textile fiber back to at least 5000-3000 BCE. Textile finds from Chu Tomb No. 1 (340-278 BCE) of Jiangling at Mashan in Hubei reveal a technical mastery of brocading silk with pictorial patterns in the warp ( warp-faced compound tabby) by weavers in royal workshops. This technique persisted, yielding textiles of many motifs. The motif of dogwood blossoms on a face cover (19) probably originated in central China, where burial finds include textiles with exquisite designs. Auspicious wishes for longevity and progeny were soon added in Chinese characters, such as "May this one-of-a kind jin silk bring the parents generation after generation of descendants" (20). Fragments of such exotic brocaded silks have surfaced far from China, attesting to their broad appeal and bearing witness to the efforts of the Han court to appease marauding nomads. Such treasured silks were made into mouth covers and gloves.

Similarly, auspicious words also appeared on shoes (21): "Wealth and prosperity suitable for a prince; may heaven grant longevity." These words were densely woven in thick silk warps on narrow strips. The strips were then sewn together as the shoe-face. The round-toe style was Han Chinese, in contrast to the upturned-toe style of distinct Turkish influence fashionable in the later Tang dynasty.

During the 4th or 5th century, northerners of nomadic ancestry fled westward from the ravages of war in China to Turfan, an oasis on the northern route. Simultaneously, Sogdians also moved eastward from their homeland in search of long-distance trade. I have argued elsewhere that exceptional circumstances brought Chinese and Sogdian weavers to live and work together in Turfan. Experimentation in weaving workshops led to new designs and new weaving techniques, as evidenced by cloth made by both groups.

For example, the brocaded robe with small blue and gold checks (22) was woven in the traditional Chinese weave of warp-faced compound tabby, unknown to the Sogdians. This robe was unearthed in 1995 from Tomb No. 3 in Cemetery No. 1 of Niyä on the southern route. The checkered pattern cannot be traced to any Chinese antecedent; however, it can be seen on the robe worn by the historical Buddha as painted on a mural in a Kizil cave (23). Note that the robe is cut in a non-Chinese style, with narrow cuffs and a wide skirt, that is more convenient for horseback-riding than the straight Chinese cut, suited to a more sedentary lifestyle. A more obvious Central Asian motif-paired birds and rams around the tree-leaf pattern-was also woven in the same warp-faced compound tabby (24).

Although one brocaded silk might look like another, each may have been woven differently. A new weave structure emerged in the 5th century: the warp-faced compound twill. The astounding example in the exhibition was discovered in 1972 in Astana Tomb No. 177, belonging to the Northern liang royal heir, Jüqü Fendai, who died in 455 CE (25). This fragment features dragons, deer, qilin (a type of unicorn), camels, and peacocks facing each other under arches and between columns, in red and yellow on a navy ground. This weave structure was used extensively in the later Tang Dynasty to make patterns that combined various cultural styles (26). Whereas the pearl-roundel on this fragment derived from Sasanian designs, the four-petaled flowers recall the embroidered flora on the woolen robe worn by the Yingpan Man. And the overall balanced and symmetrical placement of those two repeating motifs was grounded in Han Chinese aesthetics.

Over the next two centuries, two very complex brocaded silk weave structures were developed: the weft-faced compound tabby ( taqueté) and the weft-faced compound twill (samitum). The taqueté is the weave structure of the spectacular red and yellow woolen robe worn by Yingpan Man. Silks woven in these new weaves often featured the Sasanian pearl-roundel circling an animal such as a bird, deer, horse, peacock, or as shown on the face cover in the exhibition, a boar's head (27). The face cover, woven in the samitum, was excavated from Astana Tomb No. 332 and dates to the early 7th century. Controversy exists as to where it was produced, either in Sogdiana or in Central Asia. I have argued that it is Turfan. The boar's head may have served as a metonymical device to encourage honesty in an official. In Sogdian mythology, the deity verethraghna assumed the shape of a boar when he went to earth to punish liars. Certainly, the boar was a central motif for Sogdian rulers, the Sasanians.

Still other artifacts show improved dyeing techniques brought by traders from South Asia. This orange skirt with stylized flora was probably stencilled with wax as a dye resist (28). Many similarly dyed thin silks have surfaced at various sites. Some show patterns tied and dyed. The dyes and dyeing methods could be replicated far more easily than complex weaving. Thus, their designs imitate the popular woven textiles.

Secrets of the Silk Road presents a wide range of textile motifs and techniques found on cloth recovered from burial sites around the Taklamakan Desert. Peoples of fundamentally different ways of life optimized their resources to create clothing and furnishings to meet their functional and aesthetic needs. Their legacies reveal the extent to which they learned from each other and thus enriched their material expressions, with far-reaching implications.

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By: Angela Sheng View PDF Silk was one of the most luxurious commodities traded along the many routes of the Silk Road. But one should not assume that only silks were traded, or that silks were the most important of all exchanged goods.

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What Was Traded on China's Silk Road and Why

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1.Silk
2.Porcelain
3.Horse
4.woolen Products
5.foods

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As the name implies, silk was the most representative of the goods traded on the Silk Road.

In addition to silk, China's porcelain, tea, paper, and bronze products, India's fabrics, spices, semi-precious stones, dyes, and ivory, Central Asia's cotton, woolen goods, and rice, and Europe's furs, cattle, and honey were traded on the Silk Road.

1. Silk

Chinese silk was sold to Central Asia, Iran, Arabia, and the Roman Empire (Europe) along the Silk Road.

Silk was the favorite product along the Silk Road. Chinese silk was regarded as a treasure in ancient Central Asia, West Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The European market had the biggest demand for silk and Chinese silk was highly appreciated in Europe. Colorful silk fabric dazzled the eyes of the people in the vast Roman Empire. The rich and powerful paid huge sums of gold to obtain it.

It is estimated that ancient Rome exported as much as 130 tonnes (143 tons) of gold each year to buy silk.

Silk was the ideal commodity for silk road trade. Because a caravan's carrying capacity was limited, its products needed to be light and of high value. Silk fitted these characteristics exactly.

2. Porcelain

China exported porcelain to Japan, the Korean peninsula, Southeast Asia, west and central Asia, east and north Africa, and Europe.

Porcelain was another product that was prized in the West. The popularity of porcelain even surpassed that of silk in the latter times of Silk Road trade. Silk exports began to decline at the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) as silk making techniques spread to central and southern Asia and Europe.

It was during the Han Dynasty era (206 BC - 220 AD) that the first kinds of brightly-colored porcelain were manufactured and sent westwards, and especially during the Tang and Yuan (1279-1368) eras, fine porcelain pieces were produced in massive quantities and exported.

The 17th and 18th centuries were the golden age of the export of Chinese porcelain. About 200,000 pieces were exported annually in the 17th century. In the 18th century, sales peaked at about a million units a year.

3. Horses

China initially mainly traded silk for horses from central Asia.

Horses were China's most prized import. Horses from central Asia were large and swift - good steads and warhorses. Chinese envoys describe them 'winged horses', as they were significantly better than breeds in the empire.

China's various dynasties always had a need for horses. Local breeds were considered too small, and they wanted better horses to use in battles against nomads and enemy cavalry. This is actually what spurred the Han court to begin regular Silk Road trade in the 2nd century BC.

4. Woolen Products

Woolens from Central Asia and the eastern Mediterranean were sold to China.

Sheep were largely unknown in the eastern empires. Then, woolen clothes, carpets, curtains, blankets, and rugs came to China from Central Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.

These products impressed the Chinese, because they were unfamiliar with the methods of wool processing, carpet manufacture, and weaving. Parthian tapestries and carpets were highly appreciated in the ancient empires.

5. Food

China received more exotic food than it exported. Tea was the main food export from China. See more on the Tea-Horse Road trade.

Initially, during the Han era, traders brought in grape seeds. Much of Eurasia had cultivated grapevines and made wines from time immemorial, but the Han, separated from other civilizations by seas, extreme deserts, and high mountains, thought it was novel. They were surprised that people made wine from them.

Other exotic vegetable and fruit imports included:

String beans from central and south America

Sesame seeds from ancient central Asia

Onions from central or west Asia

Carrots from Persia (now Iran)

Spinach from Nepal

Eggplants from India

Cucumbers from India

Pomegranates from Persia (now Iran)

Watermelons from India

6. Spices and Perfumes

The Arabs dominated the spices and perfumes trade. They traded spices to China and Europe. Although it was not the world's only producing area, it monopolized the transshipment trade in India and East Africa - two other sources. By the 10th century, the trade in Europe was almost entirely controlled by Arab traders.

China also produced spices, but the variety was very limited due to geographical limitations. Its main spices - cloves and musk - were sold to the West along with silks and porcelain.

7. Glassware

Turkish glass lamp

Glassware was one of the main commodities imported into China from the West. Glassware was novel. It was considered a luxury good in those days.

First the Romans and then Samarkand (SE Uzbekistan) made glassware that was especially valued due to its high quality and transparency. Ancient/medieval glassware from west Asia has been unearthed in China, Japan, and Korea.

8. Slaves

The glorious Silk Road also hosted a dark and tragic slave trade. Slaves were treated as commodities. Many slaves traveled long distances by land and sea to foreign markets far away.

Slaves were traded as goods in all the countries along the Silk Road, including Europe, west Asia, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and China.

To get slaves across borders, money and animals were paid for a pass. Not only the sellers, but also the local ports, markets, and officials benefited. That's why the slave didn't stop until the 19th or 20th century in Asia, long after the Silk Road waned in importance.

9. Ideas and Inventions

Apart from material goods, religion and technology were also "traded" along the Silk Road.

Ideas

Longmen Grottoes

In the area of religion and philosophy, the Chinese were net importers. None of the religions and philosophies of China, such as Taoism and Confucianism gained much of a following in Western countries, but the religions of Buddhism and to a lesser extent Islam and Christianity all gained followings in the eastern empires.

Many grottoes along the Silk Road, e.g. the Longmen Grottoes, are a witness to the growth and prevalence of Buddhism along the route.

Inventions

The technology for silk fabric making, stained glass, paper, books, gunpowder, and gun production spread to the West.

Papermaking techniques reached Samarkand in the 8th century. By the 13th century, the very important technology for making paper reached Europe through Baghdad and enabled the Renaissance of European science and culture.

In the 5th century, glass making technology reached China, and later it was applied to make colorful cloisonné.

10. Disease

Diseases also traveled along the Silk Road. The Black Death, which broke out in 1347, was a terrible disaster spreading along the trade routes.

Some research suggests that the Black Death was transmitted largely by the Silk Road. Infected rats followed caravans along the Silk Road to the Mediterranean, where they spread north and south to Africa and Europe.

FAQs about Silk Road Trade

1. What did Europe trade on the Silk Road?

2. What did China trade on the Silk Road?

3. How were goods traded on the Silk Road?

4. Where did the Silk Road trade start and end?

Explore the Silk Road with Us

Today, the Silk Road still tells many stories of ancient times and the exchange of cultures. Take a tour to discover the history and culture of the Silk Road. See our Silk Road tour designs for inspiration (all tours can be customized):

Or contact us to create your very own Silk Road tour based on your group size, time, budget, interests, and other requirements.

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What Was Traded on the Silk Road and Why (10 Items)

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Silk was China's favorite Silk Road export. Learn about this and other exports and imports traded: porcelain, tea, foods, horses, technology, religions, disease...

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Did You Know? The Exchange of Silk, Cotton and Woolen goods, and their Association with Different Modes of Living along the Silk Roads

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Textiles up to 3000 years old have been found in Xinjiang where at the time nomadic pastoral farming was dispersing across Central Asia. From later periods, in the same region, there exists  archaeological remnants of clothing belonging to travellers from China, the Greco-Roman world, Parthia (North Eastern of modern Iran), Sogdia (parts of present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) and the Kushan Empire (in the Northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent), all of which point towards extensive contact between these varied groups. Evidence for this exchange and eventual mutual influence can be seen in garment types, textile designs, and techniques of production, with sericulture and the popularity of silk garments, cotton and, wool amongst some of the best examples.

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Textiles up to 3000 years old have been found in Xinjiang where at the time nomadic pastoral farming was dispersing across Central Asia. From later periods, in the same region, there exists  archaeological remnants of clothing belonging to travellers from China, the Greco-Roman world, Parthia (North Eastern of modern Iran), Sogdia (parts of present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) and the Kushan Empire (in the Northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent), all of which point towards extensive contact between these varied groups. Evidence for this exchange and eventual mutual influence can be seen in garment types, textile designs, and techniques of production, with sericulture and the popularity of silk garments, cotton and, wool amongst some of the best examples.

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Although silk was indeed a highly sought after and frequently traded ware that lends the Silk Roads its name, fabrics and clothing made from other materials were also exchanged along these routes and formed part of the broader network of cross-cultural interactions taking place within the field of textile production and design. Whilst the earliest evidence of silk weaving dates from between 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, there exists plenty of textile fragments made of other materials including wool, cotton and hemp plant fibres, uncovered from archaeological sites in the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang, North Western China. These textiles can reveal much about the setting and environment in which they were produced as well as shed further light on the different modes of living that existed along the Silk Roads. These modes of living included nomadic, sedentary agriculturalist, urban, and the varied lives of people who were consistently moving across the Silk Roads engaged in mercantile, scholarly, and diplomatic activity. Today clothing and textiles remain outstanding elements of the inter-cultural exchange that took place along these historic routes.

Textiles up to 3000 years old have been found in Xinjiang where at the time nomadic pastoral farming was dispersing across Central Asia. From later periods, in the same region, there exists archaeological remnants of clothing belonging to travellers from China, the Greco-Roman world, Parthia (North Eastern of modern Iran), Sogdia (parts of present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) and the Kushan Empire (in the Northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent), all of which point towards extensive contact between these varied groups. Evidence for this exchange and eventual mutual influence can be seen in garment types, textile designs, and techniques of production, with sericulture and the popularity of silk garments, cotton and, wool amongst some of the best examples.

As well as the exchange between East and West that connected China to Mediterranean regions, and China with Korea and Japan, there was also extensive exchange taking place between regions to the North and South, between the pastoral nomads who roamed seasonally across the lands to the north of the Iranian plateau and sedentary agriculturalist populations in China. These two different styles of living precipitated the popularity of textiles made from different materials with different production techniques and specific types of fibres pointing towards these different modes of living. For example, pastoral nomads tended to use a lot of wool from the sheep they grazed across the steppe requiring large pastures to support themselves whereas sedentary agriculturalists remained in one place to tend to the mulberry plants required for sericulture.

Alternatively, cloth making required a different set of skills, including processing wool and hides, manufacturing thread, and developing stitching techniques. Resources obtained from livestock remained the primary raw material of these craft industries. Sheep's wool was used to manufacture felt, while belts, harnesses, headgear, clothing, and footwear were made from the skins of domesticated livestock. In terms of clothing type and functional design, scholars, diplomats, artisans, merchants and farmers adopted a manner of dress appropriate to their immediate environment. In the Iranian Plateau, Khorasan region was a renowned centre for silk, wool, and cotton textiles, while Nishapur was noted for its cotton cloth, scarves, and turbans that were often exported to Iraq and Egypt. In nomadic societies, herders made items that met immediate requirements related to climate, lifestyle, and mobility.

An excellent example of a specific clothing type being introduced to new regions via exchange along the Silk Roads is the popularising of the wearing of trousers amongst men in China. Mongolian nomads were the primary suppliers of horses to their neighbouring regions and it was during the Han Dynasty (221-206 BCE) that Mongolian horses were first introduced to China via trade. The introduction of Mongolian horses, and with it the practice of horse riding, had a deep impact on Chinese culture, particularly within clothing styles and garment types leading to the widespread adoption of trousers as an item of clothing that was closely linked to mobility along the Silk Roads.

Much of the inter-cultural exchange taking place can be evidenced in the design and ornamentation used on clothing and textiles. Stylized flora and fauna were very popular imagery used across Central Asia whilst other textiles used identifiable figures from the myths and epic poems of other regions, images of which had probably first been seen on other objects exchanged across the Silk Roads and then imitated, in turn creating a shared vocabulary within textile design. Textiles and clothing continued to transform and gain complexity over time by taking on an extended number of influences from other regions. However, they never lost their uniqueness or embedded cultural elements, resulting in a diversity of designs, fabrics, methods of production that capture well the exchange between nomads, merchants, and agriculturalists along the Silk Roads.
See Also The Evolving Role of Merchants along the Land Routes of the Silk Roads Traditional Strategy Games along the Silk Roads - Chess The Butuan Archaeological Sites and the Role of the Philippines in the Maritime Silk Roads The Exchange of Spices along the Silk Roads The Maritime Silk Roads and the Diffusion of Islam in the Korean Peninsula The Exchange of Technical Knowledge used to Craft Silk Roads Goods Silk Roads exchange and the Development of the Medical Sciences Silk Roads Exchanges in Chinese Gastronomy Mathematical Sciences along the Silk Roads The Role of Women in Central Asian Nomadic Society Ancient Trading Centres in the Malay Peninsula Sri Lankan Harbour Cities and the Maritime Silk Roads

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Did You Know? The Exchange of Silk, Cotton and Woolen goods, and their Association with Different Modes of Living along the Silk Roads

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Although silk was indeed a highly sought after and frequently traded ware that lends the Silk Roads its name, fabrics and clothing made from other materials were also exchanged along these routes and formed part of the broader network of cross-cultural interactions taking place within the field of textile production and design.

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Turkish Stone: The Ancient Lore of Turquoise - Elements

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Turquoise may not sparkle like diamonds or glow like amber. And yet, this opaque blue stone has been prized and coveted for millennia. It's one of history's oldest gemstones, and some of the earliest evidence we have for its popularity dates all the way back to ancient Egypt! Tombs from 3000 BCE have been found to contain elaborate turquoise jewelry. In fact, one of the most famous artifacts of all time, King Tutankhamun's burial mask, is covered with turquoise inlays.

The stone we call turquoise is actually a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum, the combination of which results in a beautiful color that can range from yellowish green to a brilliant sky blue. Turquoise is relatively soft, making it relatively easy to cut and carve and thus a natural choice for art and jewelry making.

Natural deposits of turquoise exist in arid climates, including Iran, China, the Southwestern United States, and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Though it has gone by many names, turquoise get its current name from French pierre tourques, or "Turkish Stone." This phrase refers to the Turkish traders who introduced the gem to Europe via the Silk Road in the 13 th century.

While turquoise's popularity has waxed and waned over the centuries, it has always been a stone with both sacred and secular appeal, a gem used as much for ritual and protection as it is for personal adornment. Ancient Persians believed that turquoise could prevent them from harm and covered their daggers and bridles with it. They referred to turquoise as pirouzeh, which translates to "victory." The Persians also claimed that the stone's brilliant blue color represented the heavens above and used turquoise to decorate palaces and mosques. The stone also appeared in their jewelry and on turbans.

Meanwhile Native Americans have long used the stone for ceremony and worship as well as for jewelry. The Apaches wore turquoise as talismans and believed that attaching it to weapons and bows made for better aim. The Navajo used the stone for ritual, and it was thought that casting the stone into a river could summon rainfall. Later in the 19 th century, Native American turquoise jewelry became a major handicraft and commodity, as it still is today. The Hopi and Zuni tribes are particularly famous for their handmade silver and turquoise jewelry and their ancestors have been mining the stone since prehistoric times.

Turquoise's prevalence in the Southwest means it was easily available to the ancient Aztecs, who used it for ceremonial masks, mosaics, and in burial rituals. Aztec chiefs wore turquoise jewelry as a mark of authority. They referred to turquoise as chalchihuitl, or "Stone of the Gods," and legend had it that Quetzalcoatl himself taught Aztecs the art of working with turquoise.

The prevalence of turquoise artifacts from all over the world and across history attests to its timeless allure. Turquoise has become more and more rare overtime, and yet it maintains its appeal as a gem of power, sacredness, protection, and beauty. Whether you favor turquoise for its color, or are eager to wear it as a personal talisman, honing a love for this stone is a tradition that goes back thousands of years!

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Turkish Stone: The Ancient Lore of Turquoise - Elements

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Turquoise may not sparkle like diamonds or glow like amber. And yet, this opaque blue stone has been prized and coveted for millennia. It's one of history's oldest gemstones, and some of the earliest evidence we have for its popularity dates all the way back to ancient Egypt!

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Turquoise ( TUR-k(w)oyz) is a blue-green color, based on the mineral of the same name. The word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois, meaning ‘Turkish’, because the mineral was first brought to Europe through Turkey from mines in the historical Khorasan provinc…

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A unique landscape created by volcanic tuff and delicately shaped by wind, snow and rain for over thousands of years... The homeland of the Hittites, the largest monastery settlement of the world for centuries, the native land of grapes and wine, the cradle of Christianity, the heart of the Seljuks, the oasis of the Anatolian steppe or the "Land of Beautiful Horses" as the Persians called it: this is Cappadocia...

The unfolding of a fascinating history, a mystical atmosphere, a beauty forever etched in mind... And in the middle of all this stands a hotel built with a love for this region: Argos in Cappadocia... It is the most special hotel of the land which underground cities were carved into thousands of years ago, millions of pigeons considered to be the safest nest, and monks retreated to for centuries.

The hotel offers an unparalleled stay with a unique value offering from one of a kind room options to an enchanting history, staff to food & beverage varieties, decoration to architecture, eco-consciousness and pet friendliness to a meaningful contribution to the region.

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A unique landscape created by volcanic tuff and delicately shaped by wind, snow and rain for over thousands of years... The homeland of the Hittites, the largest monastery settlement of the world for centuries, the native land of grapes and wine, the cradle of Christianity, the heart of the Seljuks, the oasis of the Anatolian steppe or the "Land of Beautiful Horses" as the Persians called it: this is Cappadocia...

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Restaurant and Hotel Furniture Suppliers

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Restaurant and Hotel Furniture Suppliers

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Summer's out, school's in, and our European factories are once again operating in full force. This August, we are delighted to showcase some of the best back-to-school furniture from our favourite projects in the education sector. From tables to lounge chairs to office chairs, we invite you to take a look at this month's selection.

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Our workshop in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, is home to a proud team of experienced furniture makers who employ age-old artisanal skills to craft furniture to the highest standards. At Coco Wolf, we use innovative, high-performance materials engineered to withstand high-traffic use and defy the worst of the weather.

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Outdoor Restaurant Furniture Weatherproof & Durable Chairs & Tables

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Outdoor Restaurant Furniture Weatherproof & Durable Chairs & Tables

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We offer fantastic range of Outdoor Restaurant Furniture available with quick delivery. Buy online from Warner Contract Furniture the industries leading commercial outdoor furniture supplier

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Inside Out has been supplying furniture to businesses since 1999; working to a simple ethos of exceptional products delivered with exceptional customer service.

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Inside Out has been supplying furniture to businesses since 1999; working to a simple ethos of exceptional products delivered with exceptional customer service.

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The Index Creatives: five independent textile designers inspired by botanical patterns

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Its roots may extend all the way back to ancient Egypt, but floral print remains as popular today as ever. Here, Busola Evans asks noteworthy fabric makers why it's such an evergreen feature of their most beloved designs.

1. Susi Bellamy

Known for her love of vibrant colour, Susi Bellamy launched her eponymous brand in 2016 with a collection of cushions which she described as 'art for the sofa' and she has now branched out into wallpaper, fabric, lampshades and scarves. Much of her inspiration for this, she says, lies in the outdoors. 'As an abstract artist my interpretation of the floral or botanical motif comes from close-up crops of my larger paintings,' she explains. 'I love the textures and colours of petals and stamens and the blur of hues as you look at a flower bed or garden. The femininity and beauty of flowers is timeless. They add colour and the best of nature to any interior.'

A former magazine fashion editor, from where she undoubtedly honed her eye, she has drawn influences from Florence, a city she lived for six years, and the skills of the local artisans she came across.

'I am inspired by colour first and foremost,' says Susi who cites her favourite flowers as roses and peonies. 'My paintings, from where some of my designs come from, are usually based on landscapes and flowers but abstracted to give a sense of the beauty rather than being representational. 'Because I spent some time living in Florence, a lot of my designs are based on my marbled papers. The marbled designs we feature transport me back to Florence and make me think of book-end papers and artisan crafts. One of my favourite designs is Bouquet which looks like a blooming flower. And also the Comb design in Jade which reminds me of botanical ferns.' Colour and pattern will continue to be rooted in Susi's brand. 'I find both elements completely joyful and love mixing and matching the various collections together for some pretty maximalism,' she says. 'I also enjoy the referencing of pattern as different designs reflect place and time. I love seeing all the different patterns displayed together like a pile of books.'

2. Alison Gee Art and Design

Alison Gee is in no doubt why botanicals play such an important role within her textiles collection. 'They reflect how important the natural world is to us,' she explains. 'Recreating our natural environment for the interior enhances our sense of wellbeing.' Armed with this insight, not to mention the expertise from over 30 years of creating fabric and wallpaper designs with some of the world's most prestigious brands, Alison decided to launch her own collection in 2020.

Alison's clever reinterpretation of historical designs from around the globe gives her collection depth and displays her remarkable range. She excels at hand-painted botanical designs - she has four botanically painted offerings in her collection, Daisy, Anne, Tulip Trail, and Tulip Bunch - but she is equally at home with a more textured and painterly technique, often recreating traditional block-printed effects. Alison's collection includes a Fortuny-style damask, two dramatic, large-scale Indian Palampore motifs, a Suzani design, as well as a variety of highly useful coordinates.

'My work is inspired by nature, history and global design.' says Alison. 'I look to the past for my references, because the best designs are not fashionable: they are timeless.' As head designer at Morris & Co for many years, Alison knows the power of enduring style. 'William Morris's designs have all stood the test of time, and I hope that mine will do the same,' she says. 'Decorating is expensive, so the fabrics and wallpapers that you choose should last and not go out of fashion. I also adore Indian and Central Asian design, which I find a source of endless inspiration.

Layering scales and types of patterns - spriggy designs with trails, large with small motifs, and stripes in different widths - is one of Alison's hallmarks. 'It makes an interior interesting and beautiful,' she says. 'The many scales and patterns in my collection work together because they are all available in a variety of harmonious palettes.

Like botanical painters of the past, Alison likes to add insects to her botanical designs. 'This is particularly true of baroque artists, whose use of, say, a caterpillar eating a leaf, symbolises the transience - or as I prefer to think of it - the circle of life. But quite apart from their historical and natural accuracy, insects also simply add a quirky sense of fun to botanical designs.'

While wildflowers are one of Alison's favourite plants, she particularly enjoys working with tulips. 'Tulips are always wonderful to paint, as they come in so many different shapes and colours and have such a global appeal - from their origins in Turkey, as seen in those wonderful Iznik ceramics, through to their importance in the art, history and economy of the Netherlands,' she says. 'I also absolutely love foxgloves. They are so elegant, yet still wild and natural, though more difficult in shape to create a design from... one day I will rise to the challenge.'

3. Becky Johnstone

Becky Johnstone has worked as a professional textile designer for over twenty years and her signature collection, launched in 2021, is a culmination of drawings depicting ecosystems and relationships in nature. 'Botanicals are an important part of my textile collection,' she confirms. 'I am of the belief that nature allows us to connect with the creator of a complex, fearfully and wonderfully wrought universe. Nature is at once a million ecosystems; balanced, self replenishing and often beyond our comprehension. To me it could only be made by a creator with infinitely higher and grander designs than we could ask or imagine, and that is the constant source of mystery and inspiration.' Becky's designs, which are hand-drawn and painted in the UK, are printed on wide-format wallpapers and fine linens cultivated in France and Belgium.

The Australian-born designer points to two prints in her collection, Sherbet Lilies and Wisteria, as a reflection of her love for florals. 'Lilies have the most amazing scent, and I wanted to create a pattern where the imagery would remind one of their fragrance,' she says.

'The design is almost entirely the flower heads, petals and stamen, and at very close range, as it would be if you leaned into a vase of lilies to inhale. The sherbet hues reflect that downy mess of pollen that often powders the surface of large lily-white petals.' Her Wisteria pattern was an inspiration close to home. 'Those patterns reflect that hazy light that falls within the tangled fronds of wisteria climbers in my garden,' says Becky. 'They climb a south facing wall, and create wonderful, hazy shadows and bursts of blurred light at different times of the day.'

Becky believes there are many reasons why the botanical prints will remain popular. 'One realises how important those representative qualities can be, to one's mental life and sense of wellbeing. Botanical motifs register those mnemonic and representative powers, be that reminders of past encounters, or associations such as weddings, gifts or people in our lives.'

4. Lisa Fine Textiles

It was textile designer Lisa Fine's first visit to India 20 years ago, following a career in magazines, which set the scene for what was to come. Captivated by the vibrancy of the culture, she founded - alongside her friend Carolina Irving - Irving & Fine, a fashion brand known for its sumptuous silks, spice colours and a relaxed aesthetic originating from the East. Lisa went on to start her own eponymous fabric line, an ode to her adventurous spirit. Her hand-printed linens are now sold in 16 showrooms worldwide. 'The colours and patterns, the Mughal palaces and gardens, were my original inspirations,' says Lisa, who splits her time between New York and Dallas with frequent trips to Paris and India. 'Since then my far-reaching travels have continued to influence my work, where exotic and traditional prints in vibrant and romantic colours feel both worldly and timeless. Lately I have been influenced by the English gardens and am drawn to old world chintz.'

Lisa's keen eye for botanicals are weaved through her work and perfectly captured in two offerings. 'Zahra, a Turkish inspired design with carnations and pomegranates reflects the exotic influence found in many of my textiles while Mirabel is inspired by a classic chintz and is reminiscent of an English garden. I love to mix stripes and flowers.'

She continues: 'There are no prettier colours than that of nature. To me, every room should have flowers whether fresh cut or in a textile, preferably both.'

Lisa's favourite flower comes from childhood. 'I have a special love for magnolias,' she says. 'I grew up in Mississippi where we had a large magnolia tree in our front yard. I love anemones, dahlias, peonies.... I am always drawn to the strong pinks, reds, oranges, purple, often mixing all of the colours. 'My love for textiles really stems from my love for colour and pattern. Botanicals help create a peaceful and comforting ambience.'

5. Newton Paisley

While working as a conservation biologist in Latin America, Dr Susy Paisley illustrated her field books with drawings of surrounding flora and fauna; these magnificent subjects brought her interest in the intersection between art and science to the fore. Soon enough, Newton Paisley was born: a collection of hand-drawn printed linen and wallpapers, all designed to articulate the state of biophilia. 'We design directly from the tradition of botanical and natural history illustration, with its mix of passion and careful execution,' explains Susy.

'I am the designer, but also a conservation biologist - [so I take] great delight in depicting and honouring real wild species, particularly those in need of conservation attention.' All Newton Paisley designs feature rare and artistically neglected wild plants: the Carolina Tree of Life collection - celebrating the wildlife of the American south - and the Mercia Vines linens, a tribute to rare old English flora and fauna, are best sellers. Some of her designs are based directly on her work as a conservationist: 'the Madidi collection is about the magical Andean cloud forest where I lived, studying bears, in Bolivia,' says Susy.

Asked about her plant preferences, Susy, perhaps unsurprisingly, does not go for the conventional picks. She names the savagely carnivorous Venus Flytrap, the exuberantly twisting sepals and petals of the Lizard Orchid and the impudent orange berries of the Stinking Iris. But she insists: 'I am not immune to the charms of traditional chintzes with their big blousy roses and peonies, but I feel my role is to lift up more neglected flora.

With sustainability a key focus, Newton Paisley ensures that for every metre of eco-friendly fabric and roll of wallpaper sold, 100 square metres of wild habitat is preserved through the World Land Trust. 'The timelessness and popularity of botanical prints is something I think about a lot,' she says. 'I am actually writing a book about this at the moment -I think that letting our eyes travel through botanical patterns connects us to our deepest human prehistory, where our success at foraging depended on our ability to seek out and discern patterns and variation in patterns.'

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The Index Creatives: five independent textile designers inspired by botanical patterns

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Index Stories posted by Admin User - Blog Author about The Index Creatives: five independent textile designers inspired by botanical patterns on The World of Interiors.

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15 Times Flowers Floated Down the Runway

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I am specifically looking how they use actual flowers and how flowers were trend .

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In honor of Mother Nature, we've rounded up a few of our all-time favorite fashion bouquets. These aren't the type of blooms offered as congratulations at the end of a show, but full-on floral arrangements that walked down the runway.

Way before flowers became a seasonal trend on the catwalks, Magnoliophytae (the scientific name for a flowering plant), were placed in vases to liven up our lives. Today, these natural beauties are often woven into many elements of a fashion show, from the decor to the actual designs, creating drama all around. Whether a model is carrying fresh cuts down the runway in a tote, or turning into a lifesize bouquet of her own, flowers are undoubtedly the ultimate accessory.

From John Galliano's elegant floral headdresses to Virgil Abloh's fragrant harness for Louis Vuitton, check out 15 of our favorite floral-themed fits below.

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15 Times Flowers Floated Down the Runway

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In honor of Mother Nature, we've rounded up a few of our all-time favorite fashion bouquets. These aren't the type of blooms offered as congratulations at the end of a show, but full-on floral arrangements that walked down the runway.

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Artwork Portfolio - UpandDownDale - Wet Felt Artist

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Lynn Comley - a textile artist based in Scarborough on the North Yorkshire Coast, UK
2023 Workshops: Only a few places remaining. Email me to go on the waiting list. Featured artist: TextileArtist.org DISCOVER: Floral Textile Artists.
A member of S.E.W, the International Feltmakers Association, North Yorkshire Open Studio Member Artist, and Co-founder of Embracing Wool
Follow Lynn on Instagram for all the latest!

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Artwork Portfolio - UpandDownDale - Wet Felt Artist

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Lynn Comley - a textile artist based in Scarborough on the North Yorkshire Coast, UK2023 Workshops: Only a few places remaining. Email me to go on the waiting list.Featured artist: TextileArtist.org DISCOVER: Floral Textile Artists. A member of S.E.W, the International Feltmakers Association, North Yorkshire Open Studio Member Artist, and Co-founder of Embracing Wool Follow Lynn on Instagram for all the latest!

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Made By Hand Online - Liz Cooksey at madebyhandonline. Mixed media by Liz Cooksey.

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She is an textile designer which uses 3 d materials and create flower shapes from interesting object i am inspired her style to use 3d pen for my pattern explorations

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Made By Hand Online - Liz Cooksey at madebyhandonline. Mixed media by Liz Cooksey.

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I am a textile artist living and working in Manchester where I studied embroidery at university. In my studio based work I explore a range of hand and machine embroidery techniques, I also teach textiles at Salford City College. My current work involves an eclectic mix of found and made treasures b…

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Louise Gardiner - Contemporary Embroidery

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She is a textile designer working with mixed media and flower motifs

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CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Stitched from the ground up and inspired by 21 natural, health giving ingredients, the centrepiece for the campaign has taken the form of a beautiful cape and aims to capture all that is feminine, powerful and potent about woman kind. This isn't about superficial beauty, it's about nurturing individuality and about taking a step back from the norm and thinking about what we've all got to contribute. To encourage a gentle more charismatic femininity, it's not about sex and celebrity, It's about the essence of being female and being in touch with your own true nature.

Having been deeply influenced by teaching women all around the world, tapping into this amazing sisterhood and realising how much we all have in common, this cape is a joyful celebration of all those women that have been and all those yet to come. Anyone is welcome to try it on and feel like that queen, that warrior, that nurturer; any and all of those wonderful roles that we play.

The Womankind Pukka project exists to empower, inspire and encourage creativity, by highlighting our connection with nature through the magic of herbs and plants. I wanted to make visual the magical ingredients that actually go into making Womankind tea; beetroot, chamomile, pomegranate, to show how beautiful they are. I'm hoping to inspire women to think about what they're putting in their bodies and to emphasise how important it is to nurture ourselves with the gifts that have been cultivated by mother nature.

Commissions and prints -

Bespoke commissions range from £8000 - £40,000.
I create approximately 3 pieces of embroidered artwork per year.

Prints are also available.
Please contact me directly.
louise@lougardiner.co.uk

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Louise Gardiner - Contemporary Embroidery

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CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE Stitched from the ground up and inspired by 21 natural, health giving ingredients, the centrepiece for the campaign has taken the form of a beautiful cape and aims to capture all that is feminine, powerful and potent about woman kind.

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History of Turkish Ceramics - Turkey Travel Planner

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History of Turkish Ceramics - Turkey Travel Planner

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The art of Turkish ceramics developed in Anatolia in the earliest ages of the region, and play a very important role in Turkey's history and culture. Turkey's history of ceramic production dates back to about 10,000 years, with different types developing in multiple regions. During the mid-20th century era, mass production began as Turkish ceramic [...]

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The most magical night swimming in bioluminescent plankton - Alyn Wallace Photography

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I glanced at the long way round, back to the estuary and back to the long way round. I didn't want to waste any time so I took my first steps into the water, lighting up the way with my head-torch terrified (not of the pain of being pinched, but of killing one of the poor unsuspecting creatures). Thankfully I made it over unscathed, all toes in tact and all crabs safe and sound.

I set the tripod up as quickly as possible and began snapping away. The plankton only glows when agitated so as the waves broke a blue glow would grow and spread across the shore.

I very quickly tired of moving my bag 50m further ashore and running back into the sea to adjust the camera and try to get a steady shot on the ever sinking sand, so after a few shots I considered myself happy, put my possessions at a 'safe distance', stripped off naked and immersed myself in the enchanted waters. Swimming past midnight in Wales and not being cold was enough of an experience in itself, but being surrounded by the blue glow and sparkle of bioluminescent plankton whilst underneath the grace of the Milky Way was one of the most surreal and magical moments of my life.

I lost track of time before scrambling back to the shore, hunting for the red light of my headtorch where I had left my stuff. I got there in the nick of time, my clothes having been washed by the incoming tide but my camera and equipment were just about safe. Phew.

I later checked out satellite imagery from the days and weeks before and was shocked to see the plankton bloom visible all the way from space! Something I'll now probably check quite regularly as I'm not sure the novelty of such magic would wear off if I was lucky enough to catch it again...

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The most magical night swimming in bioluminescent plankton - Alyn Wallace Photography

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It was only when I powered up the camera and saw the images on the rear LCD that the previous night felt real and I could firmly pen a tick on another bucket list item - swimming in bioluminescent plankton. Something I never thought I'd get to experience here in Wales.

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Glow-in-the-Dark Home Furniture Lights Up Nights

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During the day, these 14 furniture and home decor items like lounge chairs, sideboards, bathroom countertops, tiles and wallpaper look fairly ordinary (though beautifully designed). But when the lights go out, they reveal their versatility, lighting up with built-in LED lights or glowing from within.

Full Moon Sideboard

Not only does this gorgeous sideboard feature a stunning digital image of the moon over three-quarters of its surfaces, but it was also treated with glow-in-the-dark paint and ecologically friendly dark blue paint to create a heavenly effect at night. The sideboard was designed by Sotirios Papadopaulos for ENNEZERO and displayed in Milan in 2008.

Bright Woods with Embedded Glow-in-the-Dark Stripes

Rounded wooden furniture that can act as ottomans, stools or coffee tables, ' Bright Woods ' from Gruppo Avanzini includes stripes of various types of wood in between glow-in-the-dark resin.

LED Light Pots for the Garden

Why install extra lighting in your garden when your potted plants could glow? These pot lights from Rotoluxe come in various shapes and sizes including printed varieties, and include lighting elements that shine from within their transparent bodies.

Transparent Glowing Bathroom Counters

The soft illumination given off by these glowing countertops makes night lights in the bathroom a thing of the past. Italian company Masto Fiore hand-crafts these beautiful countertops from natural alabaster stone with integrated illumination. Pair them with translucent glass sink vessels and you've got quite a magical effect.

Light-Emitting Wallpaper

It's wallpaper that lights up! Designed by Jonas Samson, this light-emitting wallpaper is unfortunately just a prototype and not for sale, but it's an intriguing concept.

Lounge that Glows at Night

By day, the Lagoon daybed by Solpuri is a comfortable and very chic place to relax, accommodating two and offering a removable shade. By night, the translucent base of the lounger lights up from inside.

Glowing Textiles by Kathy Schicker

Designer Kathy Schicker calls our attention to something we never realized that we needed: glow-in-the-dark textiles. Offering a range of prints, Schicker's collection looks like ordinary fabric during the day but starts to glow when the lights go out.

Light-Up Outdoor Bar

(images via: vondom)

Furniture maker Vondom offers up yet another futuristic glow-in-the-dark offering in the form of a lighted outdoor bar. The Fiesta bar comes in curved and straight sections so you can adjust it to the size and shape you want, and is fitted with LED lights in your choice of colors.

Gumball Modern Garden Furniture

(images via: plust)

The unusual rounded shapes of this garden collection by Plust are enough to make it stand out, living up to its name 'Gumball' with candy-bright colors. But what sets this collection apart even more is - you guessed it - the capability to glow in the dark.

Via Lattea Furniture by Meritalia

Inhabitat likened this unusual furniture line to ' a collection of homemade marshmallows', and it's easy to see why. The chairs and couches of the Via Lattea collection, designed by Mario Bellini for Meritalia, are made of steel mesh covered with recycled fiber sacks that were once used to transport grain, stones and sugar. The sacs are filled with air and include LED lights

Lucedentro Glowing Tiles

An Italian company specializing in photoluminescence has produced these incredible glowing tiles, which can be used to create a bathtub as pictured, an artistic mosaic or even to cover entire surfaces like floors and wall tiles. When the lights go out, the photoluminescence materials glow in a range of colors.

Ergonomic Lounge Chair Lantern

(image via: vondom)

Who doesn't love a good dual-purpose piece of furniture? Vondom offers another modern outdoor lounge chair that is beautiful enough during the day, but turns into a lantern of sorts when the sun sets. The materials used to make it are 100% recyclable, and they can withstand extreme weather conditions, making it a durable and eco-friendly choice.

Vondom Pillow Patio Furniture

(images via: vondom)

Patio furniture doesn't get much more inviting - in a space-age sort of way - than this. Shaped like comfy pillows, this collection designed by Stefano Giovannoni for Vondom is made of the same material as the lantern/lounge chair and comes in a range of shapes including bucket-like side tables that make perfect coolers.

Floating Sphere Lights for Indoors or Out

Throw them in the pool, toss them on the lawn or just position them through your house. The Aqua Globo by Slide Design looks equally cool indoors and out, providing visual interest and a soft glow.

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Glow-in-the-Dark Home Furniture Lights Up Nights

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During the day, these 14 furniture and home decor items like lounge chairs, sideboards, bathroom countertops, tiles and wallpaper look fairly ordinary (though beautifully designed). But when the lights go out, they reveal their versatility, lighting up with built-in LED lights or glowing from within.

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15 Glow In The Dark Furniture Which Illuminate Your Events

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15 Glow In The Dark Furniture Which Illuminate Your Events

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To help you hold you event, we recommend 15 glow in the dark furniture including lighting tables, chairs, stools to you in the article.

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A family-run mobile kitchen serving lumen-ramen for the non-commons.

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We had to see what makes glow-in-the-dark ramen shine so bright

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Neon yellow, bright orange and blue -- the "lumen ramen," as it's called, literally glows in the dark!

The restaurant, which pops up all over the country, claims to be the world's first glow-in-the-dark ramen shop.

As of now, it's stationed at Yamashiro Hollywood in Los Angeles until July 21.

Visitors should not expect the typical dining experience.

Instead, you embark on a mysterious tour to reach the pop-up spot's location, where you can choose between general admission or VIP.

The price difference is $83 versus $158. The dining portion of the event is about 30 minutes, and if you purchase VIP, you sit during your meal rather than stand at a bar.

At first, the secretive staff wouldn't unveil what makes the food glow.

But founder Ami Sueki says it's a combination of vitamin B, some amino acids, plants with high chlorophyll and a UV light.

Sueki told "Good Morning America" she came up with the concept about three years ago when she had a dream about it.

Sueki said the decor inside the shop is "inspired by my grandparents' house."

"It was always spooky because it was so old when I went to stay at [their] house," she continued. "It creeped me out because they had so many Asian dolls and paintings and trinkets."

Folklore and storytelling play a significant role in the experience. The restaurant tells the fictional story of the Nakamura family.

The story goes that the Nakamuras are a family of supernatural spirits, and here, the waiters and chefs are "Yokai spirits" who lead the journey to this otherworldly ramen.
ABC News' Angeline Bernabe and Karolina Rivas contributed to this report.

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We had to see what makes glow-in-the-dark ramen shine so bright

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Neon yellow, bright orange and blue -- the "lumen ramen," as it's called, literally glows in the dark! The restaurant, which pops up all over the country, claims to be the world's first glow-in-the-dark ramen shop. As of now, it's stationed at Yamashiro Hollywood in Los Angeles until July 21.

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History of the Tulip: From Turkish Love Affair to Dutch Tulipmania Obsession

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The largest and most famous flower garden in the world is not too far from Amsterdam; it is just south of Haarlem, the town known as the most Flemish city of the north. The flower garden is called Keukenhof, and visitors to Keukenhof can experience the gorgeous views of blooming Dutch tulips as well as other over seven million pretty flowers including orchids, roses, carnations, irises, hyacinths, daffodils, lilies, and many others, all of which have made The Netherlands famous around the world.

The best time to visit Keukenhof is between March 20 to May 10 when the flower park opens its doors coinciding with the tulip blooming season. Every year, Keukenhof chooses a different theme, meaning the experience is unique each time. Keukenhof can easily be reached by public transport within half an hour from Amsterdam, Haarlem, Rotterdam, and The Hague. The annual Tulip Festival is usually held in May. Sadly, this year it has been cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic.

Tulip Museum in Amsterdam

Tulips have their own museum in The Netherlands. The Amsterdam Tulip Museum takes visitors on a journey through the history of the tulip. The museum offers a deep look into The Netherlands' favorite flower through photographs, videos, interactive displays, and historical artifacts.

Related Articles:

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History of the Tulip: From Turkish Love Affair to Dutch Tulipmania Obsession

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The largest and most famous flower garden in the world is not too far from Amsterdam; it is just south of Haarlem, the town known as the most Flemish city of the north.

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The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, Turkish: Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peaceful period, during which the Ottoman Empire began to orient itself outwards.

The name of the period derives from the tulip craze among the Ottoman court society. Cultivating this culturally ambiguous emblem had become a celebrated practice.[1] The tulip period illustrated the conflicts brought by early modern consumer culture. During this period the elite and high-class society of the Ottoman period had established an immense fondness for the tulip, which were utilized in various occasions. Tulips defined nobility and privilege, both in terms of goods and leisure time.

The Tulip Period, an era of relative peace and prosperity, saw a rebirth of Ottoman art and architecture (see Tulip Period architecture). During this period, Ottoman public buildings incorporated, for the first time, elements of western European designs, leading to the foundation of Ottoman Baroque architecture in the following decade.

Under the guidance of Sultan Ahmed III's son-in-law, Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha, the Ottoman Empire embarked on new policies and programs during this period, which established the first Ottoman-language printing press during the 1720s,[2] and promoted commerce and industry.

The Grand Vizier was concerned with improving trade relations and enhancing commercial revenues, which would help to explain the return to gardens and the more public style of the Ottoman court during this period. The Grand Vizier was himself very fond of tulip bulbs, setting an example for Istanbul's elite who started to cherish the tulip's endless variety in paint and celebrate its seasonality as well.[3]

The Ottoman standard of dress and its commodity culture incorporated their passion for the tulip. Within Istanbul, one could find tulips from the flower markets to the plastic arts to silks and textiles. Tulip bulbs could be found everywhere; the demand grew within the elite community where they could be found in homes and gardens.

Therefore, the tulip is a symbol with mythical appeal, which can be found from Ottoman palaces to their clothing, which sustains a memory of the Ottoman Empire's social past. The tulip can be seen as a romantic monument representing the wealthy and elite, and the fragility of despotic rule.[4]

The Tulip period saw a flowering of arts, culture and architecture. Compared with the earlier classical style of Ottoman architecture, architecture and decoration in this period became more ornate and favoured floral motifs, being influenced by the Baroque style in Europe. An iconic example is the Fountain of Ahmed III built in 1728 in front of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, one of many fountains and sebils built in this period. In addition to European influences, the architecture of the Tulip Period was also influenced by Safavid art and architecture to the east. The return of the sultan's court to Istanbul - after a period of residence in Edirne in the late 17th century - resulted in renewed building activity in the capital. Significant efforts were also made to repair or restore many of the city's older buildings. Ahmed III's grand vizier, Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha, was in large part responsible for stimulating this construction and restoration activity. According to scholar Ünver Rüstem, the patronage of Ahmet III's court in the realm of architecture and culture in this period was part of an effort to reengage the public with its rulers after the latter had become secluded during the royal court's time in Edirne.

One of the most important creations of the Tulip Period was the Sadâbâd Palace, a new summer palace designed and built by Damat Ibrahim Pasha in 1722-1723 for Ahmed III. It was located at Kâğıthane, a rural area on the outskirts of the city with small rivers that flow into the Golden Horn inlet. The palace grounds included a long marble-lined canal, the Cedval-i Sim, around which were gardens, pavilions, and palace apartments in a landscaped setting. This overall design probably emulated French pleasure palaces, following the descriptions of Paris and Versailles brought to the sultan's court by Yirmisekiz Çelebi Mehmed Efendi in 1721. In addition to his own palace, the sultan encouraged members of his court to build their own pavilions along the canal, while the regular inhabitants of Istanbul also used the surrounding area as a recreational ground for excursions and picnics. This was a novel practice in Ottoman culture that brought the public within close proximity of the ruler for the first time. It was often described or illustrated by contemporary art and literature, such as in the poems of Nedîm and in the Zenanname (Book of Women") by Enderûnlu Fâzıl.

The tulip was also praised in poetry and motifs used in paintings. To this day in modern Turkey the tulip is still considered the embodiment of perfection and beauty. Turkish Airlines decorates its planes with a painting of a tulip on its fuselage.[14]

Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha (1718-1730) was the Grand Vizier of the Empire; therefore the period is delineated over his vizierate rather than Sultan Ahmed III

Grand Admiral Mustafa Pasa - was the son-in-law of the Grand Vizier and is remembered for establishing forty-four new tulip breeds[15]

Ibrahim Muteferrika - a Hungarian who had established the first Ottoman printing press which was seen as a landmark of the period

Nedim - a poet who broke new ground by challenging the traditional canon while writing in a classical Ottoman format.

Abdulcelil Levni - an outstanding miniature painter who began to work in Edirne to Istanbul where he studied painting and became the court painter where the Ottoman tradition of miniature albums was revived. These albums that Levni painted were called Tulip albums which mirrored the structure of the state itself, ranking distinguished members of the regime according to horticultural achievements.[16]

This section needs expansion with: Information about the Patrona Halil rebellion and the end of the period.. You can help by adding to it.

Tulip prices began to rise in the last decades of the 17th century and peaked in 1726-1727 before state intervention. This reflected the demand for the inflated value of the rare bulbs and escalating demands for flowers in the elite's palaces and gardens.[17]

Tulip mania demonstrated the state's power to regulate the economy by increasing the prices for bulbs. Courtiers at the time forwarded a petition to denounce the practice of flower sellers, whom they perceived to be taking advantage of the elite by raising the prices of the bulbs. This led to the process of issuing inventories of flowers and price lists to the judge of Istanbul for enforcement.[18]

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The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, Turkish: Lâle Devri ), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peaceful period, during which the Ottoman Empire began to orient itself outwards.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, Turkish: Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peaceful period, during which the Ottoman Empire began to orient itself outwards.

The name of the period derives from the tulip craze among the Ottoman court society. Cultivating this culturally ambiguous emblem had become a celebrated practice.[1] The tulip period illustrated the conflicts brought by early modern consumer culture. During this period the elite and high-class society of the Ottoman period had established an immense fondness for the tulip, which were utilized in various occasions. Tulips defined nobility and privilege, both in terms of goods and leisure time.

The Tulip Period, an era of relative peace and prosperity, saw a rebirth of Ottoman art and architecture (see Tulip Period architecture). During this period, Ottoman public buildings incorporated, for the first time, elements of western European designs, leading to the foundation of Ottoman Baroque architecture in the following decade.

Under the guidance of Sultan Ahmed III's son-in-law, Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha, the Ottoman Empire embarked on new policies and programs during this period, which established the first Ottoman-language printing press during the 1720s,[2] and promoted commerce and industry.

The Grand Vizier was concerned with improving trade relations and enhancing commercial revenues, which would help to explain the return to gardens and the more public style of the Ottoman court during this period. The Grand Vizier was himself very fond of tulip bulbs, setting an example for Istanbul's elite who started to cherish the tulip's endless variety in paint and celebrate its seasonality as well.[3]

The Ottoman standard of dress and its commodity culture incorporated their passion for the tulip. Within Istanbul, one could find tulips from the flower markets to the plastic arts to silks and textiles. Tulip bulbs could be found everywhere; the demand grew within the elite community where they could be found in homes and gardens.

Therefore, the tulip is a symbol with mythical appeal, which can be found from Ottoman palaces to their clothing, which sustains a memory of the Ottoman Empire's social past. The tulip can be seen as a romantic monument representing the wealthy and elite, and the fragility of despotic rule.[4]

The Tulip period saw a flowering of arts, culture and architecture. Compared with the earlier classical style of Ottoman architecture, architecture and decoration in this period became more ornate and favoured floral motifs, being influenced by the Baroque style in Europe. An iconic example is the Fountain of Ahmed III built in 1728 in front of Topkapı Palace in Istanbul, one of many fountains and sebils built in this period. In addition to European influences, the architecture of the Tulip Period was also influenced by Safavid art and architecture to the east. The return of the sultan's court to Istanbul - after a period of residence in Edirne in the late 17th century - resulted in renewed building activity in the capital. Significant efforts were also made to repair or restore many of the city's older buildings. Ahmed III's grand vizier, Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha, was in large part responsible for stimulating this construction and restoration activity. According to scholar Ünver Rüstem, the patronage of Ahmet III's court in the realm of architecture and culture in this period was part of an effort to reengage the public with its rulers after the latter had become secluded during the royal court's time in Edirne.

One of the most important creations of the Tulip Period was the Sadâbâd Palace, a new summer palace designed and built by Damat Ibrahim Pasha in 1722-1723 for Ahmed III. It was located at Kâğıthane, a rural area on the outskirts of the city with small rivers that flow into the Golden Horn inlet. The palace grounds included a long marble-lined canal, the Cedval-i Sim, around which were gardens, pavilions, and palace apartments in a landscaped setting. This overall design probably emulated French pleasure palaces, following the descriptions of Paris and Versailles brought to the sultan's court by Yirmisekiz Çelebi Mehmed Efendi in 1721. In addition to his own palace, the sultan encouraged members of his court to build their own pavilions along the canal, while the regular inhabitants of Istanbul also used the surrounding area as a recreational ground for excursions and picnics. This was a novel practice in Ottoman culture that brought the public within close proximity of the ruler for the first time. It was often described or illustrated by contemporary art and literature, such as in the poems of Nedîm and in the Zenanname (Book of Women") by Enderûnlu Fâzıl.

The tulip was also praised in poetry and motifs used in paintings. To this day in modern Turkey the tulip is still considered the embodiment of perfection and beauty. Turkish Airlines decorates its planes with a painting of a tulip on its fuselage.[14]

Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha (1718-1730) was the Grand Vizier of the Empire; therefore the period is delineated over his vizierate rather than Sultan Ahmed III

Grand Admiral Mustafa Pasa - was the son-in-law of the Grand Vizier and is remembered for establishing forty-four new tulip breeds[15]

Ibrahim Muteferrika - a Hungarian who had established the first Ottoman printing press which was seen as a landmark of the period

Nedim - a poet who broke new ground by challenging the traditional canon while writing in a classical Ottoman format.

Abdulcelil Levni - an outstanding miniature painter who began to work in Edirne to Istanbul where he studied painting and became the court painter where the Ottoman tradition of miniature albums was revived. These albums that Levni painted were called Tulip albums which mirrored the structure of the state itself, ranking distinguished members of the regime according to horticultural achievements.[16]

This section needs expansion with: Information about the Patrona Halil rebellion and the end of the period.. You can help by adding to it.

Tulip prices began to rise in the last decades of the 17th century and peaked in 1726-1727 before state intervention. This reflected the demand for the inflated value of the rare bulbs and escalating demands for flowers in the elite's palaces and gardens.[17]

Tulip mania demonstrated the state's power to regulate the economy by increasing the prices for bulbs. Courtiers at the time forwarded a petition to denounce the practice of flower sellers, whom they perceived to be taking advantage of the elite by raising the prices of the bulbs. This led to the process of issuing inventories of flowers and price lists to the judge of Istanbul for enforcement.[18]

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The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era ( Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, Turkish: Lâle Devri ), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peaceful period, during which the Ottoman Empire began to orient itself outwards.

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Turquoise is one of the world's most ancient gems. Archaeological excavations revealed that the rulers of ancient Egypt adorned themselves with turquoise jewelry, and Chinese artisans were carving it more than 3,000 years ago. Turquoise is the national gem of Tibet, and has long been considered a stone that guarantees health, good fortune, and protection from evil.

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1.Turkic Heritage
2. glow in the dark materiality
3.orientalist/chinoserie inspired
4.Under Silk Road theme
5.

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Reception has very central asian motifs

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Nirvana Dolce Vita is located in the center of Tekirova with its own private bay of 630 meters, located in a hidden paradise within pine forests, where the Taurus mountains and the Mediterranean meet. Discover the beauties of the Mediterranean at Nirvana Dolce Vita surrounded by nature. Enjoy a variety of activities from horse riding to diving at Nirvana Dolce Vita, which has a private 163,000 square meter area.

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Nirvana Dolce Vita is located in the center of Tekirova with its own private bay of 630 meters, located in a hidden paradise within pine forests, where the Taurus mountains and the Mediterranean meet. Discover the beauties of the Mediterranean at Nirvana Dolce Vita surrounded by nature.

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Inside China's glowing neon restaurants - The Spaces

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Neon lighting design might have fallen out of fashion in the West in recent years, but over in China, they're embracing glowing, futuristic lights in their restaurant interiors. Local studios are taking a multi-sensory approach to creating surreal spaces that look more like video games than dining spots.

Here are 5 neon restaurants in China where people can dip into an alternative reality with their desserts and enhance their dining experience.

Nyx Rooftop Bar in Shanghai

Ancient ruins are given a futuristic spin at Shanghai restaurant Nyx Rooftop Bar designed Alberto Caiola. Named after the Greek goddess of the night and inspired by Italian ruins, the glowing design takes on a phygital (ie physical plus digital) aesthetic and aims to create a sense of surrealism. Structures and fittings are covered in black lights with more than 21,000 metres of UV reactive cord in them, while the bar has spectacular views of the city below.
627 Huaihai Zhong Lu, Seventh Floor, Jing'an Si, Shanghai, China
Omakase in Shanghai

Hyperreality restaurant Omakase in Shanghai's Xujiahui neighbourhood immerses diners in a dreamscape of neon cherry blossom. The labyrinth of lights and lines was designed by architect Sun Tianwen of local practice Shanghai Hip-pop Architectural Decoration Design Co, who took inspiration from 'Sakura rain' to create a vision of floral serenity. Dew-covered floating cherry blossoms appear to be frozen in glass walls and partitions which are backlit with neon coloured lights at the 140 sqm restaurant.
Omakase, 22 Nong 320, Tianping Lu, Xujiahui, Shanghai, China
Diamond Lili in Chongqing

Retro neon noodle bar Diamond Lili by YUDesigns is a sensory overload of fluorescent colour and glowing lights. The 140 sqm space is decked out in vintage neon signs, disco balls and jukeboxes reminiscent of the 1980s. The local practice designed the Chinese eatery with pink glass brick walls, pink and blue terrazzo floors, reflective metal surfaces, and transparent coloured furniture which transform the space into an 80s disco.
IF Plaza, 437 Xin Nan Lu, Shop L1-15 (Macaowan), Chongqing, China
Momenti in Shanghai

This neon-drenched Italian restaurant in Shanghai changes colour with time, from blue to white to orange. It was 'conceived as an evolving environment to match the rhythms of morning to night,' says designer Alberta Caiola. He's incorporated Italian design features - including a polished bronze bar, high stools, a solid red marble communal table - alongside exposed brick walls and a luminescent ceiling.
Lane 181, Taicang Road, Xintiandi North Block Building 1, Unit 3, Shanghai, China
Waka Haiku Setsugekka in Changchun

Waka Haiku Setsugekka by architect Sun Tianwen of Shanghai Hip-pop Architectural Decoration Design Co is an ode to setsugekka or the Japanese seasons. Tianwen has combined traditional Japanese concepts with modern design psychology to create a sense of zen at the minimalist Chinese eatery. The LED-illuminated space glows in hues of blue, yellow and gold, and is surrounded by glass walls and partitions engraved with cherry blossoms.
Tian Fu Lu, Nan Guan Qu, Changchun Shi, Jilin Sheng, China This new breed of safari lodges is looking further afield for aesthetic inspiration

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Inside China's glowing neon restaurants - The Spaces

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Neon lighting design might have fallen out of fashion in the West in recent years, but over in China, they're embracing glowing, futuristic lights in their restaurant interiors. Local studios are taking a multi-sensory approach to creating surreal spaces that look more like video games than dining spots.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Uranium glass is glass which has had uranium, usually in oxide diuranate form, added to a glass mix before melting for colouration. The proportion usually varies from trace levels to about 2% uranium by weight, although some 20th-century pieces were made with up to 25% uranium.

First identified in 1789 by a German chemist, uranium was soon being added to decorative glass for its fluorescent effect. James Powell's Whitefriars glass company in London, England, was one of the first to market the glowing glass, but other manufacturers soon realised its sales potential and Uranium glass was produced across Europe and later North America.

Uranium glass was once made into tableware and household items, but fell out of widespread use when the availability of uranium to most industries was sharply curtailed during the Cold War in the 1940s to 1990s. Most such objects are now considered antiques or retro-era collectibles, although there has been a minor revival in art glassware. Otherwise, modern uranium glass is now mainly limited to small objects like beads or marbles as scientific or decorative novelties.

The normal colour of uranium glass ranges from yellow to green depending on the oxidation state and concentration of the metal ions, although this may be altered by the addition of other elements as glass colorants. Uranium glass also fluoresces bright green under ultraviolet light and can register above background radiation on a sufficiently sensitive Geiger counter, although most pieces of uranium glass are considered to be harmless and only negligibly radioactive.

The most common color of uranium glass is pale yellowish-green, which in the 1930s led to the nickname "Vaseline glass", based on a perceived resemblance to the appearance of Vaseline-brand petroleum jelly as formulated at that time. Specialized collectors still define Vaseline glass as transparent or semi-transparent uranium glass in this specific color.

Vaseline glass is sometimes used as a synonym for any uranium glass, especially in the United States, but this usage is frowned upon, since Vaseline-brand petroleum jelly was only yellow, not other colors. The term is sometimes applied to other types of glass based on certain aspects of their superficial appearance in normal light, regardless of actual uranium content which requires a blacklight test to verify the characteristic green fluorescence.

In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term Vaseline glass can be used to refer to any type of translucent glass.

Other colors

Several other common subtypes of uranium glass have their own nicknames:

Custard glass (opaque or semiopaque pale yellow)

Jadite glass (opaque or semi-opaque pale green; initially, the name was trademarked as "Jadite", although this is sometimes over-corrected in modern usage to "jadeite")

Depression glass (transparent or semitransparent pale green).

Burmese glass (opaque glass that shades from pink to yellow)

Like "Vaseline", the terms "custard" and "jad(e)ite" are often applied on the basis of superficial appearance rather than uranium content. Conversely, "Depression glass" is a general description for any piece of glassware manufactured during the Great Depression regardless of appearance or formula.

The use of uranium glass dates back to at least 79 AD, the date of a mosaic containing yellow glass with 1% uranium oxide found in a Roman villa on Cape Posillipo in the Bay of Naples, Italy, by R. T. Gunther of the University of Oxford in 1912. Starting in the late Middle Ages, pitchblende was extracted from the Habsburg silver mines in Joachimsthal, Bohemia (now Jáchymov in the Czech Republic), and was used as a coloring agent in the local glassmaking industry.

Martin Klaproth (1743-1817), who discovered uranium, later experimented with the use of the element as a glass colourant.

Uranium glass is used as one of several intermediate glasses in what is known to scientific glass blowers as a 'graded seal'. This is typically used in glass-to-metal seals such as tungsten and molybdenum or nickel based alloys such as Kovar, as an intermediary glass between the metal sealing glass and lower expansion borosilicate glass.

Uranium glass became popular in the mid-19th century, with its period of greatest popularity being from the 1880s to the 1920s.

The first major producer of items made of uranium glass is commonly recognized as Austrian Franz Xaver Riedel, who named the yellow ( German: Gelb) and yellow-green (German: Gelb-Grün) varieties of the glass "annagelb" and "annagrün", respectively, in honor of his daughter Anna Maria. Riedel was a prolific blower of uranium glass in Unter-Polaun (today Dolni Polubny), Bohemia from 1830 to 1848.

By the 1840s, many other European glassworks began to produce uranium glass items and developed new varieties of uranium glass. The Baccarat glassworks in France created an opaque green uranium glass which they named chrysoprase from its similarity to that green form of chalcedony.

At the end of the 19th century, glassmakers discovered that uranium glass with certain mineral additions could be tempered at high temperatures, inducing varying degrees of micro-crystallization. This produced a range of increasingly opaque glasses from the traditional transparent yellow or yellow-green to an opaque white. During the Depression years, more iron oxide was added to the mixture to match popular preferences for a greener glass. This material, technically a glass-ceramic, acquired the name "vaseline glass" because of its supposedly similar appearance to petroleum jelly. Today, a few manufacturers continue the vaseline glass tradition: Fenton Glass, Mosser Glass, Gibson Glass and Jack Loranger.

U.S. production of uranium glasses ceased in the middle years of World War II because of the government's confiscation of uranium supplies for the Manhattan Project from 1942 to 1958. After the restrictions in the United States were eased several firms resumed production of uranium glass, including Fenton, and Mosser; though uranium was still regulated as a strategic material. Following the Cold War, restrictions on uranium glass were completely lifted. During this time many older pieces entered the free market and new pieces continued to be produced in small quantities into the 2000s.

Riihimäki Glass produced uranium glass designer pieces after World War II.[citation needed ]

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Uranium glass is glass which has had uranium, usually in oxide diuranate form, added to a glass mix before melting for colouration. The proportion usually varies from trace levels to about 2% uranium by weight, although some 20th-century pieces were made with up to 25% uranium.

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A Brief History of Antique Iznik Pottery

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Antique Iznik pottery takes its name from a town in Anatolia, part of modern day Turkey, which was the main centre of ceramic production under the Ottomans from the mid fourteenth-century until the end of the seventeenth-century. Whilst early production, mistakenly known as Miletus ware, largely continued the previous Seljukid and Islamic stone-paste traditions, the high quality ceramic wares of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were inspired by Chinese blue and white Ming-dynasty porcelain. Potters in Iznik developed a fritware, which when coated in a white slip, provided the perfect base to which painted decoration and a colourless glaze could later be added.

The sixteenth century is seen as a golden age in Iznik production, when innovations in the decorative repertoire and colour-palette became increasingly complex and diverse. Early sixteenth-century cobalt-blue and white Iznik ware which emulated Chinese porcelain was largely adorned with vegetal rumi and floral hatayi motifs, as can be seen on the large footed basin at the V&A.

Ottoman Iznik 'saz style' rectangular tile, circa 1585

The appearance of turquoise alongside underglaze cobalt in the late 1520s, was followed a decade or so later by the introduction of a range of greens and in the 1540s an aubergine-mauve colour, later to be known as Damascus ware (see the Mosque Lamp held in the British Museum). These new hues were used to depict a whole range of increasingly stylized motifs from medallions and rosettes, to vases of flowers and geometric patterns. The distinctively Ottoman 'saz style' combined intricately drawn blooms with serrated leaves, whilst 'Golden Horn wares' of the 1520s-50s were covered in tiny scrollwork embellished with miniature leaves.

The greatest advancement in Iznik ware was undoubtedly the introduction of a vivid bole red and emerald green during the middle of the century, in place of the aforementioned purple and sage green painterly decoration. In the last quarter of the sixteenth century this polychrome colour-palette was prolifically used to depict both figurative scenes and abstract compositions before the onset of a slow decline in Iznik production at the beginning of the seventeenth-century and the eventual transfer of pottery production to the town of Kutahya in the eighteenth.

Suggested further reading on Antique Iznik pottery:

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A Brief History of Antique Iznik Pottery

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Antique Iznik pottery takes its name from a town in Anatolia, part of modern day Turkey, which was the main centre of ceramic production under the Ottomans from the mid fourteenth-century until the end of the seventeenth-century.

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The History of the Color Turquoise: Which Came First, The Stone or the Color?

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Is it teal? No, perhaps it's aqua. Maybe it's blue-green. The argument may lean more toward green and then back toward blue. Actually, it's likely the ubiquitous turquoise.

Turquoise is a very versatile hybrid blue/green color that is flattering on almost every skin tone and hair color. It's a cool color for blondes, yet it can emanate warmth for brunettes and those with stark black hair. Even red haired beauties stand out in turquoise. This cannot be said for certain other colors such as oranges and lavenders.

So from where cometh this ubiquitous shade? How is it that it has more shades and tones than does almost any other color on the primary color wheel, i.e. blue or red?

Etymology of the Word "Turquoise"

There are certainly many words in the English language that would challenge the most competent speller in a spelling bee. Turquoise is one such word. Where did this intriguing word come from? Better yet, what does it mean?

The etymology of the word itself can be traced back to the 17th century and the source was the mined stone. It appears that there were a multitude of trade routes that brought the turquoise stones from Persia through the Middle East and onto Europe. The path crossed through Turkey ("Turquie" in French); this left a strong theory that "Turquies," sounding much like the modern-day "turquoise," morphed into the word we use today.

At first glimpse, the word appears to mimic the phonetics of many Native American words, such as the Iroquois tribe, the state of Illinois, or the redwood tree known as the Sequoia. Ultimately, it was the French language that had the greatest impact upon this unique word.

In a parallel argument or analogy to the "Which came first.. the chicken or the egg?" conundrum, one might ask, "Which came first.. the turquoise stone or the color?" In light of the previous information, the best answer is likely the stone/mineral, which in turn lent its name to the color that followed.

Color Range and Palette of Turquoise

If you are confused when you see one friend's genuine turquoise necklace and another friend's genuine turquoise bracelet appear as different shades of this color, do not be perplexed. This is because, like almost every gemstone identified (including diamonds), there are going to be different shades of this stone. However, they all revolve around a color base of greenish-blue or aqua blue.

How is all of this relevant to the color? It is very relevant because the color name itself evolved from the color of this stone.

Should you choose to designate a specific range of the color turquoise, it would best be described as azure sky and robin's egg blue to a subtle aqua.

For some in-depth information on this color and its meaning, here's my analysis of the color turquoise.

Composition of Turquoise Color

Should you choose to blend your own turquoise paints or other turquoise mediums, it is important to know that it is basically a mixture of blue and green. However, it is prudent to use a blue that already contains green pigments. This can be done by eye-balling the blue you intend to use. For example, the green-biased blue will radiate a green bias whereas a purplish blue obviously has a red bias.

Due to the fact turquoise is a specific blend of other colors, it is possible to formulate your own preference/shade of this color by mixing particular amounts of blue and green together.

Turquoise Colors Found Naturally in Our Environment

If you are quite enraptured by the color turquoise, feast your eyes on the many images presented on our list of naturally occurring blue things.

You may be surprised that you will see such things as:

Butterfly and insect wings

Exotic and island-lapping bodies of translucent, turquoise water

The ubiquitous turquoise gemstone/mineral in its natural habitat

Peacock feathers

Tiny, delicate Robin eggs

At close examination, some saltwater sea life and even fresh water fish such as the Bluegill or the Angel Fish

The Many Types of Jewelry Made From Turquoise Stones

In America, Native Americans were perhaps the most prevalent harvesters of the gorgeous turquoise gemstones and minerals. It continues to be a jewelry construct best known to the southwestern portion of the country, namely Arizona and New Mexico.

Here are the most typical types of jewelry made from the turquoise stones:

Men's and women's rings, ranging in value from high-quality to reproduced costume jewelry that uses synthetic turquoise stones.

Bracelets, but primarily cuff bracelets, and typically those combined with white gold, silver-plate, or pewter.

Necklaces, wherein most are chunky and even heavy. Some delicate stones are found on silver chains but they are the minority of the styles.

Earrings of all categories: hoops, dangling, post, or clip.

Ultimately

History has brought us a truly amazing color through the turquoise stone. Should someone choose to debate or argue whether a shade of blue or green is truly turquoise, teal, aqua, aquamarine, or even blue-green, it might be best simply to pick your battles and let it be a subjective judgment. In other words, these colors are pretty much all in the same family and that indicates you're all pretty spot-on. After all, you might need that time to argue the pronunciation of the city of Louisville.

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The History of the Color Turquoise: Which Came First, The Stone or the Color?

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Is it teal? No, perhaps it's aqua. Maybe it's blue-green. The argument may lean more toward green and then back toward blue. Actually, it's likely the ubiquitous turquoise. Turquoise is a very versatile hybrid blue/green color that is flattering on almost every skin tone and hair color.

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ORIENTALIST,DECORATIVE & COUNTRY HOUSE FURNITURE

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ORIENTALIST,DECORATIVE & COUNTRY HOUSE FURNITURE

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Antique rugs carpets country house and eastern decorative furniture and effects

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A Vienna porcelain jug, 1799, decorated to imitate another rare Chinese product, lacquerware

(, French: ; loanword from French chinoiserie, from , "Chinese"; traditional Chinese: 中國風; simplified Chinese: 中国风; pinyin: Zhōngguófēng ; 'China style') is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theatre, and music. The aesthetic of chinoiserie has been expressed in different ways depending on the region. It is related to the broader current of Orientalism, which studied Far East cultures from a historical, philological, anthropological, philosophical, and religious point of view. First appearing in the 17th century, this trend was popularized in the 18th century due to the rise in trade with China (during the High Qing era) and the rest of East Asia.

As a style, chinoiserie is related to the Rococo style. Both styles are characterized by exuberant decoration, asymmetry, a focus on materials, and stylized nature and subject matter that focuses on leisure and pleasure. Chinoiserie focuses on subjects that were thought by Europeans to be typical of Chinese culture.

The Chinese Garden, a chinoiserie painting by François Boucher; 1742; oil on canvas; 40.5 x 48 cm[4]

Chinoiserie entered European art and decoration in the mid-to-late 17th century; the work of Athanasius Kircher influenced the study of Orientalism. The popularity of chinoiserie peaked around the middle of the 18th century when it was associated with the Rococo style and with works by François Boucher, Thomas Chippendale, and Jean-Baptist Pillement. It was also popularized by the influx of Chinese and Indian goods brought annually to Europe aboard English, Dutch, French, and Swedish East India Companies. There was a revival of popularity for chinoiserie in Europe and the United States from the mid-19th century through the 1920s, and today in elite interior design and fashion.

Sir William Chambers' Great Pagoda at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, London

Though usually understood as a European style, chinoiserie was a global phenomenon. Local versions of chinoiserie were developed in India, Japan, Persia, and particularly Latin America. Through the Manila galleon trade, Spanish traders brought large amounts of Chinese porcelain, lacquer, textiles, and spices from Chinese merchants based in Manila to New Spanish markets in Acapulco, Panama, and Lima. Those products then inspired local artists and artisans such as ceramicists making Talavera pottery at Puebla de Los Angeles.

Chinoiserie had some parallel in "occidenterie", which was Western styled goods produced in 18th century China for Chinese consumers. Although this was a notable interest of the Kangxi Emperor and Qianlong Emperor, as shown by the architecture of Xiyang Lou, it was not restricted only to the court. "Occidenterie" artifacts and art were accessible to a wider variety of consumers, as they were domestically produced.

There were many reasons why chinoiserie gained such popularity in Europe in the 18th century. Europeans had a fascination with Asia due to their increased, but still restricted, access to new cultures through expanded trade with East Asia, especially China. The 'China' indicated in the term 'chinoiserie' represented in European people's mind a wider region of the globe that could embrace China itself, but also Japan, Korea, South-East Asia, India or even Persia. In art, the style of "the Orient" was considered a source of inspiration; the atmosphere rich in images and the harmonic designs of the oriental style reflected the picture of an ideal world, from which to draw ideas in order to reshape one's own culture. For this reason the style of chinoiserie is to be regarded as an important result of the exchange between the West and the East. During the 19th century, and especially in its latter period, the style of chinoiserie was assimilated under the generic definition of exoticism.

Anonymous (France) after François Boucher, "Child Reaching for a Caged Bird," 19th century, engraving and etching

Even though the root of the word 'chinoiserie' is 'Chine' (China), the Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries did not have a clear conceptualization of how China was in reality. Often terms like 'Orient', 'Far East' or 'China' were all equally used to signify the region of Eastern Asia that had proper Chinese culture as a major representative, but the meaning of the term could change according to different contexts. Sir William Chambers for example, in his oeuvre A Dissertation on Oriental Gardening of 1772, generically addresses China as the 'Orient'. In the financial records of Louis XIV during the 17th and 18th centuries were already registered expressions like 'façon de la Chine', Chinese manner, or 'à la chinoise', made in the Chinese way. In the 19th century the term 'chinoiserie' appeared for the first time in French literature. In the novel L'Interdiction published in 1836, Honoré de Balzac used chinoiserie to refer to the craftworks made in the Chinese style. From this moment on the term gained momentum and started being used more frequently to mean objects produced in the Chinese style but sometimes also to indicate graceful objects of small dimension or of scarce account. In 1878 'chinoiserie' entered formally in the Dictionnaire de l'Académie.

Man seated on plinth, holding monkey and ball. Meissen porcelain. Dated circa 1735. British Museum.[9]

After the spread of Marco Polo's narrations, the knowledge of China held by the Europeans continued to derive essentially from reports made by merchants and diplomatic envoys. Dating from the latter half of the 17th century a relevant role in this exchange of information was then taken up by the Jesuits, whose continual gathering of missionary intelligence and language transcription gave the European public a new deeper insight of the Chinese empire and its culture.

While Europeans frequently held inaccurate ideas about East Asia, this did not necessarily preclude their fascination and respect. In particular, the Chinese who had "exquisitely finished art... [and] whose court ceremonial was even more elaborate than that of Versailles" were viewed as highly civilized. According to Voltaire in his Art de la Chine, "The fact remains that four thousand years ago, when we did not know how to read, they [the Chinese] knew everything essentially useful of which we boast today." Moreover, Indian philosophy was increasingly admired by philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhauer, who regarded the Upanishads as the "production of the highest human wisdom" and "the most profitable and elevating reading which...is possible in the world."

Chinoiserie was not universally popular. Some critics saw the style as "...a retreat from reason and taste and a descent into a morally ambiguous world based on hedonism, sensation and values perceived to be feminine." It was viewed as lacking the logic and reason upon which Antique art had been founded. Architect and author Robert Morris claimed that it "...consisted of mere whims and chimera, without rules or order, it requires no fertility of genius to put into execution." Those with a more archaeological view of the East, considered the chinoiserie style, with its distortions and whimsical approach, to be a mockery of the actual Chinese art and architecture. Finally, still others believed that an interest in chinoiserie indicated a pervading "cultural confusion" in European society.

Chinoiserie persisted into the 19th and 20th centuries but declined in popularity. There was a notable loss of interest in Chinese-inspired décor after the death in 1830 of King George IV, a great proponent of the style. The First Opium War of 1839-1842 between Britain and China disrupted trade and caused a further decline of interest in the Oriental. China closed its doors to exports and imports and for many people chinoiserie became a fashion of the past.

As British-Chinese relations stabilized towards the end of the 19th century, there was a revival of interest in chinoiserie. Prince Albert, for example, reallocated many chinoiserie works from George IV's Royal Pavilion at Brighton to the more accessible Buckingham Palace. Chinoiserie served to remind Britain of its former colonial glory that was rapidly fading with the modern era.

Pair of round and flat bodied bottles; 1870-1880; porcelain; first bottle: 26.4 × 21 × 10.6 cm, second bottle: 25.7 × 20.2 × 10.2 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

From the Renaissance to the 18th century Western designers attempted to imitate the technical sophistication of Chinese export porcelain (and for that matter Japanese export porcelain - Europeans were generally vague as the origin of "oriental" imports), with only partial success. One of the earliest successful attempts, for instance, was the Medici porcelain manufactured in Florence during the late-16th century, as the Casino of San Marco remained open from 1575 to 1587. Despite never being commercial in nature, the next major attempt to replicate Chinese porcelain was the soft-paste manufactory at Rouen in 1673, with Edme Poterat, widely reputed as creator of the French soft-paste pottery tradition, opening his own factory in 1647. Efforts were eventually made to imitate hard-paste porcelain, which were held in high regard. As such, the direct imitation of Chinese designs in faience began in the late 17th century, was carried into European porcelain production, most naturally in tea wares, and peaked in the wave of rococo chinoiserie (c. 1740-1770).

Earliest hints of chinoiserie appear in the early 17th century, in the arts of the nations with active East India Companies, Holland and England, then by the mid-17th century, in Portugal as well. Tin-glazed pottery (see ) made at Delft and other Dutch towns adopted genuine blue-and-white Ming decoration from the early 17th century. After a book by Johan Nieuhof was published the 150 pictures encouraged chinoiserie, and became especially popular in the 18th century. Early ceramic wares in Meissen porcelain and other factories naturally imitated Chinese designs, though the shapes for "useful wares", table and tea wares, typically remained Western, often based on shapes in silver. Decorative wares such as vases followed Chinese shapes.

A Medici porcelain bottle; 1575-1587; Louvre. The Casino of San Marco's porcelain manufactory was one of the oldest successful attempts to imitate Chinese porcelain in European history.

Covered vases; circa 1770; soft-paste porcelain; height: 38.7 cm, width: 16.5 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

The ideas of the decorative and pictorial arts of the East permeated the European and American arts and craft scene. For example, in the United States, "by the mid-18th century, Charleston had imported an impressive array of Asian export luxury goods [such as]...paintings." The aspects of Chinese painting that were integrated into European and American visual arts include asymmetrical compositions, lighthearted subject matter and a general sense of capriciousness.[citation needed ]

William Alexander (1767-1816), a British painter, illustrator and engraver who travelled to the East Asia and China in the 18th century, was directly influenced by the culture and landscape he saw in the East. He presented an idealized, romanticized depiction of Chinese culture, but he was influenced by "pre-established visual signs." While the chinoiserie landscapes that Alexander depicted accurately reflected the landscape of China, "paradoxically, it is this imitation and repetition of the iconic signs of China that negate the very possibility of authenticity, and render them into stereotypes." The depiction of China and East Asia in European and American painting was dependent on the understanding of the East by Western preconceptions, rather than representations of Eastern culture as it actually was.

Depiction of a Chinese folding screen as interior decoration in the oil painting Chopin (1873) by Albert von Keller

Painted wallcovering canvas, Geelvinck-Hinlopen Huis

The Chinese House in Potsdam (Germany)

The "Chinese Village" at Tsarskoe Selo, commissioned by Catherine the Great

The "Chinese Palace" in Palermo, commissioned by Ferdinand III of Sicily

Various European monarchs, such as Louis XV of France, gave special favor to chinoiserie, as it blended well with the rococo style. Entire rooms, such as those at Château de Chantilly, were painted with chinoiserie compositions, and artists such as Antoine Watteau and others brought expert craftsmanship to the style. Central European palaces like the Castle of Wörlitz or the Castle of Pillnitz all include rooms decorated with Chinese features, while in the palace of Sanssouci at Potsdam features a Dragon House (Das Drachenhaus) and the Chinese House (Das Chinesische Haus). Pleasure pavilions in "Chinese taste" appeared in the formal parterres of late Baroque and Rococo German and Russian palaces, and in tile panels at Aranjuez near Madrid. Chinese Villages were built in the mountainous park of Wilhelmshöhe near Kassel, Germany; in Drottningholm, Sweden and Tsarskoe Selo, Russia. Thomas Chippendale's mahogany tea tables and china cabinets, especially, were embellished with fretwork glazing and railings, c. 1753-70, but sober homages to early Qing scholars' furnishings were also naturalized, as the tang evolved into a mid-Georgian side table and squared slat-back armchairs suited English gentlemen as well as Chinese scholars. Not every adaptation of Chinese design principles falls within mainstream chinoiserie. Chinoiserie media included "japanned" ware imitations of lacquer and painted tin (tôle) ware that imitated japanning, early painted wallpapers in sheets, after engravings by Jean-Baptiste Pillement, and ceramic figurines and table ornaments.

In the 17th and 18th centuries Europeans began to manufacture furniture that imitated Chinese lacquer furniture. It was frequently decorated with ebony and ivory or Chinese motifs such as pagodas. Thomas Chippendale helped to popularize the production of chinoiserie furniture with the publication of his design book The Gentleman and Cabinet-maker's Director: Being a large Collection of the Most Elegant and Useful Designs of Household Furniture, In the Most Fashionable Taste. His designs provided a guide for intricate chinoiserie furniture and its decoration. His chairs and cabinets were often decorated with scenes of colorful birds, flowers, or images of exotic imaginary places. The compositions of this decoration were often asymmetrical.

The increased use of wallpaper in European homes in the 18th century also reflects the general fascination with chinoiserie motifs. With the rise of the villa and a growing taste for sunlit interiors, the popularity of wallpaper grew. The demand for wallpaper created by Chinese artists began first with European aristocrats between 1740 and 1790. The luxurious wallpaper available to them would have been unique, handmade, and expensive. Later wallpaper with chinoiserie motifs became accessible to the middle class when it could be printed and thus produced in a range of grades and prices.

The patterns on chinoiserie wallpaper are similar to the pagodas, floral designs, and exotic imaginary scenes found on chinoiserie furniture and porcelain. Like chinoiserie furniture and other decorative art forms, chinoiserie wallpaper was typically placed in bedrooms, closets, and other private rooms of a house. The patterns on wallpaper were expected to complement the decorative objects and furniture in a room, creating a complementary backdrop.

European understanding of Chinese and East Asian garden design is exemplified by the use of the word Sharawadgi, understood as beauty, without order that takes the form of an aesthetically pleasing irregularity in landscape design. The word traveled together with imported lacquer ware from Japan where shara'aji was an idiom in appraisal of design in decorative arts. Sir William Temple (1628-1699), referring to such artwork, introduces the term sharawadgi in his essay Upon the Gardens of Epicurus written in 1685 and published in 1690. Under Temple's influence European gardeners and landscape designers used the concept of sharawadgi to create gardens that were believed to reflect the asymmetry and naturalism present in the gardens of the East.

These gardens often contain various fragrant plants, flowers and trees, decorative rocks, ponds or lake with fish, and twisting pathways. They are frequently enclosed by a wall. Architectural features placed in these gardens often include pagodas, ceremonial halls used for celebrations or holidays, pavilions with flowers and seasonal elements.

Landscapes such as London's Kew Gardens show distinct Chinese influence in architecture. The monumental 163-foot Great Pagoda in the centre of the gardens, designed and built by William Chambers, exhibits strong English architectural elements, resulting in a product of combined cultures (Bald, 290). A replica of it was built in Munich's Englischer Garten, while the Chinese Garden of Oranienbaum includes another pagoda and also a Chinese teahouse. Though the rise of a more serious approach in Neoclassicism from the 1770s onward tended to replace Oriental inspired designs, at the height of Regency "Grecian" furnishings, the Prince Regent came down with a case of Brighton Pavilion, and Chamberlain's Worcester china manufactory imitated " Imari" wares.[citation needed ] While classical styles reigned in the parade rooms, upscale houses, from Badminton House (where the "Chinese Bedroom" was furnished by William and John Linnell, ca 1754) and Nostell Priory to Casa Loma in Toronto, sometimes featured an entire guest room decorated in the chinoiserie style, complete with Chinese-styled bed, phoenix-themed wallpaper, and china. Later exoticism added imaginary Turkish themes, where a "diwan" became a sofa.

Tea House at Myasnitskaya Street in Moscow

One of the things that contributed to the popularity of chinoiserie was the 18th-century vogue for tea drinking. The feminine and domestic culture of drinking tea required an appropriate chinoiserie mise en scène. According to Beevers, "Tea drinking was a fundamental part of polite society; much of the interest in both Chinese export wares and chinoiserie rose from the desire to create appropriate settings for the ritual of tea drinking." After 1750, England was importing 10 million pounds of tea annually, demonstrating how widespread this practice was. The taste for chinoiserie porcelain, both export wares and European imitations, and tea drinking was more associated with women than men. A number of aristocratic and socially important women were famous collectors of chinoiserie porcelain, among them Queen Mary II, Queen Anne, Henrietta Howard, and the Duchess of Queensbury, all socially important women. This is significant because their homes served as examples of good taste and sociability. A single historical incident in which there was a "keen competition between Margaret, 2nd Duchess of Portland, and Elizabeth, Countess of Ilchester, for a Japanese blue and white plate," shows how wealthy female consumers asserted their purchasing power and their need to play a role in creating the prevailing vogue.

The term is also used in literary criticism to describe a mannered "Chinese-esque" style of writing, such as that employed by Ernest Bramah in his Kai Lung stories, Barry Hughart in his Master Li & Number Ten Ox novels and Stephen Marley in his Chia Black Dragon series.

Satin evening dress in Chinese dragon print by Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, 2004

The term is also used in the fashion industry to describe "designs in textiles, fashion, and the decorative arts that derive from Chinese styles". Since the 17th century, Chinese arts and aesthetic were sources of inspiration to artists and creators, and fashion designers when goods from oriental countries were widely seen for the first time in Western Europe.

In the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, chinoiserie fashion was especially celebrated in France, and the origin of most Chinese-inspired fashion was French during this period. Chinoiserie had also inspired designers such as Mariano Fortuny, the Callot Soeurs, and Jean Paquin.

Chinese-style garments designed by US designers in 1910s, published from the Chinese Summer dress from Ladies' Home Journal of June 1913: Vol 30 Issue 6, page 26 and 27

In the early 20th century, European and fashion designers would use China and other countries outside of the Eurocentric-fashion world to seek inspiration; Vogue magazine also acknowledged that China had contributed to the aesthetic inspiration to global fashion. Chinese motifs grew popular in European fashion during this period. China and the Chinese people also supplied the materials and aesthetics to American fashion. Original Chinese fashion also influenced various designs and styles of deshabille.

There was also a fashion trend for day-wear jackets and coats to be cut in styles which would suggest various Chinese items as was published the Ladies' Home Journal in June 1913, where the garments displayed showed influences of the Qing dynasty mandarin court gown (especially the bufu), the jiaoling ruqun, kanjia, mamianqun, yunjian, yaoqun (short waist-skirt), piling (collar), as well as traditional Chinese embroideries, and traditional Chinese Lào zi, pankou, high collars, etc.

According to the Ladies' Home Journal of June 1913, volume 30, issue 6:

Interest in the political and civic activities of the new China, which is more or less world-wide at this time, led the designers of this page [p.26] and the succeeding one [p.27] to look to that country for inspiration for clothes that would be unique and new and yet fit in with present-day modes and the needs and environments of American women [...]

-  Ladies' Home Journal: The Chinese Summer Dress, published in June 1913: Vol 30, issue 6, p. 26

1. ^ Carr, Dennis; Bailey, Gauvin A; Brook, Timothy; Codding, Mitchell; Corrigan, Karina; Pierce, Donna (2015-01-01). Made in the Americas: the new world discovers Asia. ISBN 978-0-87846-812-6. OCLC 916494129.

2. ^ Kleutghen, Kristina (2014). "Chinese Occidenterie: the Diversity of "Western" Objects in Eighteenth-Century China". Eighteenth-Century Studies. 47 (2): 117-135. doi:10.1353/ecs.2014.0006. ISSN 0013-2586. JSTOR 24690358. S2CID 146268869.

3. ^ 張省卿 (Sheng-Ching Chang)，《東方啓蒙西方 - 十八世紀德國沃里兹（Wörlitz）自然風景園林之中國元素(Dongfang qimeng Xifang- shiba shiji Deguo Wolizi (Wörlitz) ziran fengjing yuanlin zhi Zhongguo yuansu) 》 (The East enlightening the West - Chinese elements in the 18th century landscape gardens of Wörlitz in Germany), 台北 (Taipei)：輔仁大學出版社(Furendaxue chubanshe; Fu Jen University Bookstore), 2015, pp. 37-44.

4. 張省卿 (^ Sheng-Ching Chang)，《東方啓蒙西方 - 十八世紀德國沃里兹（Wörlitz）自然風景園林之中國元素(Dongfang qimeng Xifang- shiba shiji Deguo Wolizi (Wörlitz) ziran fengjing yuanlin zhi Zhongguo yuansu) 》 (The East enlightening the West - Chinese elements in the 18th century landscape gardens of Wörlitz in Germany), 台北 (Taipei)：輔仁大學出版社(Furendaxue chubanshe; Fu Jen University Bookstore), 2015, pp. 42-44.

5. Voltaire ^ as qtd. in Lovejoy, Arthur. (1948) Essays in the History of Ideas (1948). Johns Hopkins U. Press. 1978 edition: ISBN 0-313-20504-3

6. ^ "Rouen ware | pottery". The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica.com. 2007.

7. Leath, R. A.. (1999). "After the Chinese Taste": Chinese Export Porcelain and Chinoiserie Design in Eighteen-Century Charleston. ^ Historical Archaeology, 33(3), 48-61.

8. ^ 張省卿 (Sheng-Ching Chang)，《東方啓蒙西方 - 十八世紀德國沃里兹（Wörlitz）自然風景園林之中國元素(Dongfang qimeng Xifang- shiba shiji Deguo Wolizi (Wörlitz) ziran fengjing yuanlin zhi Zhongguo yuansu) 》 (The East enlightening the West - Chinese elements in the 18th century landscape gardens of Wörlitz in Germany), 台北 (Taipei)：輔仁大學出版社(Furendaxue chubanshe; Fu Jen University Bookstore), 2015, pp. 44-45.

9. Entwistle, E. A. (1961). "Wallpaper and its History". Journal of the Royal Society of Arts: 450-456.

10. ^ Kuitert, Wybe (2014). "Japanese Art, Aesthetics, and a European Discourse: Unraveling Sharawadgi". Japan Review. 27: 78. Online as PDF

11. ^ William Temple. "Upon the Gardens of Epicurus; or Of Gardening in the Year 1685." In Miscellanea, the Second Part, in Four Essays. Simpson, 1690

12. ^ Porter, David (2002). "Monstrous Beauty: Eighteenth-Century Fashion and the Aesthetics of the Chinese Taste". Eighteenth-Century Studies. 35 (3): 395-411. doi:10.1353/ecs.2002.0031. S2CID 161692788.

13. ^ Impey, Oliver (1989). "Eastern Trade and the Furnishing of the British Country House". Studies in the History of Art. 25: 177-2. JSTOR 42620694.

14. ^ Marley rejects the chinoiserie label in favour of his own term, "Chinese Gothic".

15. Chan, Heather (2017). "From Costume to Fashion: Visions of Chinese Modernity in Vogue Magazine, 1892-1943". Ars Orientalis. 47 (20220203). doi:10.3998/ars.13441566.0047.009. hdl:2027/spo.13441566.0047.009. ISSN 2328-1286.

Chang, Sheng-Ching (張省卿)，《東方啓蒙西方 - 十八世紀德國沃里兹（Wörlitz）自然風景園林之中國元素(Dongfang qimeng Xifang - shiba shiji Deguo Wolizi (Wörlitz) ziran fengjing yuanlin zhi Zhongguo yuansu) 》 (The East enlightening the West - Chinese elements in the 18th century landscape gardens of Wörlitz in Germany), 台北 (Taipei)：輔仁大學出版社 (Furendaxue chubanshe; Fu Jen University Bookstore), 2015.

Eerdmans, Emily (2006). "The International Court Style: William & Mary and Queen Anne: 1689-1714, The Call of the Orient". Classic English Design and Antiques: Period Styles and Furniture; The Hyde Park Antiques Collection. New York: Rizzoli International Publications. pp. 22-25. ISBN 978-0-8478-2863-0.

Honour, Hugh (1961). Chinoiserie: The Vision of Cathay. London: John Murray.

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(, French: ; loanword from French chinoiserie , from , "Chinese"; traditional Chinese: 中國風; simplified Chinese: 中国风; pinyin: Zhōngguófēng ; 'China style') is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theatre, and music.

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Orient Bar - Signature Drinks - Pera Palace Hotel

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Orient Bar, which has accompanied many of Istanbul's prominent names in their gatherings and discussions, is hosting its guests with its experience collected from the past. The Orient Bar, where the real bar experience is lived, continues to be one of the places where the most precious conversations are made. It hosts Literature Meetings with special guests every month and live music performances on Friday nights. Orient Bar continues to offer contributions to social life with the wisdom it has brought from history to today.

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Orient Bar - Signature Drinks - Pera Palace Hotel

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Orient Bar, which has accompanied many of Istanbul's prominent names in their gatherings and discussions, is hosting its guests with its experience collected from the past. The Orient Bar, where the real bar experience is lived, continues to be one of the places where the most precious conversations are made.

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We are always looking for talented people to join our team.

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Search results for: ‘Cushion’ | The Rug Company

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Leading global brand in contemporary handmade designer rugs.

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https://tasrestaurants.co.uk/onder-sahan/

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Avatar: The Way of Water | Official Trailer

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Avatar: The Way of Water | Official Trailer

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Traditional Safranbolu Houses - Ottoman Houses in Safranbolu

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Safranbolu town is located in the Black Sea region, in northwestern Turkey. This small town is famous for its Traditional Safranbolu Houses all over Turkey. These traditional and very famous Safranbolu Houses were included in the Unesco World Heritage List on December 17, 1994.

Safranbolu houses, which are among the " 20 best-preserved historical cities" by Unesco, are the best examples of the period with their modest structure and traditional Turkish architecture. Safranbolu also dazzles with other monumental works, where you can see the reflections of Ottoman architecture on culture and daily life. Other structures worth seeing in this small town; Hamam, Mosque, inn, and Ottoman fountains.

When we look completely, Safranbolu houses and other architectural works resemble Safranbolu houses, one of the rare works of Ottoman civil architecture that have survived to the present day, are dated to the 17th - 18th centuries. In addition to defying years, Safranbolu houses stand out with their magnificent wooden workmanship too. an open-air museum.

Some of the 2000 Houses are now open to tourists as a museum. In addition, some houses are still undergoing restoration work, and in some, the locals continue to live. During the Ottoman period, the city and its architecture were enriched due to Silk Road passing through Safranbolu, and the locals have divided their houses into two; summer and winter houses.

While the winter houses are located in the valley near the river, the summer houses were built at an altitude of about 350 meters and at a 4 km distance from the winter houses. The region where the winter houses are located is also the trade area in the city. Blacksmiths, leather shops, coppersmiths, shoemakers, and others are located here. On the other hand, Summer houses were built in a way to have a more comfortable life between vineyards and gardens.

The name of Safranbolu city comes from the flower of Saffron. The best quality saffron known in Anatolia is grown in Safranbolu. The Saffron flower is one of the most expensive spices in the world. Its usage area is quite wide; food, medicine, and cosmetics. Turkish delight with saffron, saffron tea, saffron rice, saffron cologne, and saffron soaps are indispensable for those who want to taste local flavors or buy gifts while taking time in Safranbolu.

Why Visit to Safranbolu Town?

It is the most well-preserved town where you may explore One of the best places that show the It is one of the Ottoman Traditional Houses! local & traditional life of Turkish People!
Might be the best place where you can find Unesco World Heritage Site which was included in the list in 1994. Saffron and taste it!

How to Go to Safranbolu Houses?

Highway transportation to Safranbolu is quite easy. Although it is not a big city, its roads are quite wide and new. There are busses from Istanbul and Ankara. And, it is 5 hours from Istanbul and approximately 2.5 hours from Ankara. In addition, there are no Airports in Safranbolu or nearby where you may take a flight.

Safranbolu Village/Town is one of the best options where you may feel the local life & local tastes. In addition, it is the best place where you may see Ottoman Style Traditional Houses. If you have enough time during your Tour to Turkey and if you are a natural life lover, Safranbolu worths a visit! To plan better Turkey Tours, you may keep reading our blog post about the famous Touristic destinations of Turkey; Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Pamukkale, and many more!

If you like our posts, do not forget to share it with your friends!

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Traditional Safranbolu Houses - Ottoman Houses in Safranbolu

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Safranbolu town is located in the Black Sea region, in northwestern Turkey. This small town is famous for its Traditional Safranbolu Houses all over Turkey. These traditional and very famous Safranbolu Houses were included in the Unesco World Heritage List on December 17, 1994.

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https://www.gymbox.com/

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Top 10 Most Interesting Bars in the World

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Top 10 Most Interesting Bars in the World

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Many people associate traditional Turkish restaurants in London with wonderfully grilled meats, particularly lamb, small dishes - mezes, kebabs, and a superb combination of spices and aromatics. Further than kebab shop delicacies and Turkish Delights - while the rose-scented sweets are delicious - the food of the area is wide and varied, with inspirations embedded deep in politics and history

Rüya Turkish restaurant in North London offers a luxurious dining experience in the city 's exclusive Mayfair sector, serving scrumptious Anatolian delicacies from the Black Sea to the Middle east. You may be certain of a nice dinner by using seasonal products, collaborating with local suppliers, and selecting the correct spices to guarantee only the greatest fare is utilized.

A meal here is added and the mixture of the plush decor and beverages at the Mekan Bar gives a relaxing spot to unwind either during supper. There is a comparable Turkish restaurant in London across the world that shares the same originality, especially when it comes to meat. In Southern Africa, in particular, sliced Hereford beef is used for turkey jerky meat in similar dishes.

Kibele, located in a Turkish restaurant in North London middle of Great Portland Street, is a wonderfully chic, snug sanctuary. Kibele masterfully integrates a fine restaurant with a dynamic entertainment complex, creating traditional meals from a number of Turkey's locations and delivering them with a modern twist to delight guests.

But don't be frightened off by the prospect of live music and belly dancers; this is a sophisticated setting that will wow any guest. Turkish restaurant London there's a great assortment of wines, beers, spirits, cocktails, and soft drinks to go with the appetizer plates, buffets, 'residential favorites,' and charcoal cooked meats and seafood. Not only will you find wonderful food and drink here, but you will also find music and dance events from professionals from all over the world.

Kazan's best Turkish restaurant in London, adjacent to Westminster Cathedral, presents contemporary variations on Ottoman cuisine in a pleasant, beautiful environment. Comfortable seating options are available, and a delectable assortment of shrimp, chicken, mezzes, veggie, non - vegetarian, slow-cooked, and smoke treats cater to all tastes.

Try the Turkish Grill, which includes a variety of chicken and lamb shish and kofte, as well as a chicken wing and roast chicken, all seasoned till delicious and traditionally served or fries. Slow-cooked lamb shanks, as well as fire-roasted king seafood in a chili sauce, are guaranteed to impress.

This Turkish restaurant London stylish glass-fronted cafe, and restaurant bar on Belvedere Road is located near the International Concert Hall on the Southbank, a cultural hotspot. The 82 dishes (which exclude set, special, and family lunches and dinners) provide a complete sampling of Turkey's national (healthy) cuisine. Kisir is a cold starter made of almonds, chickpea flour, seasonings, and bell pepper.

Kuzuguvec, a chicken stew, and yesilfasulye, a wonderful marriage of running chickpeas and peppers served with a thick tomato sauce and rice, are among the hearty mains. There's also seafood, pasta, rice, and vegetarian specialties. Desserts provide an interesting alternative to treacle mousse and chocolate cake.

Oklava is a Turkish restaurant in central London doing great service to Turkish food in this charming low-key location on a quiet Shoreditch backstreet. Most establishments are either Tas restaurants or family-run establishments that offer a wide range of dishes and all have similar tastes. They are all good options for London's Turkish food needs, but none of them can replace our hunger pangs. We were impressed by their liberal use of organic fresh herbs, the excellent char and smokey flavor from cooking over wood, and the huge quantities.

We had a fantastic Sunday evening supper of Turkish food in London. Excellent surroundings. The staff was fantastic. Traditional yet complete food and wine selection at a reasonable price. All of the usual favorites, but each meal was beautifully presented and prepared. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

When you walk into this long-running family-run best Turkish restaurant in London, you can't help laughing: the environment is enchantingly domestic, and the interior is a wonderful riot of multicultural knick-knacks, ceramic tiles, and colorful glass ornaments. The emphasis is on oven-cooked meats and seafood, with petite salads and sophisticated small dishes - though the mixed grill is also superb. It is ideal for a date or a family dinner, with lots of acceptable Turkish liquor on sale.

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Many people associate traditional Turkish restaurants in London with wonderfully grilled meats, particularly lamb, small dishes - mezes, kebabs, and a superb combination of spices and aromatics.

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Creative Restaurants Who Surprised Their Customers With Genius Ideas

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Creative Restaurants Who Surprised Their Customers With Genius Ideas

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https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/100-most-unique-restaurant-concepts/

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100 Most Unique Restaurant Concepts Around the World

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100 Most Unique Restaurant Concepts Around the World

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The brains behind these 100 unique restaurant concepts have taken creativity to new heights.

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Gokturk alphabet first alphabet that used by turkic nations .

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Gokturk alphabet first alphabet that used by turkic nations .

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In Kazakhstan, the “Full Atlas of Orkhon Monuments” was published

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In Kazakhstan, the “Full Atlas of Orkhon Monuments” was published

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It is a known fact the silk industry has played a significant part in the lives of many nations since the times of Antiquity. This industry has acquired more importance as it reached our day. Silk and spices deriving from the Far East always enjoyed a remarkable role in international relations. Silk has also enabled the west to get acquainted with the East. This was initiated primarily by merchants traveling in both directions.

The Egyptians followed by the Romans, purchased silk from the Chinese and it began to be used by Westerners as early as 753 BC. Studies reveal that it was the monks who first brought cocoons to Byzantium from China in the 6th century AD. The cocoon trade spread from Byzantium to Greece and then to Italy, Spain and France from the 7th Century onward. This is how the Silk Road was born.

The historical silk road

This ancient trade route linking China to the West originated in Xi'an. It was actually a caravan route and played an important part in the exchange of both goods and thought between the two great civilizations of the time, China and Rome. The most important point of convergence of this 6.400 kilometers (4.000 miles) long road was Kashgar.

The caravans of merchants either followed the road leading to the Caspian Sea by passing through the Afghan valleys, or climbed the Karakorum Mountains and arrived in Anatolia via Iran. From Anatolia, the caravans proceeded to Europe either by sea or by the Silk Road that passed through the Thrace Region. During the Mongolian period in the 13th and 14th centuries, Marco Polo traveled on the Silk Road to reach China. Even Today, the Silk Road offers an extraordinary variety of historic and cultural richness. It still bears the marks of cultures, religions and races of 2000 years standing. This majestic trade route spans on two continents. Its vastness, harsh geographical structure and mysteries still bear traces of man's struggle with nature during his long and strenuous journeys.

The Anatolian silk road itinerary

The caravan routes transporting silk, porcellains, paper, spices and precious stones from one continent to the other followed several itineraries in Asia before arriving in Anatolia, which served as a bridge linking it to Europe via the Thrace region. These caravan routes later acquired the name of silk roads and Anatolia constituted the crossroad of these routes. The major cities lying on the Silk Road Anatolia were:

Another frequently used itinerary is know to be the one through Erzurum - Malatya - Kayseri - Kirsehir - Ankara - Bilecik - Bursa - Iznik - Izmit and Istanbul.

Apart from these land connections, sea routes were also used:

When you check todays road map of Turkey you can see very similar trajectories with the old Silk Road routes.

The silk road project

After the Turkic Republics in Central Asia acquired their independence, the idea was raised to revive the Silk Road both as a trade route and as a cultural and historical heir with the aim of restoring the inns and caravanserais to meet present day requirements. The Ministry of Tourism is planning to reactivate the Silk Road on which these unique examples of our cultural heritage still stand. This project aims at creating a contemporary tourism movement by transforming the Silk Road, extending from the Adriatic to the Pacific, into a route of love, peace and brotherhood.

In 1997 a group of explorers walked on the Silk Road trying to imitate ancient caravans with their camels, it took them around 14 months to travel from China to Turkey. Lately many travelers, film makers, documentaries and adventurers are more and more interested on this route, which would make it a popular itinerary once again.

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It is a known fact the silk industry has played a significant part in the lives of many nations since the times of Antiquity. This industry has acquired more importance as it reached our day. Silk and spices deriving from the Far East always enjoyed a remarkable role in international relations.

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The role of Turkic Khaganate in the history of the Great Silk Road

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The role of Turkic Khaganate in the history of the Great Silk Road

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Turkic Khaganate united the territory of the Eurasian steppes with key points on the Great Silk Road Sogdiana and Bukhara under one state.

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Erlik is an mythical god of destruction according to turkic religion (tengrism)

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Erlik is an mythical god of destruction according to turkic religion (tengrism)

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Glow in the dark wooden furniture ( high-res )

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Glow in the dark wooden furniture ( high-res )

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Glow in the Dark Rocks Glass Aggregate in Concrete Countertop

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Glow in the Dark Rocks Glass Aggregate in Concrete Countertop

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Test and Review: RustOleum Glow In The Dark MAX 2x

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Test and Review: RustOleum Glow In The Dark MAX 2x

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Natural Dye with Weld dipped into citric acid

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Natural Dye with Weld dipped into citric acid

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Material Polyester

Brand HshDUti

Colour 5 Colors

Item weight 269 Grams

Product care instructions Hand Wash Only

Material composition Polyester 100