production

A shyrdak is created by wet felting , One of the oldest textile techniques, it still plays an important role among the nomads of Central Asia today. The work is strenuous and is primarily performed by women who work together in groups on an object.

For a carpet the wool of several sheep required. The wool is washed, soaked in soap, laid out on a surface, then rolled up and pressed and kneaded until it is sufficiently felted after several hours.

After drying, the felt mat is colored as needed. A symmetrical ornament is drawn with chalk. Two differently colored felt mats are then placed on top of each other and the drawn pattern is cut out through both layers. The cut pieces are then stitched onto a slightly coarser base layer of felt, offset from each other. The joint or transition between two different pieces of felt is covered with a cord (Kyrgyz: jeek).

Two double-layered carpets with identical patterns are created, a 'positive' and a 'negative', similar to a mirror image.

The carpets are traditionally two-tone, the most common colors being red and green, often also the natural shades of brown and beige. Ornaments are not abstract, but rather they have ancient symbolic meanings and are abstracted forms from the flora and fauna of the mountain steppe. Colors and color combinations have specific meanings. The carpets from Naryn are considered the finest.