Artist Profiles

In many Uzbekistan homes, richly colored, beautifully designed carpets act as decorative and functional centerpieces. Khomid Zukhurutdinov, together with his artisans at the Al Khabib Carpet Shop in Bukhara, produce heirloom-quality hand-knotted silk and wool carpets in traditional, centuries-old styles.

Most of the carpets designed by Zukhurutdinov comprise painstakingly detailed and arranged geometric designs with origins in 17th century—or older—motifs. Made of regionally sourced materials and woven on traditional wooden looms, carpets typically take around seven months to create.

The style now known as Bukhara was originally call Tekke, with origins extending beyond the borders of Uzbekistan to include parts of what are currently Pakistan, Turkmenistan and other regions. Over time, after the rugs became associated with weavers in Bukhara, the carpets took on the name of the city. This style of carpet is characterized by deep reds, purples, and brown—colors whose sources are all-natural pigments derived from pomegranates and onion skins, for example. Symmetrical patterns of repeated oval or diamond shaped motifs, forged in dazzling color, are characteristic of Zukhurutdinov’s carpets.

Zukhurutdinov and his team researches the traditional art of nomadic weaving and specializes in the reproduction of the best hand-made nomadic rugs and kilims, using pure, high quality wool and silk and organic, locally sourced dyes. Because of their incredibly soft piles, these textiles are prized not only regionally, but also around the globe.