The World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan is preparing to release a unique colorful edition from the “Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections” series.

The illustrated album-book is dedicated to a unique collection of textiles, which for many years has been gathered by the famous collector Mehmet Cetinkaya. 

Mehmet Cetinkaya is a collector from Türkiye who won the Joseph V. Macmillan Prize for his contribution to the study of Islamic textiles. He is also the author of the 99 Ikat Chapans/The Mehmet Çetinkaya Collectıons catalog (2007). This very book revealed his deep love for Uzbek Ikat textiles. 

The collector and art critic says that he got acquainted with Uzbek culture in 1992, when he visited Uzbekistan. As an artist, he was struck by the splendor of the country’s ancient cities and their architecture. Surprisingly, the collector got acquainted with ikat two years earlier, during his trip to the USA for the 5th International Conference of Oriental Carpets (ICOC) in San Francisco.

It was there that Mehmet Cetinkaya fell in love with ikat fabrics. This love continues to this day. 

“I started collecting clothes from these fabrics – chapan robes and others – from the moment when examples of Central Asian weaving began to appear on the Istanbul market, that is, since 1992. Between 1992 and 2004, the Istanbul market was very hot. These years were eventful for me as well, as they provided an exceptional opportunity to collect examples of traditional clothing worn by Central Asian people. I tried to make the most of this opportunity. The numerous interesting events and memories I experienced developing my huge collection endow each of its items with a special charm”, says the collector. 

Mehmet Cetinkaya managed to make the whole world admire the Uzbek ikat. 

“World-famous textile experts and connoisseurs were captivated by the collection of Uzbek chapans at the 99 Ikat Chapans/The Mehmet Çetinkaya Collectıons exhibition, which we organized at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art as part of the Istanbul ICOC in 2007. None of them could hide their admiration for the huge variety and richness of the artistic Uzbek silk fabrics”, Mehmet Cetinkaya comments.

His collection is based on such items of clothing as chapan, tun, yakhtak, ezor-poncha, paranja, kaltacha, mursak, kamzul and kurta. These wonderful and unique examples are very beautiful, graceful and rich in color, demonstrating unusual color combinations and subtle work. 

About 100 items of clothing made of ikat fabrics will be included in the new album-book “Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections”, which will be published by the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan. At the moment, work is underway to collect material for the book.

“It is a great honor and pride for me that the examples of Uzbek ikat, which I have been collecting for many years, will be presented in a special book, which is so beautiful, bright and colorful. It is difficult to think of any better way to introduce thousands of people to luxurious examples of Uzbek textiles than with the help of a book. I am very grateful to the World Society for this initiative”, said collector Mehmet Cetinkaya.

“Wonderful examples of Uzbek art can be found all over the world, and not only in libraries and museums. True masterpieces, valuable gems are often kept in private collections. The Mehmet Cetinkaya collection confirms this most vividly. That is why we decided to publish a book-album and show people these incredibly beautiful objects of art”, commented Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Chairman of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan.

The book will be another important contribution to the implementation of the project “Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections”, the General sponsor of which is the ERIELL Group.

Since 2018, Bakhtiyor Fazylov, Chairman of the Board of the ERIELL Group, has been elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the World Society. For his contribution to the promotion of research and cooperation in this area, he was awarded the Avicenna International Prize in Paris in 2022.

Nasiba Ziyodullayeva, UzA