Folk crafts of Dagestan are special and unique. Thanks to a variety of raw materials, natural features and unique artistic techniques, one can observe various directions in the development of these crafts. These include: carpet weaving, pottery, artistic wood processing, Untsukul notch with metal, jewelry. They will be discussed in the article.
The history of the emergence of crafts
Dagestan folk crafts are identified with the national culture and spiritual heritage of the peoples who inhabited the territory of Dagestan in the Middle Ages (in the XII-XV centuries), providing their employment. Stone carving, preserved in the tombstones of auls and Kubachi reliefs, developed during this time period.
Wood carvings decorate such mosques of Dagestan as Kala-Koreishskaya and Shirinskaya. Itsarinsky tower and Cala-The Koreysh mosque is also decorated with iconic architecture and castings.
The crafts that women are engaged in stand out: weaving cloth, making carpets, knitting and weaving, which were intensively developed at the beginning of the 16th century.
The most developed folk art crafts of Dagestan in the mountain villages of the Dakhadaevsky district. Woolen cloth was woven in almost all villages of the mountainous region, and the inhabitants of the villages of Kubachi, Kharbuk and Amuzgi were engaged in the manufacture of knives and firearms.
Stages of development of folk crafts
Along with the above listed crafts, new crafts appeared: processing horns and making iron furnaces. Women weaved pachu - cotton fabric. In the village of Kishcha, craftsmen made musical stringed plucked instruments - chugurs. This name comes from the Turkic word "chagyr" (in translation - "call"). The tools are designed to appeal to God, to the Truth.
The emergence and development of folk crafts in Dagestan was facilitated by the availability of trade routes that passed through the mountainous zone. Villagers supplied goods from the mountainous regions. Goods were sold not only along the mountainous region, but also far beyond its borders, in the cities of the Caucasus and Russia. And from there they brought goods needed in the villages.
Crafts of the village of Kubachi
Kubachi village has long been known for its trades and crafts. Its craftsmen became famous for making protective armor and chain mail. From the 18th century to the end of the 20th century,powerful development of the manufacture of weapons - sabers, knives, guns and pistols. The Amuzga and Kharbuk blacksmiths made these products and handed them over to the Kubachi craftsmen for processing and artistic decoration. Over time, blacksmiths switched to making household utensils from brass, copper and silver and also gave their products to the Kubachi people. Here was one of the largest centers for the production of copper chased jars for carrying water and washing, trays, basins and various utensils with engraved ornaments.
Later they began to decorate such items as checkers, guns, pistols and women's decorations: engraved chest decorations, massive belts.
Currently, master jewelers work great with gold and precious stones.
The women of this village were engaged in embroidery with gold and silk thread, weaving and knitting. Family labor traditions in it are still being passed down from generation to generation.
"For centuries, its unsurpassed folk craftsmen worked in Dagestan: the goldsmiths of the village of Kubachi, the silversmiths of Gotsatl. poems." Rasul Gamzatov
Carpet weaving
Carpet weaving has long been considered the most common and most famous folk craft in the Republic of Dagestan. The major centers of its development are the city of Derbent andvillages located in the mountains of Magaramkent, Mezhgyul, Lyahla, Arkit, Orta-Stal, Rutul, Chilikar. And this is only a part of the listed places where carpets, mats and rugs are woven. They have their own traditional pattern and color. Each nationality has its own unique work on the product, a peculiar composition of borders and medallions. The secrets of making handmade carpets in every family are inherited from mother to daughter. Carpets made by hand are considered the greatest value in Dagestan families.
Embroidery
The folk crafts of the Republic of Dagestan include gold embroidery, which has reached significant development. Women embroider with the finest silver, gold and silk threads on leather and shoes. Pillows, bedspreads, curtains are decorated with embroidery. Belts and cords are woven from these expensive threads. Artistically designed by Dagestan women, woolen patterned socks are distinguished by their expressiveness and are in great demand among tourists. Burkas are sewn in the Dagestan villages of Andi, Botlikh, Rakhata, Ans alta. This outerwear, embroidered with original patterns, finds its consumer both in Dagestan and beyond its borders, in the cities and towns of the Transcaucasus and the North Caucasus.
Artels and art factories
At the beginning of the 20th century, on the basis of the folk crafts of Dagestan, artels were created, which, closer to the 60s, were transformed into art factories. The mass production of modern silverware, items with a metal notch, wood products,ceramics and various carpets. Products of Dagestan masters, participating in domestic and foreign exhibitions, received high awards. By the way, interest in the traditional national term - mouth (master) has revived in Dagestan. Made mouth - made qualitatively!
Manufacture and decoration of weapons has more than a thousand years of history. Bladed weapons are considered a special pride of masters. In Dagestan, the most famous is the Kizlyar enterprise, which specializes in decorating various specimens. The production of more than one hundred basic units of edged weapons and at least a hundred of its variations is involved in the flow of the enterprise.
Pottery art
Ceramic products are a popular type of folk craft. The village of Sulevkent was famous for pottery, but the village of Balkhar is considered to be the main center of the folk art craft of the Republic of Dagestan in this area. The masters of this village preserve and increase the traditions of pottery. The products of masters are highly valued not only in Dagestan, but throughout the Caucasus. Their products are a landmark of the region, a source of pride for Dagestan and part of the republic's image.
Balkhar products are regular participants in various exhibitions, and the Balkhar village itself is gradually becoming the center of ethnotourism. Visitors buy Balkhar ceramics from artisans, especially jugs. They are environmentally friendly, and the water in them remains cold for a long time. In addition, craftsmen make funny souvenir toys from clay - donkeys harnessed to a cart, figurines of people.
Product Shows
In the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala, there is an exhibition on a permanent basis, which presents the works of artisans and craftsmen from all regions of the country. Their works are products made of silver, ceramics, Tabasaran handmade carpets, jewelry, knives of the Kizlyar factory. Art guides acquaint city residents with the richness and diversity of the folk culture of Dagestan. If desired, visitors to the exhibition are given the opportunity to take pictures in ethnic outfits.
Exhibits are constantly updated. Visitors have the opportunity not only to get acquainted with the works of art presented at the exhibition, but also to purchase their favorite copies of Dagestan folk artisans. The Ministry of Tourism and Folk Arts and Crafts of the Republic of Dagestan organizes field exhibitions.
Master classes for children
Usually, at the exhibitions, the organizers always give an opportunity to those who wish to get acquainted directly with the manufacture of certain products, plunge into the ethno-cultural life, and join the folk crafts of Dagestan. At master classes for children, professionals introduce them to the basics of pottery, carpet weaving, designer embroidery, and ornamental notching.
Adults also enjoy learning at the master classes. Many people are interested in the process of carpet weaving. Indeed, at the exhibition, craftsmen not only present their products, but also demonstrate work on theirmanufacturing.
Craft Economy
Currently, there are 20 operating enterprises in Dagestan that produce folk art crafts. In addition, more than 500 entrepreneurs are engaged in the production of goods in this direction. In total, more than 2,500 people living in mountainous areas are involved in the production.
The question arises: what is in store for the folk crafts of Dagestan in the future? Such art has significant potential in generating employment and job creation. For this, there is no need to build production workshops. For example, a large proportion of the jewelry produced (about 90%) is provided by private master jewelers.
Gradually, in accordance with the privatization plan, unitary enterprises are being transferred to open joint-stock companies, but without the right to change the type of activity. Dagestan is a confident leader in terms of output, ahead of such regions as the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions, which have the largest production in the field of folk arts and crafts. A large volume of products is produced by LLC "Kizlyar" - this is an international brand known for knives. Their manufacture is considered one of the most famous folk crafts in Dagestan, as are handmade carpets.
Modernity
Currently, there is a lot of competition in the handicraft market. Goods from India, Iran, Turkey, China are gradually filling the Dagestan commodity markets. If earliermachine-made carpets were exported from these countries, now the store shelves are literally littered with handmade products that compete with the work of Dagestan craftswomen.
The market for handicrafts must be mobile and pursue a skillful pricing policy. If in Soviet times state subsidies were issued for unprofitable folk crafts, the state was engaged in the sale of goods, now you need to be not only a skilled craftsman, but also, to some extent, a manager. Market relations dictate their terms of trade. You need to be able to find profitable markets, analyze consumer needs, improve the quality of your products so that they always remain competitive.
