Ala-kiyiz
Ala kiyiz
Traditional felted textile of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
Ala kiyiz (Kyrgyz: ала кийиз, [ɑlɑ kijíz]) or tekemet (Kazakh: текемет, [tʲekʰʲemʲet]) is an ornamenting style for textile floor- or wallcovering made by pressing wet, soaped wool of various colours together to make it felt. The chemical process of felting transforms the loose woolen fibers into a thick cloth. The felt carpet-making technique is a traditional folk art among the nomadic farming Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Mongolian peoples of the Tien Shan mountains and the steppes in Central Asia for over two and a half thousand years.[1] From the various methods of ornamenting, ala kiyiz is among the widest spread, with shyrdak.[2]
The motley felts traditionally were made from local sheep’s wool of autumn shearing. The carpets are a component of the insulation and decoration of the yurt or ger, a movable round tent that is the nomadic dwelling throughout Central Asia.
In 2012, Kyrgyz felt carpets ala-kiyiz and shyrdak were inscribed into the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in need of urgent protection.[3]