The 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, wood art, Untsukul metal notch, jewelry. They will be discussed in the article.
History of the occurrence of crafts
Dagestan folk crafts are identified with the national culture and spiritual heritage of the peoples inhabiting the territory of Dagestan in the Middle Ages (in the XII-XV centuries), ensuring their employment. Stone carving, preserved in grave monuments of auls and Kubachi reliefs, received its development during this time period.
Dagestan mosques such as Kala-Koreyshskaya and Shirinskaya are decorated with woodcarvings. Itsarina Tower and Kala-Koreansky Mosque are also adorned with iconic architecture and castings.
The crafts that women engage in are distinguished: weaving of cloth, carpet making, knitting and weaving, which were intensively developed at the beginning of the 16th century.
The most developed folk arts 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, Harbuk and Amuzgi were engaged in the manufacture of edged and firearms.
Stages of development of folk crafts
Along with the crafts listed above, new crafts appeared: processing horns and making iron furnaces. Women weaved a patch - cotton fabric. In the village of Kishche, craftsmen made musical stringed plucked instruments - cast iron. This name comes from the Türkic word "chagyr" (translated - "call"). Tools are designed to appeal to God, to the Truth.
The emergence and development of folk crafts of Dagestan was facilitated by the accessibility of trade routes that passed through the mountain zone. Villagers supplied goods from the mountainous areas. The goods were sold not only in the mountainous region, but also far beyond its borders, in the cities of the Caucasus and Russia. And from there they brought the goods needed in the villages.
Crafts aul Kubachi
Aul Kubachi has long been known for its crafts and crafts. His masters became famous for the manufacture of protective armor and chain mail. From the 18th century to the end of the 20th century, the manufacture of weapons — sabers, knives, rifles, and pistols — has been rapidly developing. Amuzginsky and Kharbuksky blacksmiths made these products and handed over to the Kubachin craftsmen for processing and artistic decoration. Over time, the blacksmiths switched to the manufacture of household utensils made of brass, copper and silver and also gave their products to the Kubachians. Here was one of the major centers for the copper-minted production of jugs for carrying water and baths, trays, basins and various utensils with engraved ornaments.
Later they began to decorate objects such as checkers, guns, pistols and women's items of decoration: chest jewelry with engraving, massive belts.
Currently, master jewelers work fine with gold and precious stones.
The women of this aul were engaged in embroidery with gold and silk thread, weaving and knitting. Family labor traditions in it and are now passed down from generation to generation.
"For centuries, his unrivaled craftsmen worked in Dagestan: goldsmiths of the aul of Kubachi, silver works of the master Gotsatl. Untsukults from wood created man-made poems, Derbent, Tabasaran women on carpets transferred all one hundred colors of my land, balkharks wrote clay pots on clay jugs." Rasul Gamzatov
Carpet weaving
From the earliest times, carpet weaving is considered the most widespread and most famous folk craft in the Republic of Dagestan. The major centers of its development are the city of Derbent and villages located in the mountains of Magaramkent, Mezhgul, Lyakhlya, Arkit, Orta-Stal, Rutul, Chilikar. And this is only part of the places listed in which 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 each family are inherited from mother to daughter. Hand-made carpets are considered the greatest value in Dagestan families.
Embroidery
Gold crafts, which has reached significant development, are among the crafts of the Republic of Dagestan. Women embroider with the finest silver, gold and silk threads on leather and shoes. Pillows, bedspreads, curtains decorate with embroideries. Belts and cords are woven from these expensive threads. Woolen patterned socks artistically decorated by Dagestan women are distinguished by their expressiveness and are in great demand among tourists. In the Dagestan villages of Andi, Botlikh, Rakhat, Ansalta, burka is sewn. This outerwear, embroidered with original patterns, finds its consumer both in Dagestan and beyond, in the cities and towns of Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus.
Artels and art factories
At the beginning of the 20th century, artels were created on the basis of the crafts of Dagestan, which were converted into art factories closer to the 60s. The mass production of modern silverware, items with metal notches, wood products, ceramics and all kinds of carpets has begun. Products of Dagestan masters participating in domestic and foreign exhibitions received high awards. By the way, in Dagestan, interest in the traditional national term - mouth (master) has revived. Made by mouth - done with high quality!
The manufacture and decoration of weapons has more than a thousand-year history. A special pride of the masters is considered a blade weapon. In Dagestan, the most famous is the Kizlyar enterprise, which specializes in decorating various pieces. The flow of the enterprise involves the production of more than one hundred basic units of cold steel and at least a hundred of its variations.
Pottery art
Pottery is a popular type of folk craft. The village of Sulevkent was famous for pottery, but the village of Balkhar is considered the main center of the folk art craft of the Republic of Dagestan in this area. The masters of this aul preserve and enhance the traditions of pottery. The products of the masters are highly valued not only in Dagestan, but throughout the Caucasus. Their products are a landmark of the region, the pride of Dagestan and part of the image of the republic.
Balkhar products are regular participants in all kinds of exhibitions, and the aul Balkhar itself is gradually becoming the center of ethno-tourism. Visitors acquire Balkhar ceramics from artisans, especially jugs. They are environmentally friendly, and the water in them remains cold for a long time. In addition, the craftsmen make funny clay souvenir toys - donkeys harnessed to a cart, figures of people.
Product Shows
In the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala, an exhibition is constantly operating, which presents the work of artisans and masters of folk art crafts from all regions of the country. Their works are silverware, ceramics, handmade Tabasaran carpets , jewelry, knives of the Kizlyar plant. Art guides introduce urban residents to the richness and diversity of Dagestan's folk culture. If desired, visitors to the exhibition are given the opportunity to take pictures in ethnic dresses.
The 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 copies of Dagestan folk artisans that they like. The Ministry of Tourism and Folk Art Crafts of the Republic of Dagestan holds visiting exhibitions.
Master classes for children
Usually, at the exhibitions held, the organizers necessarily give an opportunity to those wishing to get acquainted directly with the manufacture of certain products, plunge into ethnocultural life, and join the crafts of Dagestan. At master classes for children, professionals introduce them to the basics of pottery, carpet weaving, designer embroidery, and ornamental notching.
At master classes, adults are also happy to study. Many are interested in the process of carpet weaving. Indeed, at the exhibition, craftsmen not only present their products, but also demonstrate the work on their manufacture.
Handicraft Economics
Currently, there are 20 operating enterprises in Dagestan, which produce products of folk art crafts. In addition, more than 500 entrepreneurs are engaged in the production of goods in this direction. In total, more than 2500 people living in mountainous areas are involved in the production.
The question arises: what awaits the future crafts of Dagestan? Such art has significant potential in providing employment and job creation. For this, there is no need to build production workshops. For example, a large share of jewelry produced (about 90%) is provided by private jewelers.
Gradually, in accordance with the privatization plan, unitary enterprises are 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 those regions in which the largest industries in the branch of folk art crafts, such as the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod regions, are concentrated. A large volume of products is produced by Kizlyar LLC, an international brand known for knives. Their manufacture is referred to the most famous craft in Dagestan, as well as handmade carpets.
Modernity
Currently, there is a lot of competition in the market for handicraft goods. Products from India, Iran, Turkey, China gradually fill the Dagestan commodity markets. If earlier carpets were exported from these countries, now the store shelves are literally littered with handicrafts that are in competition with the works of Dagestan craftswomen.
The market for consumer goods must be mobile and have a skillful pricing policy. If in Soviet times state subsidies were issued for unprofitable 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 demands, improve the quality of your products so that they always remain competitive.