An incredible opportunity to see and learn about some of the rarest artifacts of ancient horse heritage, including pieces from Akhal-Teke and Chaar historic homelands in Central Asia! 🔖
The George Washington University Textile Museum Collection has been showcasing a very special exhibit called “Adorning the Horse: Equestrian Textiles for Power and Prestige”. The display shares an invaluable and exquisite collection of equestrian textiles that tell stories of interwoven cultural horse heritage going back 1,300 years.
Some of the practices involved in the production and use of these textile pieces are even recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as the traditions of Akhal-Teke horse decoration and the making of Ala-kiyiz or shyrdak felt among others.
Two beautiful publications have also been shared by the museum as accompaniments to the collection, “Adorning the Horse: Equestrian Textiles for Power and Prestige, 6th–20th Centuries” by Sumru Belger Krody & Lee Talbot and “Nomadic Visions: Tribal Weavings” by Michael Rothberg. The first is a collection catalog of the exhibit’s 60 equestrian textiles, and the second shares Michael and Amy Rothberg’s collection of practical to ceremonial knotted-pile weavings—an art practiced in Central Asia to create clothing to saddle bags for almost 4,000 years.
The exhibit is still open for viewing until June 20, 2026!
Photos from Hali Publications and The George Washington University Museum.