Antique Turkman belt from Afghanistan. 800 gr.

This antique jewelry was collected in the 1970s in the North West of Afghanistan in villages close to the border with Turkmenistan. Many Turkmen were visiting relatives in Afghanistan in those days and they brought jewellery and textiles with them to sell. An Afghan friend, who collected all these amazing pieces in the 70s, recently offered us this spectacular and rare collection of Turkoman and Kazak jewellery, and now you can enjoy them as well!

“The Turkmen, as more than two dozen tribal groups of Turkic ethnic and linguistic heritage are collectively known, were pastoral nomads who lived in encampments, raised livestock, bred horses, and occasionally plundered settled areas for booty and slaves. In order to ensure year-round green pastures for their animals, the tribes moved two or three times a year.

Although nominally Sunni Muslim, the Turkmen kept many of their pre-Islamic customs and beliefs, which were often embodied in the jewelry they made and wore. Turkmen silver jewelry carried deep symbolic meanings and often marked an individual’s passage from one stage of life to another. From a very early age, a woman started wearing jewelry whose shapes and materials were believed to ensure her ability to bear healthy children later in life. The amount of embellishments a girl wore increased as she approached marriageable age. Once she had had her first children, and her fertility had been established, the amount of jewelry she received and wore decreased. In addition, silver jewelry believed to ward off evil and illness was worn by men, women, and especially by children.

Jewelry was a significant financial investment, as it was handcrafted from precious materials. There were cases when, in times of dire need, a woman would part with her jewelry in order to help the survival of the tribe. Significant in size and weight, Turkmen jewelry objects were made of silver, decorated with semi-precious stones, and sometimes gilded for an added color effect and value.

Common shapes found on Turkmen jewelry include mountains, animals, horns, and plants.”

Citation taken from: Department of Islamic Art. “Turkmen Jewelry.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.

Material: silver and textile

Weight: 800 grams

Size:  86×9 cms

Origin: Turkmen tribes, Afghanistan

Date: Early 20th century