One of the most ancient festivals, Nowruz, is widely celebrated by the people of Turkmenistan. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and has been recognized internationally.
With the holiday fast approaching, the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan is currently running an exhibition entitled ‘Nowruz: The International Holiday of Peace and Beauty’. It features archeological and ethnographic rarities from the Museum’s storerooms. The exhibits help visitors to obtain a deeper understanding of the festivity’s unifying role in the modern world.
At the core of the exhibition is an archeological section whose collection serves as a symbolic link between the past and the future. Encased in glass displays are exhibits unearthed during excavations at the sites of ancient monuments dating back to the 6th and the 3rd millennia B.C. On view are small female figurines dedicated to the goddess of fertility, which were discovered at the site of Altyndepe, and a small gypsum fragment that bears the imprint of wheat grains. This unique artifact found at the site of Anau eloquently testifies that the Turkmens’ farming practices have ancient roots.
The exhibition also includes paintings that vividly reflect the wealth of Nowruz traditions and the true spirit of the holiday. They portray women in colorful national dresses baking aromatic chorek flatbread and showcasing unique handmade items such as embroidery, carpets, and dainty carnelian-encrusted silver jewelry made by zergers (jewelers).
On display are several paintings by artist Vyacheslav Maikovsky, depicting our sunshine-rich country’s traditions and nature. One of them shows the desert before a dust storm begins. The sun’s rays piercing through a blanket of thick grey clouds are seen as a life-affirming symbol. Another painting by the artist is abstract. It takes the viewer on a journey into the labyrinth of national ornamental patterns and their meanings.
The centerpiece of the exhibition’s ethnographic section is a makeshift Turkmen yurt, whose dwellers are caught up in preparations for Nowruz festivities. The display shows a mother and a daughter making mouth-watering pishme – a traditional food (diamond-shaped pieces of dough fried in oil) guests are welcomed with in accordance with local customs. The iconic Nowruz dish – semeni (a caramel-colored paste made from sprouted wheat and flour) is being cooked nearby. On show is also old quern stones used for hand-grinding grains into flour.
Exquisite showpieces from the Museum of the President of Turkmenistan are spectacular additions to the Nowruz-themed exhibition. Most eye-catching is an installation of gilded tulips. The exhibition also features picture carpets that capture the beauty of nature and its springtime rebirth, as well as old musical instruments.
Tamara GLAZUNOVA
Photo: Yuri SHKURIN
