Secrets of Turkmen Felt

The final stage of the "Gülüň owadan!" competition was held in Balkanabat. The final velayat festival was organized by public organizations jointly with the Secretariat of the National Commission for UNESCO of Turkmenistan. As before, the main goal of the competition was to popularize the national cultural heritage of Turkmenistan.

During the unforgettable competition, the participants demonstrated unique features in creating samples of national felt keche (koshma).

It is well known that felt mat is a work of art that combines ancient traditions, centuries-old experience, skill and artistic imagination. Over the years, the Turkmen people, passing on the secrets of the craft from generation to generation, have managed to preserve the traditions and uniqueness of national felt matting . In the West of Turkmenistan, double-sided felt mats with different patterns on both sides are often made. Yomut craftswomen also tend to make large-sized felt mats. Not only the strength but also the soul of their creators is put into making felt mats. A finished felt carpet serves for decades, giving people its natural warmth.

The peculiarity of this type of competition at this stage was that according to the new conditions the best samples of keche were made in different sizes and in the specified period of time. In addition, the participants of the competition presented little-known facts, legends and tales revealing the history of the origin of keche.

Following the results of the competition, the team from the Esenguly etrap won the right to participate in the final state stage. The prize places were taken by teams from the Bereket, Turkmenbashi and Etrek etraps.

The best were awarded with certificates and valuable gifts.