Suzanis: A New Light on an Old Story

Despite being created in a well-documented period, surprisingly little is known about the suzani of Central Asia. The known facts, rather than the oft-repeated suppositions, are meagre but the historical and international cultural and trading background may at least add a few more pieces to the puzzle.

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Penny Oakley has worked with Islamic embroideries for many years and has published regularly in Hali on such topics as Ottoman Anatolian kilims and silk embroideries.

She was one of the authors of Stars of the Caucasus: Silk Embroideries From Azerbaijan (2018). She is also co-author, with Markus Voigt and Christian Erber, of the forthcoming Suzani: art of the Silk Road, due to be published in hardback in May 2025.