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Ablaeva U.O. Ornamental traditions of the Crimean Tatars (ethnocultural context). Journal of Clothing Science. 2026; 11(1). Available at: https://kostumologiya.ru/PDF/21IVKL126.pdf (in Russian).

Ornamental traditions of the Crimean Tatars (ethnocultural context)

Ablaeva Ulviye Osmanovnа
Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University named after Fevzi Yakubov, Simferopol, Russia
E-mail: ulvieablaieva@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2710-5430

Abstract. This article examines the symbolic language of traditional decorative and applied art of the Crimean Tatars within an ethnocultural context. The research is primarily based on textile objects. For the analysis, typical mid-late 19th-century items with ornamental decoration were selected, executed in distinctive techniques of national embroidery and patterned relief weaving. These include interior panels, women’s head shawls, men’s wedding belts, and individual costume elements, the diversity of which demonstrates the vivid originality of Crimean Tatar ornamental art. From the wide variety of ornamental designs, only the most common motifs are considered. These are two ornamental compositions with traditional iconography: the «Tree of Life (…)» and the «Curved Branch (…)», which accompany the text as illustrations.

The article analyzes the works of the most frequently cited authors of the first half of the 20th and the early 21st centuries, as well as their most significant theses and speculative ideas. For the first time in Crimean studies of similar scope, the author presents accurate characterizations of ornamented textile objects; proposes comprehensive definitions of key ethnic terms; and demonstrates the inconsistency of certain hypotheses.

As a result of the study, conclusions are drawn regarding the distinctive features of the decorative and applied and ornamental arts of the Crimean Tatar people. These are characterized by the use of unique techniques of double-sided counted embroidery (tatar ishleme, i.e., «Tatar work») and patterned relief weaving; the predominance of aesthetic function over utilitarian purpose; the long-term continuity of ornamental motifs; and the unique aesthetics of artistic imagery.

Keywords: Crimean Tatars; traditional ornament; ornamental composition; semiological analysis; Crimean Tatar embroidery; pattern; relief weaving

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