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Kurdu – Azerbaijani women’s traditional outfit from Karabakh region

Kurdu

The national costume is one of the main attributes of each nation, which is closely connected to its history and traditions.

In Azerbaijan, as in the rest of the world, history and geography determined the form and color of clothes.

Traditional dresses, so colorful and diversified, truly represent the different regions of the historic Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani traditional wear is all about richness and originality that absorbed its style and artistic taste from the traditions and customs coming from centuries.

At the end of the 19th century, women’s outerwear in Azerbaijan consisted of a shirt, chapkan (outerwear worn over a shirt), arkhalig (a long tight-waist jacket), kurdu (woman´s sleeveless jacket, usually padded or fur-lined), kulaja (pleated skirt), labbada (lined jacket over the shoulder), eshmek (lined jacket over the shoulder usually made of velvet), and bahari (Embroidered, lined outerwear).

One of the richest women’s outerwear was kurdu in this century. The kurdu was bandaged and sleeveless.

Since it was worn in winter, fur was sewn on its neck, collar, and skirt.

The kurdu was sewn and worn in Shusha, Sheki, Nakhchivan, Shamakhi, as well as other regions of Azerbaijan.

In May 2021, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order declaring the city of Shusha as Azerbaijan’s cultural capital.

Taking into consideration the historical significance of Shusha for the people of Azerbaijan, its high cultural and spiritual value, President Ilham Aliyev signed an Order on declaring 2022 a “Year of Shusha” in Azerbaijan on January 5, 2022.

As part of the “Year of Shusha”, the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan has recently launched a project called “Cultural pearls of Shusha”, aimed at promoting the rich culture of Shusha.

The project, which features seven sections: “Architectural Chronicle of Shusha”, “Temple of Azerbaijani music – Shusha”, “Hearth of Mugham – Shusha”, “Karabakh carpet school – Shusha”, “Literary life of Shusha”, “Faces of Shusha”, “Shusha national clothing style”, continues to promote the rich culture of Shusha – the pearl of Karabakh.

About Fidan Abdullayeva