Lukhtak (Dolls) production workshop: Session 2 by Saodat Ismailova

lumbung artist Saodat Ismailova invites visitors to her Lukhtak production workshop. Lukhtak are amulet dolls popular in Tajikistan that can be traced back to the time before the 7th century.

The dolls are made of two crossed sticks and a head. The original purpose of the dolls was to protect the house and the family, separately men and boys, women and girls. Girl’s dolls have round or oval faces with a geometrically precise rhombus that visually goes into depth. Boy’s dolls’ faces are left without any decoration, only a white turban is placed on their heads, but the long neck is brightly woven out.

In the house, lukhtaks live above the heads of people, since, according to beliefs, the dolls take on dark energy, the evil eye, and diseases. In the past, if a child got sick, parents specially made a doll, charmed it and threw it into the river for the water to carry away the child’s illness along with the doll.

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