The relative isolation of Central Asia contributed to the blossoming of its textile arts. While most of the world's textile producing centers had confronted and adapted to industrialization several decades earlier, Central Asia remained untouched by mechanization and, more importantly, untroubled by competition from factory-made products until late in the 19th century. This delay permitted the production of traditional hand-woven silks to flourish much longer than in other parts of the globe. When world powers began to turn their attention to Central Asia's strategic location, "progress" arrived, bringing the demise of its textile industry.

Russian expansion into Central Asia, completed by the end of the 1870s, changed the face of the region. To benefit the mother country's national economy and assure its stronghold, Russians built railroads across the desert and reorganized Central Asia's own economy to focus entirely on cotton production (1). Formerly exporters of finished goods of high artistic caliber, Central Asia's people were compelled to become exporters of raw materials. Impoverished by the process and flooded by machine-made products, many weavers and textile workshops abandoned their trade. By the time of the Russian Revolution, some fabrics, such as cotton-wefted silk adras, that had dominated the first half of the 19th century had completely disappeared (2). Remaining Central Asian textile production was often of lesser quality and artistic merit.

Aniline dyes also contributed to the industry's downfall. Introduced worldwide by the last quarter of the 19th century, these artificial dyes, which faded and discolored rapidly, were officially banned in Bukhara until the 20th century, but came to be used more and more to help reduce production costs (3). Today, factory-made imitations of 19th century ikats are worn by Central Asian housewives, farm workers and professional women at home and during festive occasions as a symbol of modern national identity (4). The United Nations Development Programme and the British Council have also joined forces with a few remaining craftspeople in an attempt to revive traditional ikat weaving, and the production and use of locally-made natural dyes (5). The late arrival of industrialization in Central Asia may have allowed traditional crafts to survive long enough to be resuscitated after decades of neglect.

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(1) Kate Fitz Gibbon and Andrew Hale, Ikat: Splendid Silks of Central Asia: the Guido Goldman Collection (Lawrence King Publishing in Association with Alan Marcuson Publishing, 1999), 56.
(2) Ibid., 74.
(3) Ibid., 121.
(4) Kate Fitz Gibbon, "Ikat: Costume in Central Asia," Ornament 21, (Fall/ Summer 1997-1998): 59.
(5) L. Kaplan, "Uzbek artisans Revive Ancient Traditions," Fiberarts 26, no.5, (March/April 2000): 13.