Small Suzani
Seventeen pieces under a square metre: squares from 60 × 60 cm, panels around 90 × 110 cm, and three runners at 50 × 145 cm, all hand-embroidered in silk on cotton, $24 to $235. This is the section for a framed piece above a desk, a runner down a table or a chest, a cushion front, or a first suzani bought to see whether you like living with one. Three are vintage Soviet-era, the rest new — mostly Bukhara work; size, school and age are on every listing.
Orders leave Bukhara within 24 hours by tracked airmail: USA 9–18 working days, Europe 8–16, elsewhere 10–20. What a suzani is, and how to read one, is on the parent page.
Small pieces, same hands
A small suzani is not a cut-down large one. The 60 × 60 and 90 × 90 cm squares are the old takiyapush and ilgich formats — pillow covers and small hangings — worked on one or two strips of cotton by one embroiderer, so the pattern runs unbroken across the field. The runners at 50 × 145 cm are a single strip of hand-woven cotton, embroidered end to end, and read as a border rather than a panel; they are the pieces that go down the middle of a table or along the top of a chest.
Framing and hanging
A square under a metre frames well: mount it on acid-free board, leave a 5 cm margin, and glaze it with UV glass if the wall gets sun — Soviet-era reds and pinks fade first. Unframed, hang it from a cotton tape sewn along the top edge, or sew it onto a plain linen backing and hang that. For a cushion, our suzani cushions are cut from pieces of exactly this kind, and any square here can be made into one.
Vintage or new
Three of the seventeen are vintage, with the wear shown in the photographs; the rest are new, most of them Bukhara work. Nothing here is an antique — Uzbekistan's export law forbids it — and nothing is machine-embroidered. Read the symbols hidden in suzani before you choose; on a small piece a single pomegranate or a scorpion is the whole story.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a small suzani?
At Alesouk, under one square metre: squares and panels from 60 × 60 cm to 110 × 90 cm, plus runners at 50 × 145 cm. The exact size is on every listing.
How much does a small suzani cost?
$24 to $235 at Alesouk; the runners and 60 cm squares are the least expensive way to own hand-embroidered suzani.
Can I frame a suzani?
Yes. Mount it on acid-free board with a margin, and use UV glass if the wall gets direct sun. Squares of 60–90 cm frame best.
Can a small suzani be made into a cushion?
Yes; any square here can be, and Alesouk's own suzani cushions are cut from pieces of this size. A 60 × 60 cm piece makes one 50 cm cushion front.
Are small suzanis hand-embroidered?
All seventeen are hand-embroidered in silk on cotton; three are vintage Soviet-era pieces and the rest are new, mostly Bukhara work.
Do you ship small suzanis to the USA and UK?
Yes, worldwide by tracked airmail from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, within 24 hours: USA 9–18 working days, Europe and the UK 8–16, elsewhere 10–20.