Prestel Publishing has just announced a new book about the Qaraqalpaqs by David and Sue Richardson. This new book is entitled “Qaraqalpaqs of the Aral Delta” and publication date is 2 July 2012.
“The authors are deeply passionate about the subject and will be giving lecture talks around the UK and US, which will help to ensure this book becomes the standard reference work on these fascinating people. No serious scholar of Central Asian carpets, history or costumes should be without it” said Florence Andrew, Prestel Publishing, to Jozan Magazine.
The heavily illustrated volume with 1,000 illustrations is, according to Florence Andrew, the first ever comprehensive study of the almost mythical Qaraqalpaq people, and focuses on this Turkic minority’s vibrant carpets, decorative textile arts, costumes and also on their uncertain future as their lands, the highly topical Aral Sea, are turned into desert. Photographs are taken on location and in the reserve collections of museums in Qaraqalpaqstan and Russia.
David and Sue Richardson have spent the past fourteen years studying the Qaraqalpaqs history and culture and have written numerous articles and lectured widely on the subject.