Journal · Kyrgyz felt

Shyrdak and ala-kiyiz: the two felt carpets of Kyrgyzstan

One is cut and stitched like a mosaic, the other is rolled from coloured wool in one piece. How Kyrgyz craftswomen make shyrdak and ala-kiyiz, and where to try both in Karakol.

14 October 2026

A grey, white and blue shyrdak with a round central pattern

For centuries felt carpets kept Kyrgyz yurts warm and made them home. Two kinds matter most, and in 2012 UNESCO inscribed the art of both, ala-kiyiz and shyrdak, on its list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. They look alike at first glance. They are made in completely different ways.

Shyrdak: a mosaic of felt

A shyrdak starts with two finished sheets of felt in different colours, laid one on top of the other. The craftswoman cuts the ornament through both at once, then swaps the pieces: the pattern of one colour fits into the background of the other. Two mirror carpets come out of it, and not a scrap of precious felt is wasted.

The pieces are then joined with a special stitch that makes the carpet extremely strong. The motifs carry names: dogs' tails, the horns of mountain goats and deer, birds' claws. One pattern set into another stands for unity and harmony.

A blue and grey shyrdak pattern and its stitched seams — The stitched seams along the pattern show this is a shyrdak.

Ala-kiyiz: “colourful felt”

Ala-kiyiz means “colourful felt”. Here nothing is cut. Coloured wool is laid out in a pattern on a chiy, a mat of steppe grass, and the whole carpet is rolled and felted in one piece, so the ornament becomes part of the felt itself. It is collective work: several women roll it together.

The wool matters. Soft, elastic spring wool is valued most, while the coarser autumn clip gives the carpet its strength.

A craftswoman lays out wool on a chiy mat during an ala-kiyiz workshop

How to tell them apart

Shyrdak: crisp edges, stitched seams along every line of the pattern, two contrasting colours swapped between pieces.
Ala-kiyiz: soft, slightly blurred edges, no seams, the pattern felted into one sheet.

Try both in Karakol

In our yurt at EthnoMir Point local craftswomen run both workshops, each 2 to 2.5 hours. For a group of up to 5 people a workshop costs 3,000 som; from 5 people it's 800 som per person. Book at least two days ahead.

Choose a workshop