Every Gulyaka Has the Sun

20 January 2023
1871

In the western region of the country, a round pectoral gulyaka is called “gottaç çakly gülýakalar”. The Yomud version of this item of women’s clothing has the form of a shining solar disk with a big bulge in the centre. This form somewhat resembles of a round shell on the seabed, inside which precious pearls are securely hidden from human eyes. The so-called shell can be conditionally divided into four equal proportional parts, which symbolise the four seasons and demonstrate their orderly cyclical scheme.

This small “sun” has a reflection of the change of natural phenomena – the summer equinox, the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The stones are arranged in a small scattering in a circle in the edging of the piece of jewellery. Looking at this piece created by human hands, it is as if you were turning over the pages of a calendar that gives the owner – certainly a married woman who was ordered to wear this piece of jewellery – willpower, spirit, patience, wisdom and femininity. You are captivated by the simple and distinct beauty of the jewellery piece and its exquisite and perfect proportions.

Nury KAPUROV,
Balkanabat
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