<臨地サーヴェイ>ミフラーブ風アーチのない礼拝用敷物 --ウズベキスタン・ボイスンの牧畜民による自家製ジョイナマズ

Abstract

This study examines the design patterns of homemade prayer rugs (joynamaz) crafted by pastoralists living in the Boysun district of Surkhandarya oblast in southern Uzbekistan. These joynamaz lack the mihrab-shaped arch pattern, which is traditionally a characteristic of prayer rugs. Instead, they are adorned with “technical” symbols: mountain-shaped (zigzag) stitching and tassels, bi-colored lines along the edges created by stitching and/or weaving patterns that signify talismans known as tumorcha. From a functional perspective, specifically the role of the joynamaz in orienting the worshipper toward Mecca, it was found that the mountainshaped stitching and tasseled decorations serve a purpose equivalent to that of the mihrabstyle arches. However, when considering the making process, it was found that the essential symbol for their joynamaz was the bicolored line symbol (tumorcha). This motif is believed to have originated in indigenous animistic beliefs. In other words, the homemade joynamaz created by Boysun's pastoralists represents an art form that symbolizes the fusion of Islamic and nomadic cultural traditions unified through the universal activity of prayer.