Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Colors of the Oasis

As part of a series of 2025 programs revisiting groundbreaking exhibitions from The Textile Museum’s 100-year history, Chief Curator/Avenir Foundation Curator Sumru Belger Krody highlights themes and the impact of the mesmerizing 2010 exhibition and catalog Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats. 

The exhibition offered the American public their first opportunity to see exceptional 19th-century clothing made with colorful ikat fabrics created in weaving centers across Uzbekistan, including Bukhara, Samarkand and the Fergana Valley. The exhibition showcased nearly 50 ikat robes and panels collected by  Murad Megalli and bequeathed to The Textile Museum Collection, making it one of the largest holdings of Central Asian ikats in the world. 

These bold garments were mainstays of cosmopolitan oasis culture in the 19th century, worn by people of different classes and religions in crowded marketplaces, private homes, centers of worship and ceremonial places. The ikat textiles on display in Colors of the Oasis — including robes for men and women, as well as dresses, trousers and hangings — featured eye-catching designs in dazzling colors. 

Organized by Sumru Belger Krody, the exhibition influenced the field by exploring Central Asian ikat in the context of 19th-century production and use, as well as the 21st-century revival of this textile-making tradition.

About Sumru Belger Krody  
Sumru Belger Krody joined the curatorial staff of The Textile Museum in 1994. She serves as chief curator, as well as editor of The Textile Museum Journal. Specializing in textiles from the late antique era and Islamic world, Krody has curated numerous exhibitions and authored exhibition catalogs, articles and book chapters.  She holds degrees in classical archaeology from Istanbul University and the University of Pennsylvania. 

How to Participate 

This program will be in a hybrid format. You can join us in person at the museum or watch the livestream online. Please register in advance and choose how you would like to participate. We will email virtual attendees a link and instructions for joining via Zoom. When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.  

About Rug and Textile Appreciation Mornings

Collectors and experts discuss textile topics and display examples from their personal holdings. This series is named in honor of late Textile Museum trustee emeritus, Harold M. Keshishian. Browse upcoming programs