The tradition

On the open steppe the Kazakh home is the yurt, and its floor and walls are dressed in felt. The signature pieces are the syrmak — a mosaic of two contrasting felts cut and stitched together — and the tekemet, where dyed wool is rolled directly into the felt. Motifs are bold and curling: the kochkor-müyüz ram's horn above all, a symbol of wealth and abundance.