Cashmere originates from the most remote, cold and barren Asian plains of the earth – the northern slopes of the Himalayas and migrated with Chinese herdsmen to Inner Mongolia and the northern provinces of China between the 11th and 13th centuries, when Mongolian leaders Kublai Khan and Genghis Khan built their Asian empires At the time, cashmere slowly entered the trade route with the West, but it was still very rare. It hardly appears in Western historical records.
In Mesopotamia archaeology found tools used for shearing wool in 2300 BC, and cashmere cloth was found in Syria as early as 200 AD, but written records of cashmere did not exist before the 16th century. But there have been several legends about cashmere, the most famous of which is that the lining of the Ark of the Covenant (the box in which Moses placed the Ten Commandments in the Bible) was made of cashmere; it is said that cashmere was once used in ancient Rome because of the love of the nobles of the Roman Empire. Known as the “King of Fabrics”.
In the Tang Dynasty of our country, the cashmere wool cloth woven from the fine and soft “inner wool” (velvet) of goat is called “velvet brown”, which is light and warm, and is deeply loved by people. The book “Heavenly Foreign Objects” in the Ming Dynasty also described the method of producing cashmere cloth: “pulling the velvet” with fingers, and then “stretching the thread and weaving the velvet brown”.
Cashmere first attracted attention in the Western world because of the Kashmir shoulders in the famous Kashmir region of India. The English name of cashmere was also directly called CASHMERE during this period and has been used to this day.
In the 15th century, the city of Kashmir was ruled by the Mongol emperor Zanul Abidir, who was known for his vigorous promotion of art and culture. Passionate about bringing together the greatest artists and materials, Abidir invited artists and skilled Turkestan weavers to weave shoulders for him using cashmere imported from Tibet, resulting in the most extravagant and The soft, warmest shoulders were born.
These expensive and extravagant shoulders are reserved only for the kings and queens of Kashmir and a group of Tibetan monks to ward off the cold when they sit and meditate. In this religious group, the phrase “walking into the warmth” is used specifically to refer to the ritual of preparation before meditation and prayer.
Across Asia, this famous shoulder is Kashmir’s largest export and the national pride of local weavers. Making a shoulder like this is a long and laborious process, enough to keep a Kashmiri family busy all winter. They imported raw wool from herders in Tibet, then hand-removed coarse wool, sand and thorns, and began spinning, dyeing, and weaving shoulders with elaborate designs. Once woven, there is a custom that the shoulders will be given to the bride as a precious gift on the wedding day. According to custom, to witness the incomparable sophistication and beauty, such shoulders will be worn through wedding rings to bring good luck.
Post time: Aug-14-2023
