Detail of a felt mosaic 'Shyrdak' made of appliquéd
pieces of felted wool edged with braid, used as a floor
cover inside the Yurt (circular house-tent). Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Ram's Horn and Raven's Claw Motifs
The colours blue and red used together as figure and
ground symbolize water (Lake Issyk-kul) and earth
(the Bright Mountains, Ala To'o)
which can be interpreted as female fertility
(watered earth, hence plant growth).
The numerous Ram's Horn motifs, called
Kochkor Muyuz in the Kyrgyz language,
similarly symbolize male potency. The Raven's Claw
motif, Karga Turmas, appears as the Ram's Horn
with a three-pointed claw at the top. As usual,
interpretations vary.