Nurilya was born on February 12, 1961, in the village of Orgochor. She graduated from the Y. Gagarin Secondary School in 1977 (now named after M. Tynaev) and received a diploma in accounting in Bishkek. In 1980, after getting married, she moved to Kyzyl-Suu, where she raised three children — two daughters and a son.
Since childhood, Nurilya has been passionate about handicrafts, inheriting skills from her mother and later learning a lot from her mother-in-law.
“I worked as an accountant at a state farm until the collapse of the Soviet Union. After that, when the state farm closed and my youngest daughter was born, I stayed at home and fully immersed myself in handicrafts,” she said.
At first, Nurilya sewed chair mats, and then switched to creating shyrdaks.
As Akylbekova noted, making one shyrdak can take up to a week. “There are many tasks in the village, such as milking cows and household chores, so I do handicrafts in my free time. If I focus on the work, I can make one shyrdak in two days. My husband always supports me and even sets up additional lighting if there isn’t enough light,” she added.
Nurilya emphasized the importance of handicrafts for health in adulthood: “Working with your hands and physical activity strengthen health. Today, many prefer to spend time on their phones, but it’s better to engage in handicrafts and develop creative abilities,” she believes.
She shares her craft with other women in the village.
Working as a team, they divide responsibilities: someone cuts patterns, someone quilts, and someone handles sales.
Nurilya and her colleagues' products are in demand among both locals and tourists.
“Foreigners prefer natural materials. They choose items dyed only with natural dyes. Most often, these are chair mats and small shyrdaks that are convenient to take with you. Working with tourists is very interesting: we conduct master classes and share the process of creating products. They are amazed by our art, and we also enjoy communicating with them,” she said.
In addition, Nurilya demonstrates Kyrgyz traditions. “I am often asked to show how to wrap a baby in a beshik (Kyrgyz cradle). After we lay down a hypothetical baby, tourists start rocking it themselves and sing lullabies in their languages. They really enjoy it,” the master added.
Prices for the products vary depending on size: seat cushions start at 1500 soms, shyrdaks range from 16,000 to 20,000 soms, and wall hangings start at 4500 soms and up.
Nurilya noted that the income from handicrafts allows her to travel. In particular, she has visited Turkey, where she learned about local crafts.
“I am proud that through my work I have been able to visit different corners of the country and beyond, representing our products and conducting master classes. This inspires other women, and many come to me wanting to learn this craft,” Akylbekova said.
In the future, Nurilya and her colleagues plan to develop their skills, creating higher quality and more interesting wall hangings, as well as teaching those interested in handicrafts.
“It’s important not to forget about manual labor. In the past, every mother sewed two shyrdaks for her children, but now not even one is made. It’s sad when someone does not appreciate the labor put into creating a shyrdak that lies outside and gets dirty. We must preserve the craftsmanship of our ancestors and pass it on to future generations. It’s nice when, while preparing a dowry for girls, we give them handmade shyrdaks,” she concluded.
In addition to handicrafts, the Akylbekov family is engaged in agriculture.
They have 4.5 hectares of apple orchard, and they also grow strawberries and raspberries, making jam and selling the surplus.
“Strawberries bear fruit until the snow. A kilogram of strawberries costs 180 soms, a bucket of raspberries is 400-500 soms, and apples are 40-60 soms per kilogram. The products are bought by both locals and resellers who then sell them in Kazakhstan,” she added.
Objects
Satellite
⛶
