Nomadic life requires up to forty different varieties of bags, predominantly in pairs. Young women produce the bags before their marriage as an important part of their dowry. The girl's value is measured and defined by the number of pile-knotted and flat-woven bags that she will bring to the marriage. They indicate the women's wealth and weaving skills, provide a practical means of moving possessions during migration and establish tribal emblems.'Bags for Life – for the Survival of Nomads' is an exhibition of antique pile knotted and flatwoven transport bags from old Russia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and the Caucasus that will be on at Orient-Galerie Reto Christoffel in Zürich-Steinmaur, Switzerland, this September. The collection of bags on display will include torba, chuval, mafrash, balisht, and khorjin pieces to name but a few. The smallest bag measures just 0.02m sq. and the biggest 2.20m sq.
