Etles or ''Etles silk'' (, ) is a type of

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

ikat ''Ikat'' (in Indonesian languages means "bind") is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by bi ...

fabric traditionally made by the Uyghur, Uzbek and Tajik peoples. Traditionally used for men's and women's clothing, in the modern day, Etles's unique patterns are no longer limited to application in clothing, and Etles is also used for soft furnishings and accessories. Etles is made from the silk produced by the

Atlas moth ''Attacus atlas'', the Atlas moth, is a large saturniid moth endemic to the forests of Asia. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Description The Atlas moth is one of the largest ...

. One of the largest production sites is the city of

Hotan Hotan (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Western China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become ...

and its surrounding towns in the Uyghur homeland.

References

Silk Uyghur culture Saturniidae {{textile-stub