Since ancient times, Bukhara and Samarkand have been thriving centres of craft production due to their location on the main routes of the ancient "Silk Road." Gold embroidery or zarduzi was no exception. Until the Bolshevic Revolution in 1917, consumption of gold embroidery was restricted to the wealthy middle class and court elites: spectacularly employed in displays of power and wealth among the courts of the Emirs before the Russian invasion in 1868.