CAUCASIAN CARPETS

1. Background on the Region: 

 To truly appreciate Caucasian carpets,  it is necessary to know something about the region itself.  The Caucasus area lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in a region of high mountain ranges.    In this region there are  up to 350 tribes living in valleys at an altitude up to 2,000 feet.  Of all of these peoples, only the Armenians and the Georgians have a written history - back to the 4th Century.  Most of the others were illiterate nomadic peoples until this century.   Armenia was one of the earliest Christian regions, and stylized Christian crosses can still be seen in many Caucasian carpets today ? even though they may now be woven by Muslims. 

 The history of the region goes back into antiquity - in fact, the Armenians and Georgians trace their origins to Noah - as Mt. Ararat is nearby in what is now Northeastern Turkey.  The Biblical Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldaeans, Achadians and Sumerians all peopled the area at one time or another. Later, Pompey’s  Roman Empire once stretched into the area, as did the Mongols, the Tartars  and the Kalmucks. 

 A Holy War was fought in the region in 1830- against encroaching Russians. The war lasted to 1860 when the tribes of Daghestan and Cherkassian Muslims surrendered unconditionally to the Russians. Until the 20th century however, the entire region was virtually inaccessible, with few definable borders. 

 In more recent times the names of Armenia, Georgia, Chechnya and Azirbaijan, are frequently in the news - usually due to some form of civil unrest, ethnic fighting, or natural disasters. 
 

2. Some Basic Facts about Caucasian Carpets: 

 a) All Caucasian carpets are made with the Turkish or Giordes knot 

b) "Kazak" carpets are not from Kazakstan (which is on the other side of the Caspian sea) - but are from an area in what is now Armenia. The word probably derives from the Russian for Cossack - originally Christian Russian and Ukrainian serfs who fled from feudal landlords, and who were noted for their brutality. 

c) The colours of older Caucasian carpets  are mostly made from natural materials found in the respective tribal regions. 

d) Most older Caucasian carpets are "all wool" - not only the knotted pile, but the warp and weft threads are usually made from hand spun woolen yarn or goat hair However, one can sometimes find older carpets (and more frequently in some newer examples) with cotton warps and wefts 

e)  Warp threads can be made of undyed light yarn in one area, and dark or mixed in another.  Goat hair is also seen for the warp threads, but never for the pile. 

f) Weft threads can be different colours: rusty red/brown, blue or white. 

g)  The number and colours of selvages often can be an identifier to the area of origin 

h) A ‘tree of life’ motif is rarely found in a Caucasian carpet design 

g) The unique designs and colours of Caucasian carpets are due to two basic reasons:  tradition - more deeply rooted in Asia than anywhere else, and the inherent geographic isolation. 
 

3. Types of Caucasian Carpets: 

Akstafa:   (Gendje group) 
Located in the Northwestern part of Azirbaijan and today is a major source of new carpets with neo-Caucasian patterns.  The true Akstafa is also related to the Shirvan and are often called Shirvan-Akstafa.  A typical feature of the Akstafa design is the bird like creatures with a long neck and a peacocks tail and a bottom  like the teeth of a handsaw. Sometimes the bird has widely spaced legs. The same bird also shows up in n\Shirvan designs.  Older Akstafa carpets are usually proportionally long, roughly knotted and have a repeating design of crude cocks and polygonal medallions longitudinally.  There are usually 3 warp threads - light gray or brown 

Armenian: 
Armenian carpets are usually defined by the names of sub-regional carpet making areas such as the Sevan, Kazak Yerevan and Karabagh groups (defined later). The capital, Yerevan is celebrating its 2,780th birthday in 1997. 

Avar: (Daghestan Group) 
The Avars are one of the largest of the Daghestan tribes and make a carpet  with a characteristic design of repeating rows of stepped polygons - without hooks. The main borders are usually made up of diagonal stripes.  The warp and weft threads are light or mingled with light brown yarn. Usually has a double selvage with the outermost of a white color. 

Baku-Chila (Daghestan Group) 
Baku is the capital of Azirbaijan and came under Russian protection in 1723 under Alexander II. Usually has single or multiples of stepped octagons often surrounded by  a field of Botehs or sometimes in Kuba rugs, carnations. 
 Bidjov: (Daghestan Group) 
Often has a cross and a crescent depicted in an abstract geometric pattern. usually has a running dog border and triple dark blue selvages. 

Bordjalou or Borchalo: (Kazak group) 
Bordjalou is the northernmost town associated with production of Kazak carpets. Carpets from this area often incorporate octagons with  latch-hook edges.  Borders used include the running dog, the T-Meander, and a unique reciprocal arrow border design. The warp is usually light color and alternating high and low due to varying weft tension (results in longitudinal ridges on back) Weft threads are rusty red. Quadruple selvages- wrapped two brown and two red.  Often a cross motif is seen. 

Checheni: (Daghestan group) 
The Chechens are a Tartar race. The pattern in their carpets in unique with a detailed all over design of hooked octagons usually in a indigo field.  Carpets are usually dark colours and are often finely knotted. Double warp thread and selvages. 

Cheleberd: (Karabagh group) 
The most typical design is often erroneously referred to as an "Eagle Claw Kazak" or "Sunburst Kazak".  In fact, the figure is really a flaming cross - giving a clue to the Christian history of the Armenians who make them.  The faded red dye is made from the madder root, a tint found only in the Karabagh district. The fishbone motif and the crab garlands in the border are typical. Long carpets of this type are more rare.  They often have small animal and human figures worked into the field and dated- sometimes indicating that the carpet was a wedding gift. Design influence from Northwest Persia. 

Chondoresk:    (Karabagh group) 
Often called a "Cloud Kazak"  with octagon including a figure which looks like a Chinese cloud design, but which is a highly stylized Greek Omega figure left by Alexander the Great!  The carpets are especially colorful. 

Daghestan: 
Daghestan is located in the North-Eastern corner of the Caucasus, and the many tribes including Kuba, Shirvan, Kuba, etc. are mostly Muslim. The specific districts are described separately. 

Gendje: 
Gendje was the name of the Khanate of the same name, but was converted eventually to Elisavetpol and then to Kirovabad. Armenians were the carpet makers, and these carpets are often referred to as "Genje-Kazak".  Some were typically narrow and long and used for hall runners and for stairs. Border ornaments can be running dogs, crosses, leaves, meanders, etc. The field were characteristically diagonal stripes of varying colours filled with almost any kind of figure - except rarely the boteh. 

Georgian: (Kazak group) 
Georgian Carpets borrow designs from the various Kazak groups. One can sometimes find an old prayer carpet, with a Georgian cross in the niche!  Warps are undyed light wool weft threads light brown and are 2 to 4 in number. Double or triple selvages, and the fringes are sometimes plaited. 

Karabagh: 
Karabagh carpets in the 19th and 20th century were influenced by design requirements from Europe including the "Gul Franki" design.  The cross is a common ornament and is often found on Muslim prayer carpets!  The quality of Karabagh carpets can vary wildly from super fine to really rough. The designs, dyestuffs, wool types and knotting techniques vary according to the specific tribal area. 

Karachop: (Kazak Group) 
Characteristic design includes a octagonal medallion surrounded by four rectangles with star figures inside. Borders highly decorative. The warp is usually undyed gray yarn and wefts are triple and rusty brown selvages single 

Karagashli: (Daghestan group) 
Usually bright colours on dark fields with mystical animals and sometimes crosses. Usually densely knotted and highly prized by collectors. 

Konangulkent or Konagkent (Daghestan group) 
Located in the Kuba district, Konangulkent carpets bear an Armenian hallmark and often include artistic crosses.  The design in the borders often show S-s with a line through them making them into D-s standing for Dios=God.  One sometimes find "rocket ships" spaced along the edge of the field with  stylized "blast" coming out of the base. Minor borders of carnations are common. 

Kuba:  (Daghestan group) 
Kuba carpets come in many qualities, but non are sub-standard. Patterns can repeat themes from neighboring Perpedil, Konagkend, and Seichur, but a Kuba usually has a border with a variant of the "Running Dog", stars, carnations, and/or  flowers.  the field is usually a dark indigo. Warps are light or light brown, wefts are double and light, selvages double and light. 

Lenkoran: (Talish group) 
Lenkoran is located on the Caspian on the south east corner of  Azerbaijan.  The Lenkoran carpet characteristically has a series of "tortoise" figures. The ground or field color is usually dark. The warp is dark or brownish, with double weft threads of brown or rusty red.  Persian Malayer carpets using the same tortoise figure use single wefts and the wefts are visible. 

Lori Pambak: (Kazak group) 
From Georgia. Warp light yarn;  two brown weft threads 

Maresali: 
Unusually fine prayer carpets with distinctive Botehs each with zigzag edges. Border designs vary widely. Very fine quality and clipped thin. Warps can be light yarn and of varying colours wefts and double selvages are always white.

Perpedil: (Dhagestan group) 
One design is found consisting of: rams horn in field; horizontal crosses along inner guard band with ends of shorter part of cross bent like coat hanger; animal figure with 6 legs ; and many other motifs dispersed through field. Quality can vary from super fine to very rough. The warp, thin weft threads and selvages are of light undyed woolen yarn.   Copies are sometimes made in Persia using silk warps. 

Seichur: (Daghestan group) 
Seichur carpets are from the northern part of the Kuba area 30 Km from Daghestan.  Their carpets are often distinguished by repetitive "St. Andrews" cross motifs. The running dog border is also a common characteristic of a Seichur carpet.  These carpets are usually specially fine with a high knot count.  The employ wool warps and sometimes cotton wefts. Older Seichur tend to be elongated.   Seichur carpets were also made with all-over flower "Gul Franki" motifs to please the European trade in the 19th century. 

Sevan or Sewan: (Kazak group) 
The Sevan carpets have very distinctive design- usually with a large stylized cruciform medallion, with butterfly wings (sometimes called a Shield or Butterfly Kazak). The center part of the medallion is usually a rectangular figure with hooks and decoration.  In each corner is usually a tree figure or some other motif. The field is often filled with animal figures, "S" shapes, rosettes, flowers, stars etc. 

Shirvan: (Daghestan group) 
Shirvan is one of the principal weaving areas of the Caucasus stretching from the central east coast some 400 km inland and encompassing towns which produce particular design variations common to the Shirvan group. These include Bidjov, Marasali, Khila, Surahani, Baku and Saliani. The Shirvan carpets are noted as being some of the finest carpets from Caucasia.  They are usually thin and densely knotted. The warp threads are usually light and undyed brown sheep’s wool spun together. The wefts are light and thin, and selvages are usually white over double or triple threads. Cotton wefts are also seen, as are silk wefts 

Soumak: (Daghestan group) 
When one talks about a flat woven Kelim- one almost always hears mention of the kelims from Soumak.  They are distinguishable by the fact that the pattern is visible only from one side- with the reverse often having threads of yarn 2 to 4 cm long left hanging on the back.  The Soumak kilims are heavy and stiff and make a great floor rug.  They are found in bag faces, animal covers and have been used as curtains and bed covers. Designs are almost always bold and colorful and employ many of the design patterns of the Caucasian knotted carpets. 

Talish: (Azirbaijan group) 
Talish borders on Persian Azirbaijan and encompasses Lenkoran and Moghan carpet areas. These carpets are noted for their elongated shape- often in the form of a runner. A common motif is the St Andrew’s cross, separated by octagonal medallions.  Occasionally the Lenkoran Tortoise motif replaces the St Andrews cross.  Warps are a mixture of undyed beige and Brown wool, wefts are usually 2 strands of gray cotton. 
 

4. Typical Borders found in Caucasian Carpets

(not complete)

 The attached plates depict some of the more common borders found in Caucasian carpets.  The primary identifying characteristics are usually the central design, the colors and materials used and the construction methods. The borders, however, are often specific to the town or area of the carpets origin. Very often, one must look carefully at the border design to fathom what design is actually being used, as the design can be extremely stylized to the point it is not readily recognized. 

 One common guard border design, usually the outermost, is the double diamond design usually done in black or red color.  This design, however is also found in some Turkoman tribal carpets. 

 Another common border is the alternating oak leaf and ‘wine glass’ motifs. Also, borders and guards often depict carnations.   Others common borders include the ‘running dog’, and ‘eagle’s beak’ borders  also found in Persian,  Afghan and Kurdish carpets. 
 

PLEASE NOTE:  this paper is considered a "work in progress" and will be refined and corrected as I have time.  It should however provide a thumbnail description of some of the major types of Caucasian Carpets.