Стр. 17 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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occurred in art. With the development of orna-
mental art, the tradition of describing the scripts
in the form of patterns passed to carpets as well.
The traces of this stage of development are con-
served to the present day. The weaving of sura
and religious sayings taken from the Koran in
kufi script on carpets is classic for the Guba
group. The inaccessibility and endlessness of
the creator, as seen in Islamic philosophy, car-
ries a symbolic meaning as a sign of infinity in
the form of the word “Allah” and the “kufi” bor-
der strip on the “Gadim Minare” carpet.
According to legend, the “sichandishi” border
strip symbolized protection against the evil eye
and was borrowed from ancient pottery. This
tradition has been conserved in the richness of
color and multi-colored patterns of the carpets
exemplifying high professionalism and the rich
experience of local weavers. The range of pat-
terns representing the outlooks and aesthetic
views of weavers has been unlimited since an-
cient times.
A harmony of warm tones makes these car-
pets beautiful and the soft and lustrous wool
adds delicacy. The natural dyes obtained from
natural plants such as pomegranate, nutshells,
quince and mulberry leaves, oak roots, sumac,
and other plants make Guba carpets more vivid
in their durability and transparency.
These carpets woven in accordance with tradi-
tional national style using 30x60, 35x55, 38x50,
40x45, 40x60, 35x70 knot density are art samples
obtained out of countless imitations of more
than 500 designs like “Biliji,” “Karagashli,”
“Mollakamalli,” “Pirebedil,” “Tekye,” “Ugah,”
“Zeyve,” “Shahnezerli,” “Rukal,” “Gurush,”
“Zeyid,” “Giriz,” “Hasangala,” “Dum kilim,”
“Afurja,” “Chichi,” “Alpan,” “Jimi,” ”Hajigay-
ib,” ”Gimil,” ”Orduj,” ”Yerfi,” ”Khashi” and
so on. These carpets result from the unlimited
range of imitations of the more than 500 pat-
terns.
Guba carpet group has gained fame as a re-
gion where “sumakh” flat weave carpets woven
by mutual twining (complex ear) and “palaz”
woven by simple knotting with spiral wrap, are
found, in addition to pile weave carpets. Since
the eighteenth century, production of sumakh
cheshni with various artistic designs and com-
plex weaving styles were widespread in this ter-
ritory. There are artistic and color arrangements
1. Carpet fragment. Wool. Pile weave. 19th century. Guba group.
Azerbaijan. From a private collection.
2. Carpet “Herat Pirebedil.” Wool. Pile weave. 125x100.
Middle of 19th century. Guba group. Azerbaijan.
3. Fragment of Carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 1800-1850. Guba group.
Azerbaijan. “Victoria and Albert” museum. London.
4. Fragment of “Ajdahali” carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 17th-18th centuries.
Guba group. Azerbaijan. “Victoria and Albert” museum. London.
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