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The skillful weavers here have spun
colorful woolen yarn and created charming
handicraft works that decorate museums.
During long nights, the women would
gather together and tell “bayati,” (stories)
and weave carpets.
The carpets and woolen products woven
in Tovuz are included in the Gazakh-
Borchaly carpet group because of their
compositions, specific weaving techniques,
and color harmony. The carpets of this
region are distunguished by their weaving
techniques, heavy and high pile, and soft,
bright wool. These thick carpets are woven
with wool of the highest quality.
The seven colors found on these carpets
are derived from natural dyes, dazzling
in their strength. The patterns of these
carpets have always been recognized by
Azerbaijanis as part of their traditional
home decor and developed as such
throughout the centuries. Most of the
figures on these carpets are geometric
symbols and abstract shapes. The symbols are
of water, trees, pomegranates, plants, animal
motifs, complex geometric elements, and
fylfots, representing protection for humans.
This region is distunguished by the different
semantic elements used on the carpets, due to
the presence of various Turkic tribes.
The carpets of Tovuz decorated the bazaars
of Ganja and Tbilisi. The carpets woven in
the villages particularly drew the attention of
carpet merchants. Seyid Agariza, a merchant
from Tovuz, was a connoisseur of his job and
he delivered carpets woven in Tovuz to the
merchants in Baku, Ganja, and Tbilisi, and thus
he raised the fame of Tovuz carpets.
Very detailed carpets were woven in villages
and settlements in the Tovuz district such as
Qovlar, Hetemallar, Ashagi Ayibli, Ashagi
Oysuzlu, Ashagi Qushchu, Ashagi Mulkulu,
Ashirallar, Azafli, Bayramli, Bozalqanli, Jalilli,
Dondar, Qushchu, Donuk Qiriqli, Alibayli,
Alimardanli, Esrik Jirdakhan, Kikha Nabi,
Mulkulu, Khatinli, Yanigpaya, and Yukhari
Oysuzlu.
1. Kilim. Wool. Flat weave. 266cm x 170cm.
Late 19
th
century. Gazakh - Borchaly group. Azerbaijan.
2. Prayer carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 162cm x 127cm.
Early 20
th
century. Gazakh - Borchaly group. Azerbaijan.
3. Carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 249cm x 180cm.
Late 19
th
century. Gazakh - Borchaly group. Azerbaijan.
4. Carpet shop. Tbilisi.
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