Стр. 250 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

250
Carpet. Wool. Pile-weave. Iravan group. Soylan, Daralayaz, western Azerbaijan. 262x110. 1327 AH/1906 CE.
In the upper part of the carpet inside the red background guard stripe appears the date 1327 AH. This carpet was woven on the
basis of the “Gadim Ganja” (Old Ganja) composition. The main decoration of this navy blue background carpet consists of the
buta (almond-shaped) motifs slanted along the middle field. The butas are designed in white, red, light blue, navy blue, yellow,
brown, and purple. Among weavers, these butas are called gazan buta (walking buta). A rhythmic view is produced by alterna-
ting the colors of butas on the right and by changing the colors each row or every two, three, or four butas. Barely-noticeable small
stepped classic elements are designed inside the butas.
The buta has been widely used in the decorative applied arts and on carpets; it is employed as a main and independent element
on both flat-weave and pile-weave carpets. The buta motifs, which have a very ancient history, are encountered not only on car-
pets, but also on architecture, jewelry, copper, tekelduzluk, faience products, and in many areas of the decorative applied arts.
Compared to carpets of the Near East, the buta element has been used more on Azerbaijani carpets. This element developed in
different forms on Shirvan, Karabakh, South Azerbaijan’s Serab carpets, Iravan group carpets, and especially Khile and Surakha-