Page 24 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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Fragment of Carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 19th century.
Guba group. Azerbaijan. From personal collection.
central field, such as in “sumakh” carpets of Guba, and
as a decorative element woven in the center of the gol
in classic carpets such as “Zeykhur” and “Gollu Chi-
chi.” Some weavers call this pattern “charkhi falak” or
“charkh.”
The “fylfot” was created in the first millennium B.C.
as a symbol of the sun giving life to people and comes
from the same origin as the rhomb, considered the
symbol of abundance. The principal wish of the cat-
tle-breeding tribes engaged in farming was for abun-
dance, productivity, growth, and a happy way of life.
The rhomb woven in the form of a gol or filler element
in most samples of Guba carpets is the element of the
beginning of life and female productivity. This element
is used in the center of most Guba carpets, including
flat weave sumakh and pile weave “Shahnazarli” and
“Alpan” carpets.
The rhomb element exemplifies a humanistic es-
sence. Simple quadrangular rhombs were accepted as
a symbol of abundance, plenty, and productivity by
the people as having a magical meaning and their sur-
roundings were decorated with hooks. This tradition
is widespread in Guba’s weaving art and continues to
modern times.
The rhomboid gols trimmed with hooks on sumakh
flat weave carpets and carpet products of the Guba car-
pet group may be considered “ongan” of the Oghuz
Turkish tribes. Hook-like elements are called “dirnag”
or “jaynag” and represent the symbolic image of game
birds.
The symbol of game birds and birds of prey is wide-
spread in pre-Islamic art. The symbols of the victory
of strength against weakness developed from their
origins as “ongan” to become subjects of heraldry. The
symbolic description of birds and their artistic expres-
sions are mysterious, with the full understanding kept
secret by its creators.
Rhomboid elements have many vestiges in Azerbai-
jani carpets. Rhomboid elements are secondary or filler
elements in the Guba carpet group, even when woven
in the form of a gol as a main element.
The gol element is the principal design motif of car-
pets in Azerbaijan. It is not accidental that it carries this
name. If we compare the surface of the central field
with the hot dry plains, the sacred meaning of the gol
becomes clear. Gol decorative elements appear in dif-
ferent forms on Guba carpets. Gol elements represent
the outlook of people in their patterns and can be called
“khoncha,” “turunj,” “tabag,” medallion, or “gol.”
It is possible to see the images of a woman, child, or
man among the numerous patterns decorating Guba
carpets. These motifs represent a woman spinning
wool, a woman holding her child’s hand, or a unique
group of family members.
It is possible to observe the depiction of human sub-
jects in abstract forms or in the form of a half body on
the ancient “sumakh” flat weave carpets. The weaving
of a body without head or arms, but rather in the form