Page 29 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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Fragment of carpet. Wool. Pile weave. 17th-18th centuries. Guba
group. Azerbaijan. “Victoria and Albert” Museum. London.
designs and complex weaving styles were wide-
spread in this territory. There are artistic and
color arrangements in sumakh flat weave car-
pets, as in pile weave carpets.
Other flat weave items such as khurjun (sad-
dle-bag), mafrash (carpet chest), kheyba (small
saddle-bag), kharal (bag for grain), chul (saddle-
cloth), salt bag, and others were widely used in
households and reflect the highly developed ar-
tistic traditions of the region through their weav-
ing technique and artistic design.
Each zoomorphic, plant, and geometrical pat-
tern decorating khurjun with zilli and sumakh
weaving techniques indicated the professional-
ism of Guba masters. Of these items, khurjun
were used to carry food and household items,
mafrash were used to carry cargo, bedding, and
various things during transport, chul protected
animals from cold and decorated them, and bags
with loose weaving style were used for salt and
other things.
The colors have secret meanings just as pat-
terns do. The loveliest colors in Guba carpets are
dark red, dark blue, blue, and ivory. Blue and
dark blue are considered the symbols of sky,
while red is considered the symbol of the sun,
blood, and unions.
Through all these styles, the Guba carpet group
enriches Azerbaijani carpet weaving art with a
special mastery.
Azerbaijani carpets / GUBA GROUP