Page 76 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

74
The fine, delicately knit “Alpan” carpet was woven in Susay village, Guba region.
The carpet has manuscript elements and is pile weave. The warp, weft, and pile are
wool.
The “Alpan” carpet consists of a central field and border strip. The border strip
constitutes five free strips trimmed with fine patterns. The border strips have been
separated from each other by “su” elements. The main patterns woven on the bor-
der consist of geometrical elements. Braid, claw, stepped geometrical elements, and
flowers have their own artistic structure, semantics, and history.
The patterns decorating the central field have different artistic structures. These
patterns decorate the whole central field harmonically. They complement each ot-
her from the standpoint of artistic structure as well as their meanings. Trees, dra-
gons, eight-pointed stars, densely woven knots, rectangles, stepped gols, hexagons,
rhombs, and other patterns have been woven in different colors. These colors are
different but maintain harmony among them. Yellow, blue, white, red, dark blue,
and ivory are used. There is no doubt that the wool of the carpet was colored using
natural dye. Although the carpet was woven a century ago, the colors have not lost
their freshness but have become brighter.
The patterns on the carpet are the same on both sides. The tree depicted with a
long trunk, roots, and branches is the sign of the three stages of human life. The
trunk represents human lifetime, the roots represent the period of human creation,
and the branches represent passing through human death and going to eternal life.
The dragon motif on the carpet represents a power protecting these trees.
Most patterns have abstract meanings woven based on real patterns allowing the
imagination to see what they are. Successful interpretation shows the mastery and
talent of the weaver. The carpet has high quality technological and artistic features
as a result of great effort.
No repair or restoration work has been conducted on the carpet. The carpet is in
excellent condition. The carpet is of artistic, historic, and scientific importance.