Page 80 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

78
The “Arsalan” carpet has manuscript elements, is pile weave, and has been woven
from wool. Its weaving technique is “turkbaf.” The carpet is included in the Guba
group. It was woven in Rahimli village, Shabran region.
The carpet is reminiscent of the “Shahnazarli” composition of Guba in its struc-
ture. It consists of a central field and border strip. Four strips have been woven in
parallel on the border. They consist of flowers and elements like fylfot. The major
border of the carpet consists of complex and abstract geometric elements woven
densely in the form of a braid.
The central field is dark blue. The carpet has only one central line of five adjoining
gols. The sides of gols are stepped. The central field inside the gols was woven in red
and they lend a particular beauty to the carpet with their tones. Three-petal leaves,
birds, other zoomorphic elements, and geometrical flower depictions are distinguis-
hed by their history and meaning.
Three-petal leaves are signs of the tree of life. This element has an old history.
Even in the period of Zoroastrianism, three-petal leaves were inscribed on anything
containing the image of a priest. This element is a symbol of eternal life, holiness,
and new growth.
The two-headed bird is a mythological image, woven in some places symmetri-
cally. The bird with a crown on its head is a peacock. This bird image is often obser-
ved in artistic embroidery and carpets of Azerbaijan. The peacock is considered a
messenger of the sun and represents flame and fire according to old Turkish beliefs.
The “Arsalan” carpet is very attractive in its color tones. The warm patterns collec-
ted on the border strips are reminiscent of pearls.
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.