Стр. 25 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

23
Azerbaijani carpets / SHIRVAN GROUP
pile weave techniques. They gave as much space as possible
to stylized human images. As an effort to reflect the outside
world, the stylization of these images also depended on other
carpet weaving techniques. Depictions of living things were
found mostly in the filler elements in carpet compositions.
Human images are found not only as whole figures, but
also in the form of human organs (eyes, hand, moustaches,
and so on). The elements depicted as human organs were
sometimes used in a ritual sense. In addition, images also
show different actions, such as a person dancing with a
handkerchief in his hand or people dancing the “yalli.”
The composition called “hand in hand” among weavers
on “mereze” carpets is very interesting. Men and women
figures depicted one after another on these carpets are in-
terpreted as “yalli,” the national dance of Azerbaijan. These
elements that are characteristic of “mereze” carpets are also
well represented in the ancient rock images in Gobustan.
Mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects were also illustrated
in various carpet elements. Most of these images sometimes
lose their substance because they are too vague. Weavers
more often illustrated the images of animals they saw in
daily life, especially domestic animals (horse, camel, sheep,
dog, cat, duck, bird, etc.) and insects, rather than mythical
animals or animals they rarely saw. Stylized bee elements
on “Gabistan” carpets are interpreted as symbols of good
and abundance. Bee elements can be seen at the ends of the
medallions in the middle field of these carpets. The bee ele-
ments depicted on the middle field of these carpets are de-
picted consecutively.
Although separated by two centuries, these same elements
are woven unchanged on the “Gabistan” carpets from the
beginning of the nineteenth century. Sometimes the bees are
replaced by beehive elements, depicted in the guise of two
gyols.
On the edges of the gyols in the middle field of “Erjiman”
carpets, human, animal, and bird images are depicted as
filler elements in the empty spaces. These descriptions exist
on either “tekgyol” (single medallion) or “jutgyol” (double
medallion) carpets.
Large zigzag elements depicted along the edges of the
middle field of Shirvan carpets are called butterflies. Human
and animal depictions are encountered more often on Shir-
van carpets with ancient complex compositions.
The four-cornered element reminiscent of a carpet in the
form of a sliced fragment seen on the middle field of “Ga-
shad” carpets is interpreted as a tent, and the elements sur-
rounding it are interpreted as grazing domestic animals. The
vacant part on the middle field symbolized a meadow. In the
four corners of some “Gashad” carpets there are duck, goose,
sheep, or goat depictions placed face to face. These stylized
illustrations are both horizontally and vertically asymmetric.
Peacock, goose, and crow-like elements, points, and hu-
man depictions are often encountered along the edges of
middle-sized single gyols of “Hajigabul” carpets. Naturally,
each of these elements had symbolic meaning long ago.
Although in ancient times the images of holy animals
(sheep, goat, deer, and “chelik”) were related to cattle breed-
ing and husbandry in the Near and Middle East, including
Azerbaijan, they later became the totem of a tribe, an astro-
logical constellation, or had a symbolic meaning.
The face-to-face double bird images on “Salyan” carpets
are well worth attention. These stylized bird images are in-
terpreted as a symbol of love, while gyols are interpreted as
symbolizing the four elements (water, fire, earth, air) that are
very important for human life in the religious beliefs of all
Eastern nations, including Azerbaijanis. Four-legged animal
(interpreted as birds) images are encountered on “Salyan kh-
ilesi” carpets included in this group. Many elements of the
“Salyan khilesi” carpets were taken from “Gadim minaret”
carpets from the Guba group. For this reason, they were not
woven widely under that name.
Shamakhi. Carpet weaving
woman in Malham village.