Page 30 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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On the upper right portion of the border, Hafiz Shirazi is depicted.
Mohammed Hafiz Shirazi (approximately 1325-1389) obtained an education
appropriate to his period. Having an exceptional memory, Hafiz knew the holy
Koran by heart. Hafiz gained fame as a lyric poet and his “Collection of poems”
was gathered and copied repeatedly after his death.
All the craftsmen and scholars following him valued Hafiz’s poems highly.
On the top and bottom of the carpet’s center, there is a depiction of Hushang,
who was the second shah of the legendary Pishdadian Dynasty. He was Sia-
mak’s son and Keyumars I’s grandson. Just as his father Siyamak, who died in
a fight with wild creatures, Hafiz’s grandfather sent him to fight with the ogres.
Hushang overcame the ogres, ascended to the throne, and reigned for 40 years.
On the left border, a little above the center, a Muslim inscription appears. Ac-
cording to the legends, the first Muslim was the fifth shah of the Pishdadian
Dynasty.
He was one of the three sons of Firidun. By dividing his country among his
sons, Firidun gave the Romanian and Eastern lands to his elder son, Muslim.
Muslim and his brother Tur conspired to murder their younger brother Iraj who
possessed the lands of Iran.
On the right border, a little above the center there is a depiction of Iraj, one of
the legendary shahs of Iran. He is Jamshid’s grandson and the sixth shah of the
Pishdadian Dynasty, Firidun’s third son. By dividing his country into three,
Firidun gave Iran’s territory to Iraj. The two brothers Tur and Muslim were not
satisfied with this division and murdered Iraj in jealousy.
Becoming furious and killing Tur and Muslim, Firidun entrusted Iraj’s son,
Manouchehr, as successor to the throne.
On the left border, a little below the center there is a depiction of Sultan Mah-
mud.
Sultan Mahmud the Ghaznavid was the founder of the Ghaznavid state. He
reigned between 997 and 1030. By conquering the eastern Iran, Turkistan, and
India, he established a great empire and gained considerable wealth by robbing
those countries. Ferdowsi wrote “Shahnameh” by his command. Sultan Mah-
mud, who was king for 33 years, died of an illness at the age of 51.
On the left bottom corner, Baba Tahir is depicted. They say that he was wan-
dering unclothed and that is why his nickname was “Oryan” (the naked).
Baba Tahir Oryan of Hamadan (app. 1000-1055) was one of the famous mystic
poets of the 11th century. There is little information about his life. His only
surviving works are the aphorisms written in a mystic manner in Arabic and
a collection of wisely written wonderful “dubeyti” (poem with four couplets).
Dubeyti were written in the “Lori” dialect. His oeuvre consists of 354 rubaiyat
and four “ghazal” (type of ode).