Page 43 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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Azerbaijani carpets / TABRIZ GROUP
The carpet woven with a high professionalism is distinguished by its complex plan.
The religious and mythical character from the Prophet Suleyman’s story is described on this carpet. As a result of the
weaver’ high professionalism, the human faces and the real and mythical animal images seem accurate, figurative, and
expressive. Each character depicted participates in the story and shows its attitude to the event with its expressions. The
color solution of the carpet completes the dynamics and serves to express the main plot vividly.
According to a legend, the Prophet Suleyman knew the languages of all animals. He had a skill of seeing the inner char-
acter of people. One day the Prophet Suleyman was informed that the queen of the neighboring country was planning to
attack Suleyman’s country. Suleyman wrote her a letter saying, “Give yourself up in advance.” The queen read the letter,
laughed, and tore it to pieces. She immediately announced a war and gathered all her forces. When Suleyman got word of
this, he also gathered his armies and declared that whoever brought the queen’s throne would receive a high position. His
viziers promised to bring the woman to him in an hour. The parrot promised to bring the woman to Suleyman in a fewmin-
utes. But the owl said that if he were allowed, he could bring the woman to Suleyman within the blink of an eye. The owl
succeeded and the woman realized Suleyman’s power when she found herself in front of him and she started to serve him.
On the carpet, the Prophet Suleyman is depicted sitting on his throne; on his head there is a ring of light with depictions
of a parrot, an owl, a peacock, and a nightingale over his head. On his left side, his viziers and masters are depicted. Suley-
man is having a discussion with them. Behind the viziers and masters, the guards are standing. On the center of the carpet
the neighbor country’s queen is bowing to Suleyman. The animals depicted below have human heads. This signifies the
Prophet Suleyman’s ability to see and recognize inner human character. On the four corners of the carpet among the ket-
ebes, the Prophet Suleyman and his masters are depicted.
Inside the main border,
beginning clockwise from
the lower right corner, the
story is given in “nasta-
ligh” (Arabic calligraphy).
In the first ketebe on the
right, it says, “The poet’s
delightful words.”
In the second ketebe on
the bottom right, it says,
“He said his fresh words
to the old angel.”
In the ketebe from the bottom
on the left, the following is
written:
“Although the world was so
huge, it was under Suleyman’s
reign.”
“The earth was like a dot for
him.”
“Said: You the one
restoring justice.
Welcome to you!
“After my regards,
I send you my words.”
From left to right, in the
ketebe on the top, the fol-
lowing appears:
“What happened to
Suleyman in this great
world?
“The world did not remain
for Suleyman either.”
On the right border, in the
first ketebe from the top is
written:
“The king said furiously.”
Owl! You only tell me the
news.”
“His Excellency Jabrail
declared that.”
“God almighty had
granted him asylum.”
On the minor border there are reflections of flowers and ketebes. The gaps of the main border are enriched with flower
images.
The pile of the carpet is woolen and its wrap and weft are made of cotton. The yarn was dyed with natural dyes and more
than twenty colors were used. The carpet was woven with the technique of “shirazi dairevi.” Its loom is beige and the
fringes are 1.5 centimeters with a thickness of 60x60.
The carpet is in good condition and has never been repaired. The carpet has an artistic, historic, and scientific importance.