Page 9 - Azərbaycan xalçaları

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Azerbaijani carpets / TABRIZ GROUP
The “gyol” (medallion) also plays a leading role in the pat-
terns of Tabriz carpets. Since medallions provide a central
focus and are seen as an attractive element of a composition,
carpet weavers used this design to exhibit rich ornaments
and forms. These carpets are called “gyollu,” “khonchali,”
or “turunjlu.”
The “gyol” take on oblong, round, square, rhomboidal, or
other assorted shapes. Their fields are covered with “nabat,”
geometrical patterns, animal, bird, and sometimes human
figures.
According to their form, “ketebe” is reminiscent of an ob-
long lake and can be included in a composition as a main el-
ement of a wide field where the “ketebe” is the key element
of the central section of the carpet. The enclosed shape of the
“ketebe” often includes the appearance of writing in the car-
pet’s composition. Often the “ketebe” consist of fragments
of verse or other writings and are used as an ornament on
the carpet. By enriching them with branches, buds, birds,
and animal images, the poetic and philosophical spirit char-
acteristic of Tabriz carpets is enhanced. Historically, local
masters used the “gubba” element, also known as “heykal-
bashi” or “butbashi,” together with the “gyol” element and
therefore the field of both elements was the same color.
Eventually the “gubba” developed a certain meaning as
an independent decorative shape reminiscent of a bud or
a bowl-shaped leaf. The field of the “gubba” was usually
decorated with images consisting of flowers or sometimes
miniature animals, depending on the composition.
Cloud motifs were also often used in the Tabriz group.
The existence of this element in Azerbaijani art is mainly
explained through Uyghur-Chinese art where Uyghur mas-
ters worked at the palaces of Azerbaijani rulers. The cloud
images decorating Chinese fabrics were depicted slightly
differently on Azerbaijani carpets, generally conforming to
local artistic traditions, styles, and philosophical elements.
The spread of the “vagh-bagi” element in Azerbaijani art, in
particular in Tabriz group carpets, can be considered a vi-
sual manifestation of the creative attitudes of local masters,
which attracted the attention of neighboring countries. This
exotic element was first used in Indian art, in ornaments on
carpets and fabrics. Afterwards, as a result of trade it was
brought to Azerbaijan and became an element of Tabriz car-
pets with a new interpretation. “Vagh-bagi” appears as a
stylized head image and any human, bird, elephant, lion,
dog, or goat’s heads on carpets are considered manifesta-
tions of “Vagh-bagi.” As a rule they are surrounded by
plant ornaments on a background of flowers and this ele-
Description of Tabriz city.