Historian (VII c.) Moisey
Kalan-kaituksky noted in "Agvan tarikhi", that silk textiles and
multicoloured carpets were manufactured in the northern part of
Azerbaijan.
In the manuscript "Khudud-Al-Alem" (X century) is
marked, that Azerbaijan town of Mugan was famous for its Chuvals and
Palases; towns of Nakhichevan, Khoi and Salmas-for Zili, Khali and
sashes; Ardabil and Shirvan for coloured silk and woollen textiles.
Well-known historiographer Abu Jafar Mohammed Tabari (X century)
speaking of Azerbaijan seizure of Azerbaijan, mentioned that in the
north-eastern part of Azerbaijan carpets of high quality were
manufactured.
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"Gadim-Minare" Guba group.
Azerbaijan the beginning of XX century.
Wool, hand made, 228x 125sm.
density 40x48 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Gonagkend" Guba group.
Azerbaijan. XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 165x118.
density 60x60 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Ugah" Guba group.
Azerbaijan 1293-94/1875-76 years.
Wool, hand made 440x118sm
density 35x45sm Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Haji Garib" Cuba group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 164x 105 sm.
density 26x30 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Pirebedil" Guba group.
Azerbaijan. XX century.
Wool, hand made. 196xl32sm.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Garagashli" Guba group.
Azerbaijan end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 158x117 sm.
density 35x45Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Guba" Guba group
Azerbaijan, end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 298x143sm.
density 30x40 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
The tablecloth.
Shirvan group. Azerbaijan. 1250/1834 year.
Wool, hand made 189x92sm.
density 55x120 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Shamakhi" Shirvan group.
Azerbaijan. The beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 126x209sm.
density 30x32 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National |
"Gobustan" Shirvan group.
Azerbaijan. beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 159xl29sm.
density 35x45 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Kilim" Shirvan group".
Azerbaijan. Beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 320x148sm.
density 35x40 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Chuhanli" Shirvan group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 186x122 sm.
density 45x47 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Kilim" Shirvan group".
Azerbaijan, end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 344xl96sm.
density 56x75 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Kilim" without pile.
Baku group". Azerbaijan 1317/1899 year.
Wool, hand made, 310xl79sm.
density 60x75 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
Historian
and traveller Al Mukaddasi (X century) describing Azerbaijan town of
Barda and its market, noted: "...silk and clothes are sold at this
market... and carpets have no equals in the world".
Descriptions
of the carpets are met in Azerbaijan classical literature as well,
especially in the masterpieces of great Azerbaijan poets as Gatran
Tabrizi (XI century), Nizami Ganjevi, Khagani Shirvani (XII century) and
others. In the XIII century Venicean traveller Marko Polo wrote: "there
are many skilful masters, producing textile, carpet and sabres
widespread all over the world in Azerbaijan". In the second half of the
XV centuries Azerbaijan carpet-makers began to use golden and silver
threads, precious stones in silk carpets. In the XIII-XIV centuries
Azerbaijan jewellery and carpets attracted European, especially Venicean
merchants.
Having visited Azerbaijan dealers, travellers,
ambassadors from different countries, exported picturesque carpets and
carpet-ware as commodities and presents. And it's not casually, that we
can find Azerbaijan carpets on the canvases of the famous European
artist.
We can observe them on the picture " Ambassadors" of
Hans Golbein; well-known Dutch artist Yan Van Eik painted his picture "
Madonna of the Canon Van der Pale" with the Azerbaijan carpet "Guba" on
its background.
In the XVI-XVII centuries, in the epoch of
Safavids Azerbaijan art of carpet-making went through the stage of rapid
development.
In this period Tabriz, Ardabil, Shemakha, Baku, Gyanja and Barda were considered to be the centres of carpet-making.
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"Maraza" Shirvan group".
Azerbaijan, beginning of XX century.
Wool, hand made. 200x136sm.
density 32x38 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Farakhli" Gyanja group.
Azerbaijan. 1344/1926 year.
Wool, hand made, 193xl70sm.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Israfil" Shirvan group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 148x117sm.
density 35x40 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Bidjo" Shirvan group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 200xl40sm.
density 30x35 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Gadim Gyanja" Gyanja group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 272x132sm.
Density 30x33 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Goradil" Baku group.
Azerbaijan. 1324/1906 year.
Wool, hand made, 148x113.
Density 35x38 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Gasim-ushagi" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made. 262x135 sm.
density 50x53 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Shikhli" Gazakh group.
Azerbaijan. Beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 237xl51sm.
density 40x45 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Komerli" Gazakh group.
Azerbaijan 1342/1925 year.
Wool, hand made. 217xl54sm.
density 40x40 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Goradil" Baku group.
Azerbaijan. beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made. 226x129.
density 40x42 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Damirchilar" Gazakh group.
Azerbaijan. XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 190xl40sm.
density 30x32 Azerbaijan Stale Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Zili" without pile. Gazakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 349xl91sm.
density 70x85 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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Khurgun Baku group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 145x55sm.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Gaimagli" Gazakh group.
Azerbaijan. XIX century.
Wool, hand made. 290x170 sm.
density 35x35 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
Being
of fine quality and techniques of fulfilment, ornamental carpets woven
centuries ago in Shirvan, Garabakh, Absheron, Guba, Kazakh, Gyanja,
Mugan, Talysh decorate now great museums of the Soviet Union, Western
Europe, the United States of America. 90% of the carpets, especially
flat-woven, known in the world by the name of "Caucasus" are primordial
Azerbaijan carpets.
Four volumes monograph "Azerbaijan carpet"
has been written by the head of this department, the author of the
present work.
In 1967 the first State Museum of the Art of
carpet-making was established. Here the best examples of Azerbaijan
carpets and carpet-ware were displayed.
The exposition of this
unique Museum is decorated with the ancient carpets, woven in the
XVIII-XIX centuries and ornamental carpets of the Soviet period.
The
organization of abovementioned establishments by the Soviet State has
created the necessary prerequisites for more thorough study of the
artistic, theoretical and technological aspects of the art of
carpet-making. According to the technology and artistic decision
Azerbaijan carpets can be divided into two types: flat-woven and pile
carpets.
There are 7 methods of technique of flat-woven
carpet-weaving, which resemble tapestry, at the same time there are only
two methods of pile carpet-weaving.
Each Azerbaijan district
is famous for its own original carpets and carpet-ware peculiar for the
given zone. Palas, Jejim, Shedde, Kilim, Zili, Varni and others are
considered to be Azerbaijan flat-woven carpets.
Since ancient
times Azerbaijan flat-woven carpet-ware were widespread as unten sils:
khurjun (travelling bag), mafrash (similar to trunk), chul (popone),
etc.
Since ancient times carpet-making in Azerbaijan was
women's business, who cautiously shared their experience from generation
to generation. Composition, ornamentation and artistic methods were
close and clear to every carpet-maker, no matter how complicated they
were.
It is evidently, that in ancient times there was no
woman, who didn't weave carpets in Garabakh, Barda, and later in Shusha.
One of the main articles of girl's dowry was a carpets
complete-set ("Dast-khali-gabe") consisting of 3 or 4 carpets. A bride
had to take first hand part in weaving of such a complete-set.
It
is interesting to know, that women, who came to seek in marriage a
girl, usually inquired about her skill at weaving carpets.
In
1917 in 222 villages of Gyanja district more than 33069 persons were
engaged in carpet-making, that constitute 49% of the population and 56%
of the all handcraftsmen of the district.
In the same year
39979 persons from 97 out of 111 villages of Guba district were
carpet-makers, that constitute 81% of district handcraftsmen.
Such
figures may be met in the villages of Shirvan, Garabakh and Absheron.
These facts confirmed that carpetry gained expansion and was one of the
main spheres of applied arts.
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"Khanlig" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan. 1928 year.
Wool, hand made, 654x105sm.
density 45x48 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Chalabi" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan. 1342/1924 year.
Wool, hand made. 155x284sm.
density 30x32 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied An Museum |
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"Zili" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 160x70sm.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
Khurgun Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 160x70sm.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Verni" Garabakh group".
Azerbaijan, end of the XVIII century.
Wool, hand made, 203x282sm.
density 40x80 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Nakhchivan" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan. 1983 year.
Wool, hand made, 150x10-Ism.
density 50x50 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Lamberan" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of XX century.
Wool, hand made. 200x88 sm.
density 25x28 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Garabakh" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made. 284x115sm.
density 35x38 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Nakhchivan" Garabakh group.
Azerbaijan, beginning of the XX century.
Wool, hand made, 570x215sm.
density 25x25 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Mir" Tabriz group.
Azerbaijan, end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 190xl32sm.
density 60x65 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Malibeili". Garabakh group
. Azerbaijan, beginning XX century.
Wool, hand made. 243x 122sm.
density 28x30 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
"Heris" Tabriz group.
Azerbaijan, end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made. 190xl32sm.
density 60x65 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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"Sarabi" Tabriz group.
Azerbaijan, end of the XIX century.
Wool, hand made, 470x95sm.
density 40x43 Azerbaijan State Carpet
and National Applied Art Museum |
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