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Garabagh carpets

  


 

The Karabakh carpets are made up of 33 compositions. These carpets distinguish themselves with their vivid and joyous colors. They are divided into four groups: without medallions, with medallions, namazlik and subject carpet.
The Karabakh carpet school on the south-western Azerbaijan developed in two regions – in upland and lowland areas. The town of Shusha and the villages of Dashbulaq, Dovshanli, Girov, Trniviz, Janakhcha, Tug, Tuglar, Hadrut, Muradkhanli, Qasimusagi, Qubadli, Qozag, Mirseyid, Bagirbayli, Khanliq, and Dag Tumas played a leading role in the carpet weaving in the 19th century. As against the mountainous region, no doubt the carpet weaving had a special place in the better-equipped lowland areas of Jabrayil, Agdam, Barda and Fuzuli. Each of these centers had a lot of villages engaged in the carpet weaving for commercial purposes. For their graphical structure, technological peculiarities and colours, Zangazur and Nakhchivan carpet weaving centers are also part of the Karabakh carpet school.
Aran, Bagchadagullar, Baliq, Buynuz, Barda, Bahmanli, Karabakh, Qoja, Qasimusagi, Lambarani, Mugan, Talish, Lampa, Malibeyli, Khanqarvand, Khanliq, Khantirma, Jalabi, Sabalidbuta, and other pattern carpet compositions are classic samples of the Karabakh School of the carpet making.
The subject-based carpet making in the Karabakh School developed uniquely. This carper making art being freed from Western European colorful description restored ancient art principles of organization of decorative applied art, having deep root in the centuries and fixed in the psychology of the people. Deliberate refusal of description of motifs in narrative way in multi-composed compositions, increasing of symbols and graphic interpretation of life events, all of these are most characteristic features in Azerbaijani, particularly in Karabagh carpets.

Buynuz
Buynuz carpets are characteristic of Karabakh. They are made at various carpet workshops of the Upper (Mountainous) Karabakh. Veteran Karabakh carpet weavers still refer to the Buynuz carpet by its old name, i.e. Horadiz.

Baliq
This carpet is considered to be one of the most common carpets of the Karabakh School. Well-known as Baliq in the north of the country, it is called Mokhi in the Iranian Azerbaijan. Although the Baliq carpet is made at all carpet weaving shops across Karabakh, it’s primarily made in Barda. The leaves bent towards the end of the spiral (sometimes folded lengthwise) resembled the image of a fish; hence the conventional name of the composition is Baliq.

Karabakh
The carpets known under the name of Karabakh were and are still made at all carpet-weaving workshops across Azerbaijan. Depending on the location, the carpets were given different names but the art experts referred to all of them as Karabakh. This composition of the carpets, woven in Susa in 19th century for sale at Istanbul bazaars was given various names of Khan or Khan Karabakh.

Khanlıq
Khanliq is the most famous carpet making centre of Azerbaijan. The carpets woven here still represent an example of the finest piece of art and are marked by top quality. The carpets made in the 19th century in Jabrayil, specifically in the villages of Mirzajanli, Afandilar, Dashkasan, Suleymanli, were thought to be the most beautiful among those carpets exported to the world markets and fairs.

Qasimusagi
The name of this Qasimusagi carpet is associated with the residents of the villages of Samkand, Arikli, Qurtasli, Jorman and Sevna north of Lachin. Qasim was a respected man of his times there. These villages used to weave top quality carpets up to recent times.

Bahmanli
The name of this carpet is associated with the village of Boyuk Bahmanli in the present-day Fizuli District. The composition of the central field is formed by the figures of a peculiar shape, lined up in a row. Of special interest are the compositions with one or two figures in the central field. Veteran carpet weavers assume that these figures represent a statue, a brazier or the paw or a foot, others believe that this is an image of a turtle.

Mugan
Geographically, this carpet is classed under the Shirvan group. Technically, it should be regarded as a Karabakh type of carpet. The décor of these carpets is mainly composed of the hook-like elements called Kohna nakhish (old pattern) by carpet weavers.

Nakhchıvan
These carpets are largely made at carpet weaving centers of Nakhchivan and are located in the villages of Norashen, Sahbuz, and Kolani as well as at the carpet making points of Julfa and Ordubad. The carpets made in Nakhchivan varied for their ornamental pattern, however, all of them are called Nakhchivan.

Chalabi
The carpet was first made in the village of Chalabilar. The composition and the patterns of the Chalabi carpets were established and further perfected in this village. Later they spread on to the Mountainous Karabakh, Aran (lowland) and beginning with the 19th century, they were made in Kazakh district carpet making as well.



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