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Zakatala Khorjin
Azerbaijan
The soft red, prevalent use of natural
dark brown, and the band of red and ivory star-like devices on the faces
lead to the conclusion that this bag is from Zakatala,1 as the pile rugs
from that region have the same color value. If the coloration does not seem
typically “Caucasian” 2, it may be due to the fact that the population of
Zakatala is predominantly Avar, an ethnic group that primarily inhabits
Dagestan, to the north of Azerbaijan.
The design of red, light blue
and ivory flattened diamonds on the faces of this khorjin is seen on other
slit-tapestry Azeri bags and door covers3 often enough to make one think the
design is endemic to the Transcaucasus. However, the same diamond forms turn
up on small Afshar sofre and gilim in Iran, reinforcing the idea that no
weaving design is original, and everything comes from somewhere else.
As with the saltbag, #10 in this exhibition, such bags as this khorjin
came out of the Transcaucasus in numbers only after the break-up of the
Soviet Union. With its hair warp and sturdy construction, the piece was made
for local use.
RET
1) One of the northernmost districts in
Azerbaijan. For more on weaving from this area, see Hazledine, T. “The
Mosque Rugs Of Zakatala”, Hali 60, pp 94-95
2) Strictly speaking,
"Caucasian" is much too broad a description for the weavings of Azerbaijan,
plus parts of Daghestan, Georgia, and Armenia. “Transcaucasian” is better.
It must also be kept in mind that while many weavers in the 19th century
Transcaucasus were Azeri, others include Kurds, Armenians, Tats, Lesghis,
Tabassaranis, and various Dagestani peoples.
3) Wright, R. and
Wertime, J., Caucasian Carpets and Covers, London, 1995, pages 133, 135
Structural Data:
Size: 3’ 11” x 1’ 7” (119 x 48 cm.)
Warp: Dark brown hair, Z2S
Front: Slit tapestry weft-faced weave, Z
singles, and Z2 lightly spun, wool, and continuous stripes of weft-faced
plain weave; with one row of two-span, three color (red, white, blue) weft
twining, (2) Z2 lightly spun wool; and one row of two-span, two color (red,
blue) weft twining, (2) Z2 lightly spun, wool
Ends: Weft-faced plain
weave, dark brown wool, Z singles. Midway through, the wefting is
interrupted by a strip of five-span, two color weft twining using (3) Z2
lightly spun wool. One face uses yellow and brown wool, the other uses light
red wool and brown hair. These strips periodically become braided loops and
then each leave a long braided tassel which interlaces the loops of the
opposing bag face. The dark brown flat-weave section is completed by oblique
interlacing, which is then folded over and the remaining warp ends are sewn
overcast with dark brown hair, Z2S
Selvage: Plain interlaced
Join: Plait stitch, vari-colored wool, Z2S and dark brown hair, Z2S
Weft-faced plain weave, wool, Z2S; 48 per vertical inch
At ‘bridge’ a
braid of red and blue wool, Z2S, is sewn onto edge, on one side of braid
with plait stitch contiguous with join, and on other is overcast sewn with
Z2S dark brown hair.
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