Ref. No: 0407-32

Type: Kuba-Shirvan

Group: Baku

Sub-Group: Khila Buta

Origin Country: AZERBAIJAN, Baku

General/Historical Information:  Khila village is located 15 km to the east of Baku. Today the name of the village changed to Amirjan. 

Foreign sources erroneously name this carpet "Dagestan".

Pile: pure wool

Warps: wool

Wefts: cotton

Density/Kpsm (knots per square meter): (40x50) up to 200 000

Size: 126cmx190cm

Area: 2.4m2

AGE: circa 1975

Condition: excellent

Art Analysis: 

"Hila-buta" carpet has received its name from the village of Hila (Amirjan) while carpets of such pattern are produced in all other carpet-weaving centers of Baku-Absheron as well. Sometimes the name of a carpet type even doesn't have any connection with a certain place at all.

Carpet weaving really is a hard work. In some cases the complexity of this process has found its reflection in the name of a carpet type. For example, one from the "Hila-buta" varieties is named "Gizgaridan", meaning a carpet, that makes a weaving girl grow old - so long and complicated the process of its manufacturing is.
The local nature and dominant colors of the environment necessarily find their reflection in a carpet style's "color language". Dark-blue and yellow tints - colors of sea and sand, are typical for the carpets of the Baku group.

The main element of composition of this group of carpets is Buta - one of the richest ornamental elements of Azerbaijan's decorative arts. Buta is frequently used for expression of the fire, flame images.
Chains of these elements are traditionally used either framing carpet's middle field or in the shape of helical tree branches. These chains are integrating separate main and auxiliary decorative elements of a carpet into a complete composition. Besides, they serve to integrate compositionally several Gels - special element groups, which are located horizontally and vertically in a carpet. Gels are medallions, decorating a middle field of a carpet. Sometimes Buta itself is placed in the middle of a Gel. In such carpets the fourth part of Gel happens to be repeated in each of four corners of a middle field, with addition of some elements symbolizing traditional items of household activities, such as wheel of well ("guyu charkhi"), small metal shovel ("kurek"), candlestick ("shamdan"), butterfish ("yagdan"), images of animals, vegetative elements.

Buta ornaments

Every new composition with Gels usually appeared as expression of a joy, celebration, wedding. For example Gels, referring to as "Khoncha", are symbolically featuring a bride's adornments and traditional big plates with sweets.

Technical Analysis: Density of "Khila Buta" carpets varies from 40x40 to 45x45 per square decimeter. (from 160.000 to 200.000 knots per square meter)

The height of pile: 5-7 mm

Comments: Khila Buta is considered as one of the best of Azerbaijan Carpets. There are very unique samples of Khila Buta carpets in The State Museum of Azerbaijan Carpet and Applied Art, and also in State Historical Museum of Moscow.

Khila Buta. Baku. 18th century

Khila Buta. Baku. 19th century