Schirwan Kazak

A rare Shirvan Kazak from Gashed from the 19th century. According to Kerimov's classification, which provides the most comprehensive key to the nomenclature of Caucasian carpets, the present carpet belongs to the village of Gasched, which is located in the Aksu in the Shirvan region. He has published two examples in Western literature. The first is in Hali, vol. 3, no. 1, 1980, p. 29 and the second is the example from the Museum of Azerbaijani Carpets and Applied Folk Art in Baku in his translated book (Caucasian Carpets, Leningrad, fig. 23), whereby the present example is considerably older and more expressive. The centres of each of the two rectangular sections of the inner field show a broad cartouche from which arrow-like motifs radiate in four directions. It is surrounded by diagonally placed, highly stylised animals in a four and one arrangement. This arrangement is an expression of an Asian conception of the universe and the sun symbols it contains. The motifs of the border are also concerned with this symbolism. There are coffered octagons inscribed with the meaningful swastika-studded cross stars. Several repairs and a deep pile throughout the carpet.