As you know, tea is made in India, cars are made in Germany, and magnificent handmade pile woolen carpets, striking in the beauty of color combinations and patterns, are in Tabasaran. In Dagestan, carpet weaving is considered the most common, in addition, one of the most ancient types of applied art. In this article, we learn what handmade Tabasaran carpets are, the photos of which are given below.
Appearance story
The first mention of Dagestan carpets can be seen in the writings of Herodotus “Fathers of History”. The Dagestan classic carpet weaving is based on the traditions of craftsmen of the East. For many centuries, Europeans sent trade expeditions to China and Persia to bring silk and carpets from there. Each self-respecting monarch or aristocrat had a scattering of oriental amazingly beautiful carpets. By the way, the most ancient carpet that has survived to this day was found in 1949 during excavations, and now it is included in the golden collection of the famous Hermitage.
Destination
It is strange to think that initially carpets were invented simply as a luxury item. Even the most expensive Tabasaran carpet was originally of a narrow functional character.
In ancient times, in the East, mainly nomads lived. And what is the most important thing for a nomad? The first is excellent mobility, the second is the quick arrangement of your home, the third is reliable protection against negative climatic factors, in other words, so that it is dry and warm. To the full extent, it was the carpets that met all these requirements, necessary for the normal life of the nomads. Of course, those carpets were very different from those that we see today. But in this way the beginning of carpet weaving was laid.
Only then did people realize that a carpet can be not just protection from the wind, it is also a great way to stand out among the congeners. Thus, exquisite and beautiful carpet products began to weave. This led further to the fact that the beauty, quality and number of carpets began to determine the level of prosperity of a person. At the same time, every ruler of the East tried to surround himself with exquisite and expensive products, thus emphasizing his superiority.
Quality
By the way, do you know how in ancient times in Dagestan every Tabasaran carpet was checked for quality? Quality control used to be carried out in 3 stages. First: a herd of horses passed through the woven carpet. Second: after that, the product was kept for several days under scorching sunlight. Third: the carpets were lowered into cold water, in which they were left for a certain time. If after such “tests” the carpet product did not lose its properties, then it was believed that the master did a good job. These are the technologies!
Tabasaran VS Persian Rugs
Is it possible to compare the Tabasaran carpet in general with the Iranian (Persian)? It is possible and necessary to do this. Although you should not belittle the fame, talent and quality of work of Iranian craftsmen, while the facts remain facts. The Persian carpet has an average “life expectancy” of up to 150 years, while Dagestan carpets “live” up to 400 years. Unless, of course, they are “exploited” for their intended purpose. Moreover, all of the above figures can only be attributed to hand-made carpets.
Varieties
In the south of Dagestan 3 factors contributed to the rapid development of carpet weaving: the proximity of Iran (Persia); the fact that in this place was the Great Silk Road; the active spread of Islam. For several centuries in the Caucasus, the center of trade was considered the city of Derbent, which served as an outpost between East and West. The city was part of the Silk Road route. Of course, this gave impetus to the active development of various crafts, especially carpet weaving. In addition, many merchants understood that in Derbent it was possible to find woolen threads of various colors and colors (local artisans received natural dyes from herbs and shrubs).
The effect of the spread of Islam in the North Caucasus can also be explained. Persian artisans and merchants more willingly shared their secrets, and goods were more often bought from the Muslim population. In addition, to this day, it is customary to perform namaz (pray) on the rugs, called "namazlyki".
This all affected the active development of craft among the inhabitants of the North Caucasus. Although it would be strange to say that only the Tabasarans are distinguished by the traditions of carpet weaving. Note that this is considered their national craft. Moreover, all the peoples of Dagestan were engaged in carpet weaving. So, Lezgins in the villages of Kurakh, Akhty, Kasumkent weaved carpets with great success. Avars from the village of Tsada Khunzakh, Gergebil produced high-quality lint-free carpets. At the same time, the Dargins from the village of Levasha produced woolen rugs. Kumyks living in the villages of Kayakent, Durgeli, and Buglen produced woolen patterned rugs and felt carpets. So you can list almost every nation that has put great effort into the development of this craft.
Pile carpets
You can talk for a very long time about the different types of pile carpets, only that makes little sense. Let's talk better about their features. So, a traditional Tabasaran pile rug can be recognized by various geometric images that represent animals, plants and humans. Therefore, before craftsmen with the help of these geometric images showed the world around them. Scientists call this phenomenon "the language of carpet art." By the way, on such products very often depicted whole rites, battles and scenes. Over time, this language was lost, and the pictures began to be simply decorative.
It is worth noting that all such carpets have a common compositional structure: a border and a central field.
Ornament
Also interesting are the patterns of Tabasaran carpets, from which three main types can be distinguished:
- Background - a pattern without one specific large figure, while small figures fill the general background.
- Centric - the ornament in them is reduced to highlighting the main figure of the carpet, which is called the "medallion".
- Border - the pattern is made in such a way as to attract the attention of a person to the "border" of the product. This type of ornament is also called "border".
Considering the Tabasaran carpet, one cannot but mention the color that the craftsmen then resorted to. The background of almost all pile products was considered to be cherry red or blue, which in theory should be too stressful. But color harmony is achieved through the use of medium and small parts of various colors.
Lint-free carpets
Incredibly beautiful Lezgi and Azerbaijani sumacs belong to this group. Their main feature is a large domestic application. They are mainly used for flooring (pile carpets, for example, are used exclusively for walls). They come in much more than simple carpets. In addition, they are much softer, because in their production they use a special weaving technique that allows them to leave woolen threads up to 15 cm long under the carpet (this makes them so soft).
Lint-free Tabasaran carpets (see photo in the article) are also “davagins”. Their defining features is that they are 2-sided and also have a dark blue or blue background on which the ornament is located (“rukzal”). These carpets can often be found among Avars. The main drawing consists of various "medallions" and processes, branching from these "medallions".
It is also worth talking about this type of lint-free Dagestan carpets, like rugs. They were made from cotton, wool and hemp. The palaces do not have such beautiful and complex ornaments as drawings of Tabasaran carpets, but they are incredibly practical and often they are used in everyday life. Each nation calls the palaces in its own way: among Azerbaijanis it is a “palace”, “dandy” among the Tabasarans, “rukh” by the Lezghins, “turut” by the Avars, etc.
Felt Carpets
It is worth noting that such carpets are very common among the Dagestan northern peoples - Nogais, Avars, Kumyks, Dargins. The most common felt rugs are arbabash. They are made from felt of different colors. They are superimposed on each other, and thus an ornament is created.