Tabasaran handmade carpet: photo

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

As you know, tea is made in India, cars are made in Germany, and magnificent hand-woven pile carpets, striking in the beauty of color combinations and patterns, are made in Tabasaran. In Dagestan, carpet weaving is considered the most widespread, in addition, one of the most ancient types of applied art. In this article, we will find out what Tabasaran handmade carpets are, the photos of which are given below.

History of Appearance

The first mention of Dagestan carpets can be seen in the works of Herodotus "Fathers of History". Dagestan classical carpet weaving is based on the traditions of craftsmen of the East. For many centuries, Europeans sent trading expeditions to China and Persia to bring silk and carpets from there. Every self-respecting monarch or aristocrat had a scattering of amazingly beautiful oriental carpets. By the way, the most ancient carpet that has survived to this day was found in 1949 whenexcavations, and is now included in the golden collection of the famous Hermitage.

Purpose

It's strange to think that carpets were originally invented just as a luxury item. Even the most expensive Tabasaran carpet initially had a narrow functional character.

In ancient times, the East was mainly inhabited by nomads. 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 from negative climatic factors, in other words, to be dry and warm. It was carpets that fully met all these requirements necessary for the normal life of nomads. Of course, those carpets were very different from those we see today. But this was the beginning of carpet weaving.

It wasn't until later that people realized that a carpet can be more than just a windbreak, it's also a great way to stand out among your peers. Thus, exquisite and beautiful carpet products began to be woven. This further led to the fact that the beauty, quality and quantity of carpets began to determine the level of human prosperity. 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 every Tabasaran carpet was checked for quality in Dagestan? Quality control used to take place in 3 stages. First: a herd of horses passed through a woven carpet. Second: after that, the product was kept for several days underscorching sunbeams. Third: carpets were dipped 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. Here are the technologies!

Tabasaran VS Persian carpets

Can a Tabasaran carpet be compared with an Iranian (Persian) carpet? It can and should be done. Although one should not belittle the fame, talent and quality of work of Iranian craftsmen, the facts remain facts. The Persian carpet has an average "lifespan" of up to 150 years, while Dagestan carpets "live" up to 400 years. Unless, of course, they are "exploited" for their intended purpose. At the same time, all 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; active spread of Islam. For several centuries, the center of trade in the Caucasus was 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 obtained natural dyes from herbs and shrubs).

It is also possible to explain the impact of the spread in the North CaucasusIslam. Persian artisans and traders were more willing to share their secrets, and goods were more often bought from the Muslim population. In addition, up to now it is customary to perform namaz (pray) on rugs, called “prayers”.

This all affected the active development of crafts among the inhabitants of the North Caucasus. Although it would be strange to say that only Tabasarans differ in the traditions of carpet weaving. Note that this is considered their national craft. At the same time, all the peoples of Dagestan were engaged in carpet weaving. So, the 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 Levash produced woolen rugs. The Kumyks living in the villages of Kayakent, Durgeli, Buglen produced patterned woolen rugs and felt carpets. So you can list almost every nation that has invested great efforts in the development of this craft.

Pile carpets

You can talk for a very long time about the different types of pile carpets, but it makes little sense. Let's talk about their features. So, the Tabasaran pile carpet in traditional design can be recognized by various geometric images that personify animals, plants and humans. Consequently, before the craftsmen with the help of these geometric images demonstrated the world around them. Scientists call this phenomenon “the language of carpet art”. By the way, such products very often depicted wholerituals, battles and scenes. Over time, this language was lost, and the pictures became purely 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, of which three main types can be distinguished:

1. Background - a pattern without one specific large figure, while small figures fill the general background.
2. Centric - the ornament in them is reduced to highlighting the main figure of the carpet, which is called the "medallion".
3. 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 used then. Cherry red or blue was considered the background of almost all pile products, which, in theory, should strain the eye too much. But color harmony is achieved through the use of medium and small parts of various colors.

Lint-free carpets

This group includes incredibly beautiful Lezgi and Azerbaijani sumacs. Their main feature is a large household application. They are mainly used for flooring (pile carpets, for example, are used exclusively for walls). They are much larger than ordinary carpets. In addition, they are much softer, because in their production they use a special weaving technique that allows you to leave woolen threads under the carpet.up to 15 cm long (this is what makes them so soft).

Lint-free Tabasaran carpets (see photo in the article) are also “davagins”. Their defining features are that they are 2-sided, and also have a dark blue or blue background, on which there is an ornament (“rukzal”). These carpets can often be found among the Avars. The main drawing consists of various "medallions" and processes branching off from these "medallions".

It is also worth talking about such a type of lint-free Dagestan carpets as rugs. They were made from cotton, wool and hemp. Palasas do not have such beautiful and complex ornaments as the designs of Tabasaran carpets, but they are incredibly practical and often they are used in everyday life. Each nation calls palas in its own way: for Azerbaijanis it is “palaz”, “barkhal” for Tabasarans, “ruh” for Lezgins, “turut” for 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 carpets are arbabash. They are made from felt of different colors. They are superimposed on each other, and thus an ornament is created.