Sufis and the Art of Oriental Carpets. Persian carpets and torsion fields Typical Persian weaver

ABRASH
- This is the difference in shades of the same tone in the carpet, resulting from the coloring of the threads with different dye solutions.
As a rule, these small differences become more noticeable over time.
Abrash is found mainly in ancient carpets, is a consequence of the handicraft production of dye solutions. Abrash is not a defect for handmade carpets.

AVSHAN
- This is a word of Persian origin, meaning "studded." Characterizes the ornament of a handmade carpet with a floral pattern without a central medallion.

AYNA GOL
- The pattern of the Turkmen carpet, consisting of stylized flowers inserted into polygons.

AINA-GOTSHAK
- The ornament of the Turkmen carpet, in which the field is divided into small squares, decorated with a pattern with beak-shaped ledges.

AINA KAP
- Carpet case for mirror storage in Turkmenistan.

AZERI
- Trade name of modern Azerbaijani carpets.

AXIMISTER CARPETS
- English carpets made in Axminster, Turkish style.

ALKAGULCIKI
- Miniature graceful ornament with blackthorn flowers.

ARIANE
- In the Middle East and Turkey, this word denotes modern imitations of ancient carpets from the regions of Bakshayesh and Geris.

Ashkali
- Carpet ornament. Meets with ancient Qashqai carpets. It consists of two nested octagons, the inner of which is heavily decorated with hooks.

BUNDY
- The term for the pattern of ribbons and lattices in Persian carpets.

BAFT
- A term denoting handmade carpet work in Iran.

BAHTIARI
- The ornament of the carpet, which originated in the traditions of carpet weaving of the people
Bakhtiyari, who lives in the region of south-central Iran called Chahar Mahal. Carpets "Bakhtiyari" have a pattern in the form of a chessboard, each cell of which is decorated with trees of life, birds, flowers, abstract animals. Usually they are woven with a Turkish knot.

RUNNING DOG
- An ornament used in Caucasian carpets in the form of a hook-shaped stylized dog. A symbol designed to protect the home.

BELUCH
- Persian carpets, which are woven by the nomadic tribe of Beluch in eastern Iran. Most of them are made in the province of Sistan and Beluchistan, located right on the southeastern border of Iran.

BERGAMA
- Turkish handmade carpets woven in the vicinity of the city of Bergama on the western coast of Turkey. They are also known as Anatolian carpets and are usually square in shape. They are woven from wool on a red weft warp and, as a result, the inside of the carpet becomes red striped. The ornament of the carpet is geometric, often built around a large angular medallion surrounded by flowers.

BESHIR
- Turkmen handmade carpets made by Turkmen nomads of the Ersari tribe in the vicinity of the village of Beshir in Turkmenistan. Carpets are woven from wool. The main colors are red, blue. They use oriental designs with Ghoul patterns, but may also have Chinese cloud motifs. Knit with a Persian knot.

BRUSA
- Turkish silk carpets (usually small size) used as prayer rugs, also known as Saff. Weaving in the vicinity of Bursa.

BUTA
- In oriental carpets, a decorative motif in the form of a drop or pendant, decorated with a stylized floral pattern. In Europe it is called the Kashmiri ornament.

BUKHARA
- A well-established commercial name for a number of carpets produced in Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and northern Iran, which have an ornament similar in style. Literally, Bukhara is a city in Uzbekistan with a large carpet bazaar, where carpets of this ornament were sold in large quantities.

VAGIREKH (VAGIRE)
- Small size handmade carpet, used as a sample by carpet weavers. It was decorated with many patterns and ornaments that are used in the border part of the carpet. The surviving specimens are of historical value and are the object of hunting for collectors.

VAGH - VAGH
- Indian handmade carpet, the ornament of which is made in the form of a mythological tree with singing heads hanging on it.

VASE
- An ornament of an oriental carpet in the form of a vase, from the neck of which stalks of flowers and shoots come.

VERNE
- Weaving with overlay or interlacing of shuttle threads.

VERAMIN
- An Iranian carpet whose name comes from the city of the same name Veramin, located south of Tehran. Veramin carpets are characterized by a clear pattern with an elegant pattern in the form of an open field with flowers. The flowers are connected by diagonal vines and are repeated throughout the carpet, which is framed by a dark blue border. Carpets Veramin have a high density of weaving.

WISS
- An Iranian carpet, the name of which comes from the city of the same name, Wiss, located near Hamadan. The ornament of these carpets consists of a bright hexagonal central medallion with two smaller medallions at the top and bottom, which are placed, most often, on a red field. Mostly used in borders Blue colour.

GAB GORANI
- Parchment bindings of ancient Qurans, decorated with inserted gold and silver plates. The ornament decorating them often served as a model for the ornamental compositions of oriental carpets.

GABE
- Handmade carpets with long pile. Very soft and delicate to the touch, they often served as blankets among nomadic tribes.

GADDI
- A sample of the ornament, printed on cardboard, serving as a visual aid for the master.

GARAJA
- Handmade carpets made by Turkish nomads living in the mountains and valleys between Tabriz and the Caspian Sea in Northeast Iran. They have a geometric design with small, key medallions and, in some cases, with small images of plants or animals.

HERATI
- A carpet ornament used throughout the East (another name is rize mahi). Represents four palmettes, forming a vessel with flowers and curly leaves. The medallion is a rhombus with a flower, usually with eight open petals, from which stems extend, to the end of which leaves bloom.

HERATI ON THE BORDER
- The ornament used on the border part of the carpet, otherwise called "tortoise shell", consists of palmettes and rosettes connected by stems.

GERMECH
- A small carpet that was used by nomads to stretch over door frames. He protected the yurt from dust and sand.

GEL
- A finished secondary decorative element of the carpet ornament, mostly geometric in shape.

GIORDIS
- Turkish handmade carpets from the city of Giordes (western Turkey), often used for prayer ceremonies.

TAPESTRY
- Woven lint-free handmade carpets, also called tapestries. Produced mainly in Belgium and France. At present, China is the main supplier of handmade tapestries.

GOLDANI
- An ornament used in Persian carpets in the form of lush, repeating vases with flowers.

GORAVAN
- Iranian carpets with a geometric pattern of the same name with a small village in northwestern Iran, north of Kheriz ..

GOTSHAK
- A pattern used in the ornament of Turkmen carpets in the form of a pointed hook.

GULI-GOL
- Flower gel with a rounded shape, divided into four parts filled with patterns.

GURBAKA
- A stylized "frog" in the form of a cross-shaped pattern in the ornaments of oriental carpets.

GUL-I-BULBUL
- Literally, translated from Persian, - a flower and a nightingale. The plot of the carpet ornament in the form of birds on the branches flowering trees.

GUL FARANGH
- Floral ornament in oriental carpets, which arose under European influence. Literally means "foreign flower".

DERGEZIN
- Iranian carpets made in the Hamadan region.

JIAC
- A secondary motif of the ornamental border part of some Caucasian and Turkmen carpets (diagonal shading).

JOFTI
- A wider knot (relative to the Persian and Turkish knots), framing four weft threads at once, which was used in rectilinear patterns in order to better emphasize their difference from the rest of the ornament. Currently, this node is used for the manufacture of inexpensive low-quality carpets.

DEEP HALAH
- A small rug used by the nomadic peoples of the East, in front of the entrance to the yurt.

DONBACLEY
- The word of Persian origin (literally - drum) is used to denote a special border ornament with four tops, decorated with images of large flowers, reminiscent of an Iranian drum in shape.

DORRY (DORY)
- Indian carpets, made in the technique of kilim, using cotton threads.

DOZAR
- Persian carpets up to 2x1.5m in size.

THE DRAGON
- Armenian carpets from the Caucasus, produced in the period from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The ornament consists of a square pattern with lanceolate leaves with stylized dragons, the Phoenix bird, flowers, trees and palmettes.

DIRNAK GOL
- A term of Turkic origin, meaning "claw pattern" - a hooked rhomboid göl in Turkmen "Yomud" carpets.

ZANJAN
- Persian carpets often have geometric patterns with a “brilliant” central medallion of dark red wine color, stretched from top to bottom, located on a lighter field, usually beige or blue.
The word "zanjan" literally means "beloved wife" or "beloved woman". There is also a city of the same name in northern Iran.

ZELLOSOLTAN
- Floral ornament in oriental carpets in the form of several vases with lush bouquets and two birds sitting on the sides.

ZIEGLER
- Handmade carpets woven between 1883 and 1930 in the Arak region of western Iran. These carpets were made for the British company Ziegler, had Persian patterns (often copied existing patterns), pastel colors and large sizes. The warp and weft were made from cotton.

SPANISH KNOT
- Not a typical version of the Turkish knot, which is knitted on the warp threads through one, alternating from row to row.

ISPINJULKIKI
- Caucasian carpet from Zeykhur province. Ornament because of the external similarity is mistakenly called "St. Andrew's Cross".

ISFAHAN
- The region of Iran, which produces carpets, which are among the finest Persian carpets. Isfahan carpets are the pinnacle of Persian carpet art, created in magic city, famous for its high artistic taste and sophistication.

YIIM
- A special type of handmade kilim, in which the design is applied using a special technique called "additional weft".

KAZAKH (KAZAKH)
- A commercial term denoting the style of carpets made in the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia). The ornament of these carpets is geometric, they are woven with a low knot density, but they have high performance characteristics. The term originated from the Azerbaijan region of the same name, where the production of these carpets was massive.

KAZAKH WITH CLOUDS
- An Armenian carpet from Chon-Darask, the ornament of which is spotted in the form of a cloudy sky.

KAZAKH WITH STARS
- Georgian carpet, on the central field of which eight-pointed stars alternate, different sizes.

KAZAKH WITH A SWASTIKA
- Caucasian carpet, decorated with ornamental elements in the form of a swastika.

KANTA
- Handmade kilim, from which the eastern nomadic tribes made bags for storing various household utensils.

KAPALYK
- In the old days in the East - a piece of decoration of the room, which had the shape of the letter "P" and was hung over the door, less often, window openings.

KAPHUK
- Antique oriental quilted pillows. The cover was made of kilims or carpets.

CAPSA GEL
- Gel used in the carpets of the Turkmen Yomud tribe, which has the shape of a rhombus with jagged edges.

KASHAN
- Persian carpet produced in the city of the same name in the center of Iran, the ornament of which consists of diamond-like medallions with small arches on a vegetable field. Narrative carpets with hunting scenes are also woven.

KILM
- Woven lint-free handmade carpet.

KILM BAFT
- Lint-free parts of a handmade carpet that are not knotted.

KINTAMANI
- A handmade carpet from Turkey (Anatolia), the ornament of which consists of elements with three small circles or dots, under which there is a short wavy line.

CORK
- Wool of the highest category, sheared from young sheep of special breeds.

KUM
- A city located south of Tehran, where the world-famous Persian silk carpets of the same name are produced.

KUM KAPI
- Handmade Turkish silk carpets from the Kumkapi handicraft quarter in Istanbul, which use Persian ornaments. They are woven from silk of the highest category with gold or silver threads. The term "Kum-kapi" is also used as a designation for the quality of the finest Turkish silk carpets.

KHARKANGI
- A decorative motif of Persian origin, meaning "crab" and representing a diamond-shaped pattern with stylized outlines, located diagonally, with four branches in the form of a forked leaf, twisted by a funnel. This composition also includes other elements: one palmette of a peculiar sinuous shape and another large and sprawling. This ornament was often used in Azerbaijani carpets from the province of Quba.

KHESHTI
- Persian term denoting the ornament of Iranian carpets in the form of laid out tiles. The squares arranged in regular rows depict vases with flowers, trees and birds.

LADIK
- Extremely rare Turkish carpets from the settlement of Ladik, which were mass-produced between about the 17th and 19th centuries, using mihrab patterns and stylized tulips. Newer carpets are also woven in a different ornamental style.

LOTTO
- Turkish handmade carpet, made since the 16th century. They were woven according to the sketches of Lorenzo Lotto. These carpets belong to the group of Usak carpets and have yellow geometric patterns on a red background.

LUL BAFT
- In Persian carpet weaving, a term meaning the warp threads, which are located at two levels due to the strong tension of the shuttle thread.

LURI - PAMBAC
- Caucasian carpets with a large octagon white color, with a blue hook outline. In the center of the octagon there is a cross-shaped pattern, the outlines resembling animals looking at each other.

MALAER
- Iranian carpets produced by a semi-nomadic people living in the vicinity of the city of Arak in northwestern Iran. In these tribal carpets, traces of Kurdish roots are evident, with the central field of the carpet having an intricately designed medallion in the center, predominantly in shades of red. Also in these carpets you can find geometric patterns.

MALBAND
- Long strap woven using kilim technique. Used by nomads to pack animals.

MAMELUKE
- Egyptian carpets made in Cairo during the Mamluk dynasty between 1250 and 1517. These rugs are large in size and have geometric patterns. Woven using deep red, blue and green flowers

MAFRASH
- A large folding bag made using kilim technique. It was used by the nomadic peoples of the East during constant moving.

MEDAKHEL
- In oriental carpet ornamentalism - a zigzag pattern used in the border part of the carpet with alternating light and dark colors.

MEJID
- A direction in Turkish carpet weaving, which was typical of many Anatolian carpets of the 19th century, characterized by a heap of large floral patterns in the Baroque style. Turkish Sultan Abdullah Majid (1839-1861) was an admirer of this type of carpet, hence the name.

MEZARLIC
- The name of the typical Turkish carpets produced in the areas of Kula and Kirshenir. In the center of these carpets are stylized landscapes with houses and mosques.

MEMLING GÖL
- Decorative element ornament, which is found in Anatolian, Caucasian and Turkmen carpets in the form of a hooked polygon.

MASHHED
- Iranian handmade carpet produced in the city of the same name, which is the capital of the province of Khorassan and an important center for the production of carpets. Mashhad carpets are distinguished by ornamentation with elegant medallions on floral fields in red or blue colors. Often they copy classic Kashan patterns, and sometimes Herati details.

MINFLER
- Indian carpet with small floral designs, designed for niches.

WORLD
- An established commercial name for carpets produced in Sarabande.

MOGUL
- Indian carpets woven in India in the 16th and XVII centuries forced Persian weavers on the initiative of the Mughals. Mogul carpets represent a large historical and artistic value.

MOHARRAMAT
- Ornamental element of Persian carpets in the form of columns (vertical) or a belt (horizontal).

NAVAR
- A belt woven using the kilim technique, which is part of a horse team.

NAMAKDAN
- Woven bags, trunks, etc., which were used by nomads to store salt, flour, bread and other food supplies.

NAMAZLIK
- A word of Turkic origin. Literally means "for prayer". Small prayer rugs designed to perform religious rituals in Islam.

NAIN
- Nain carpets are Persian carpets in demand all over the world, which are woven in the vicinity of the city of the same name in Iran. They are woven on a cotton or silk weft warp. As a rule, they use a lot of shades of blue (light blue, turquoise, aquamarine, etc.).

AUBUSSON
- A well-known French manufactory that has produced tapestries and handmade carpets since the 17th century.

OKBASH
- Small items woven in the form of triangular bags, which were used by nomads to decorate the protruding ends of the supporting sticks of the yurt.

PALMETTA (PALM)
- A term that generalizes the name of plant and flower motifs in oriental carpets.

PARDA
- Carpets of medium size (2.60 x 1.60m), which were used in the tents of some nomadic tribes as screens or partitions.

PETAG
- Manufactory in Tabriz, built by the German company and which existed for a short time from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. Carpets from the Petag manufactory are the object of hunting for collectors of handmade carpets.

SEND
- Wicker cushion in Persia.

RAJ
- Finished knot row in handmade carpets. The term is mainly used in Iran.

ROBBE
- One fourth of a symmetrical pattern printed on cardboard used as visual aid.

HAND OF FATIMA
- An image of a hand with five fingers, symbolizing the "five pillars of Islam" (prayer, fasting, faith, pilgrimage and mercy). Often found in the ornament of Caucasian, Turkmen and Iranian prayer carpets.

SAVONERI
- Workshops for the production of handmade tapestries, founded in Paris in 1628. The compositions designed by the court painters included floral designs, heraldic symbolism and architectural motifs. The weft warp threads were coarse linen and the pile was wool.

SARYK
- Persian handmade carpets, named after the settlement of the same name in the vicinity of Arak in western Iran. These are carpets made of wool, the ornament of which consists of patterns in the form of a vine on a red and dark blue field.

SALOR GEL
- Gel carpet, often used in Turkmen carpets of the Salor tribe. It has the shape of an octagon with a jagged perimeter.

SAF
- Prayer rugs, the ornament of which depicts a repeating mihrab pattern.

Safavids
- The dynasty that ruled Persia from 1502 to 1736 and created a united state. They were great admirers of carpet weaving art.

SENNE
- A city in northwestern Iran, where ethnic Kurds live, famous for its kilims. Basically, the Senne kilim has a cotton base, the threads of which are dyed in bright colors.

SOFRESH
- Oriental embroidered tablecloth

SUZANI
- Oriental embroidered panels using cotton, wool and silk.

SULTANABAD
- A city in northwestern Iran, where since the end of the 19th century, European companies preferred to order large carpets (carpets large sizes) for the European market.

SUMACH (SUMAC)
- Type of woven lint-free carpets.

TABRIZ (TABRIZ)
- Tabriz is a city in the north-west of Iran, which is one of the major centers of Persian carpet weaving. Carpets Tabriz have their own "underline". As a rule, this is a floral ornament with large palmettes, decorative vases. Tabriz carpets can be with or without a medallion "afshan". There are also plot ornaments. Carpets from Tabriz have subspecies.
Tabriz carpets "Mahi" are woven in restrained colors. A distinctive feature is that the elements of the ornament are located on a small flower field.
Carpets from Tabriz "Naksheh" abound in pink on beige.
There is a lot of orange and lemon green in Tabatabaye.
Persian carpets from Tabriz are usually woven from high quality materials (wool, silk, cotton).

TAUK NUSKA GOL
- Gel in Turkmen carpets in the form of an octagon. The ornament is decorated with a pattern in the form of arrowheads.

TORBA
- A small nap bag made using the kilim technique, used by nomads.

TURK BAFT
- Turkish knot.

UK-BASH (YUK-BASH)
- Bags in which nomads transport wooden parts of tents and yurts. Uk-bash is made mainly from pile carpets.

USHAK
- Turkish handmade carpets, made in the city of the same name, located in the west of the country. Characterized by a large floral ornament or stylized rhythmic patterns of geometric shapes.

FARCE
- These are Iranian handmade carpets, produced in the Fars province, located in the south-west of the country near the city of Shiraz. Weaved by the nomadic Qashqai tribes.

GROUND MEAT
- Translated from Persian - "carpet".

MEAT BAFT
- Asymmetric weaving.

FERAHAN
- Persian carpets from the Ferahan region in western Iran. Weaved with a Persian knot on a cotton weft basis. Dominant colors are red and blue

HALI
- A word of Persian origin, meaning the "main" carpet located in the house.

HAJI JALILI
- In the past, a great master weaver from Tabriz. The amazing coloring and details of the ornament of the carpets he woven are recreated in Tabriz palace carpets to this day. Iran.

KHABIBIAN
- Fatollah Habibian (1903 - 1995), a great Iranian carpet weaver from the city of Nain. Habibian carpets are the standard of quality and high artistic style of Nain carpets. They have a high nodular density.

HAMADAN
- The city, located in west-central Iran, is one of the largest centers for the trade in tribal carpets. Patterns in the ornaments of Hamadan carpets vary from primitive geometric to rich floral.

HAFT RANK
- A phrase meaning, translated from Persian, carpets with a basis of precious silk.

HEREKE
- A city in western Turkey, historically famous for its high quality silk carpets. Hereke Turkish silk carpets are considered among the best.

KHORJIN (KHURDJIN)
- Double travel bags used by nomadic tribes as shoulder or saddle bags.

ZIEGLER
- At the end of the 19th century, an Anglo-Swiss company that controlled the Persian carpet market, especially in Sultanabad. According to the orders of the Ziegler company, carpets were produced for the European and American markets.

CHARHANGA
- Pattern in the form of a stylized crab used in carpet ornaments.

CHEMCHE GYOL
- Translated from the Turkic means "gel in the form of a ladle." It is used in Turkmen carpets made by the Teke tribe.

SHAHR BABAK
- Persian carpets made in the city of the same name in southern Iran. The traditional ornament features a central medallion with an intricately detailed, ornate pattern in pale pastel colors with white and gold inlays contrasting with cranberry red or blue backgrounds. An ornament in the form of a stylized garden with a tree of life, vases and flowers is also used.

SHAH ABBAS
- Shah of the Safavid dynasty (1587-1629), whose name is given complex pattern. Iranian carpets by Shah Abbas consist of palmettes connected to rosettes by a stalk twisted in a spiral.

SHERKATE FARMING
- A carpet company founded in Iran in 1936 under Shah Reza Pahlavi.

SHIRAZ
- Shiraz is an ancient city in central Iran where handmade carpets of the same name are produced. Ornament patterns are geometric, but not primitive. They often include large diamond-shaped medallions. AT different parts In the fields of the Shiraz carpet, you can also see small stylized animals or plants.

ELAM
- Stripes in the central part of the Turkmen or Turkish prayer carpets, decorated with heraldic symbols.

ELEM
- Secondary curb stripes.

ENSI
- In other words (translated from Turkic) - woven "door". The "Ensi" carpet was used by nomads to cover the entrance to the tent.

ERSARI
- Afghan carpets, named after the tribe inhabiting the northwestern part of the country. Recently, many of the Ersaris have settled in Pakistan, where they are engaged in the production of carpets.

YL
- Woven kilim cape for a horse.

YUR
- Motif in the form of intertwining vine tendrils. Found in carpets produced in Ersari.

YURUK
- Turkish wool carpets woven by the Yuruk tribe in eastern Turkey. They are distinguished by a high pile and a simple geometric ornament.

YALAMEH
- Persian carpets of the Yalameh tribe, which lives in the Iranian province of Fars. Differ in richness of patterns and saturation of colors.

YASTIK
- A term (of Turkic origin) denoting woven pile pillows.

I JUST
- Carpets that served as a kind of mattress for nomadic tribes.

Persia was famous for its carpets more than two millennia ago, which is why the popularity of Persian carpets is so high today. According to historical documents, the first carpets in Persia began to be woven as early as the 3rd century BC. For centuries, the technology of hand-made carpet production has been passed down from generation to generation, because, as a rule, carpet weaving was a family craft. If a father or mother achieved high skill in weaving carpets, they passed on their art to children. The fame of the high skill of Persian weavers has not weakened at all times. So buy Persian rug, today means to acquire a unique thing that can bring well-being, peace, beauty and home comfort to your home.

What is good about Persian carpet?

Persia in the imagination of every person is associated with an amazing fairy-tale country with beautiful nature and outlandish animals. All this fabulous world is reflected in the ornament of Persian carpets, which are woven from delicate fine wool. The quality and beauty of the carpet directly depend on the density of weaving knots. The more knots, the denser the pile of the carpet, and hence the higher its quality. At present, Persian handmade carpets are traditionally made with a central medallion and beautiful ornate floral ornaments. Early Persian carpets often depicted animals and strange birds surrounded by lush vegetation. However, in later times, due to the prohibition of the Islamic religion, living beings could not be depicted on carpets. Therefore, modern Persian carpets often have a geometric or floral ornament. The modern production of carpets is gradually moving to machine-made, which can significantly reduce prices for this unique product. The best Persian carpets are currently produced in such provinces as Moud, Keshan, Sagur, Bijar. Exclusive carpets today include handmade carpets, which are mostly made to order. The best master weavers in weaving Persian carpets use two types of knot, the Turkish knot and the Persian knot, which allow us to weave unique arabesque and mahi patterns.

How to choose a Persian carpet?

Modern Persian carpets are famous not only for the exquisite beauty of the ornament and natural environmentally friendly materials, but also for the skillful work of the craftsmen. Therefore, if you purchase a handmade carpet, you can be sure of the high and even impeccable quality of the carpet. However, before you buy it, you should pay attention to the wrong side of the product. The warp of a Persian carpet is usually made from cotton and wool, which ensures the density of the warp. Such a carpet does not deform, retains its ideal shape. On the front side, check the density of the pile, for which it is enough to run your hand over the surface of the carpet. Natural wool, from which Persian carpets are made, is delicate and very soft, tight-fitting to the touch. All Persian carpets have a typical oriental ornament. Prices for handmade carpets are quite high. By low prices you can buy today only industrial carpets made using machine knitting.

Where to buy Persian carpet?

Modern Persian carpets, both industrial and handmade, are imported to Russia and other CIS countries. Therefore, you can buy a real Persian carpet in any specialized store, as well as on the website of the online store of carpets and rugs. On the store's website, you can easily choose the carpet you need, see color illustrations for descriptions of carpet products. After payment for the goods, it will be delivered to the specified address.

Glossary of terms in carpet weaving

Carpet Terminology - Carpet Glossary

Beijing carpets are handmade carpets produced in and around Beijing, China since the late 19th century. Older Beijing carpets often feature the traditional dragon, medallions, and symbolic motifs. Those carpets that are made recently have different patterns and raised pile, and there are also new productions of thin carpets "antique-like".

Peking carpet

Pazyryk is the place where a group of seven large mounds (burials) and several smaller mounds (burials) were discovered. They date back to the 4th-3rd century BC. and are located approximately 70 km from the border with China in eastern Altai in the Russian Federation. Due to the climate, altitude (1600 meters) and construction, permafrost has formed in several burials, in which organic materials are well preserved. The tombs themselves are lowered and covered with wooden and rope chambers and hidden under an earthen mound covered with a large mass of stones. To the north of each tomb, sacrificial horses with delightful harnesses have been found. The dead themselves lay in log coffins that preserved their bodies. The burial was found in 1949 by the archaeologist S. I. Rudenko. One of the oldest pile carpets in the world, which is now kept in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, was also found there.

Parda (Parde) - Persian term meaning "tent". So in Persia they call medium-sized carpets (2.60 x 1.60 m), which were used in the tents of nomadic tribes as screens and partitions.

Patina - the surface of the carpet fades over time or from use.

Palmette (Palm Branch)- a term denoting the name of plant and flower motifs in oriental carpets.

Persian knot (Asymmetric knot, Senneh)- Knot used in Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt and China. When forming this knot, the yarn makes one turn around one of the warp threads, and only skips under the second (unlike the Turkish, or symmetrical knot).

Pakistani carpets- As in India, the art of carpet making in Pakistan began during the reign of Shah Akbar in the 16th century. At that time, Persian weavers brought the culture of weaving to Lahore, and since then carpet making has developed. Pakistani carpets mostly copy Persian styles especially Kerman and Tabriz. Carpets called Maury they copy the designs of Turkmen carpets (in general, what is not a carpet from Pakistan is a fake). Currently, Pakistan produces handmade carpets mainly for export.

Pakistani carpet

Maury carpet

Petag is a manufactory in Tabriz, built by the German company and which existed from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries. Petag carpets are the object of hunting for collectors of handmade carpets.

Field - central part carpet, framed by one or more borders. (Components of a typical handmade carpet).

Poshti - A woven cushion in Persia.

The hand of Fatima is a stylized symbol resembling a hand with five fingers, representing the "five pillars of Islam" (prayer, fasting, faith, pilgrimage and mercy). This symbol appears as an amulet and sometimes as a motif in Iranian and Caucasian prayer carpets.

Raj is a Persian word meaning a complete row of knots in handmade carpets.

Robbe is the fourth part of a symmetrical design that is applied to cardboard and used as a visual aid in the production of carpet.

Rosette - A decorative element originating from a floral or floral ornament and interpreted in realistic or abstract geometric forms.

Ru-korsi - Carpet, which is usually used to cover the brazier, located in the middle of the dwelling.

Saryk is a large settlement in the vicinity of Arak in west-central Iran. important and history Center region and with a respected, romantic name in the world of carpet weaving. Patterns usually include vegetable vines with red and navy blue as the dominant colors, usually made from very high quality wool.

Carpet Saryk

Sarab carpets - Sarab is a small village in the province of Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. The surroundings are inhabited mainly by semi-nomadic tribes, mainly of Shahsavan and Turko-Persian roots. Sarab carpets usually have geometric structural patterns with very simple motifs. Carpets and paths of small sizes are usually made.

Carpet Sarab

Sabzevar is a city located in the northwestern part of Khorasan province in northeastern Iran. Curvature is present in the patterns of Sabzevar carpets. The main feature of Sabzevar carpets is a rounded medallion, which distinguishes them from other carpets of this region. The color scheme, as a rule, includes blue in various tones and the color of burgundy wine or red.

Carpets Sabzevar

Salor göl - Göl carpet, often used in Turkmen carpets of the Salor tribe. It has the shape of an octagon with a jagged perimeter.

Saff carpets - hand-woven prayer carpets with a pattern of several mihrabs in a row. The pattern of greatly reduced mihrabs is most common in Turkish or Pakistani carpets. Full size mihrabs are mostly found in antique rugs from eastern Turkestan.

Carpet Saff

Safsaj-jadasi - In Turkey - the name of a large challah intended for prayer: several people pray on it at the same time. An image of a mehrab is placed in the composition of the middle field. Samples of large "safsaj-jadasis" are currently kept in the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul and in the tomb of Movlan Rumi in Konya.

Seirafian-Isfahan- woven in the city of Isfahan in southwestern Persia. the weaver Hajj Aga Reza Seyrafian started weaving carpets in 1939 and later distinguished himself by using only the best pattern painters, weavers, dyers and the best materials. Thus, these carpets attract a lot of attention due to their high quality. These carpets are considered to be the finest of all Persian carpets and have a very high knot density and are excellent products. After his death, the craft remained alive thanks to many of his sons.

Salatshak is a hexagonal weaving whose exact purpose is debatable. The mihrab design of many of the designs has led many authors to assume that they are prayer rugs, but some experts in Turkmen weaving, including Siavos Azadi, claim that they were made as cradle covers. Some specimens have a slit at one end, which may indicate that they were used as a blanket under the saddle. Most of the samples available don't seem particularly old.

Savonnerie - originally, the Savonnerie workshops were founded in Paris in 1628 and they produced carpets and tapestries to decorate royal palaces, as state gifts and important commissions. Savonneri carpet designs by court painters included floral arrangements, military and heraldic references, and architectural motifs. The warp threads were made from linen yarn, and the wool pile was woven using symmetrical patterns. The most significant production period for Savonnerie carpets was between 1650 and 1783.

Carpet Savonnerie

Safavid is a Persian dynasty that ruled from 1502 to 1736 and created a united state. They are considered the patrons of Iranian oriental rug design.

Senneh (Senneh) is a Kurdish city in northwestern Iran famous for its exquisite antique carpets and kilims. Most carpets have a cotton warp, use symmetrical knots and a single weft.

The warp threads are sometimes dyed with very bright colors. Carpet designs include full Botech, full Herati (mahi) and others with a central medallion.

Senneh carpet

Separi is a trade term used for an elaborate antique Heriz carpet that is at least 100 years old.

Sofresh - means "tablecloth". A small, lint-free, rectangular cloth that is spread on the ground and on which food can be served and cooked.

Sivaz carpets - hand-woven carpets from the city of Sivaz in eastern Turkey and its environs. Good quality handmade carpets are made here, often using Persian patterns and pale blue colors. Rural carpets are more original and primitive.

Carpet Sivas

Serap carpets - old name, denoting highly valued Heris carpets made in the 19th century.

Carpet from Geris

Sile is a special type of kilim, executed in the same technique as Vemeh, but with decorative motifs in the shape of the letter "S".

Sinekli - Turkish term for an ornament in which the field of the carpet is dotted with small and distinct specks of black. Another name for this ornament of oriental carpets is flies.

Suf - A carpet weaving technique in which only carpet patterns are made with the help of knots, the rest of the field is simply woven, usually with the addition of precious threads to the yarn ( kilim baft).

Suzani (Suzani) - embroidered cotton panels sewn together to create wall hangings, curtains and valances. Most suzani were made with cotton and silk threads. The best samples were woven in the 19th century in Uzbek cities - Bukhara, Tashkent, Shakhrisabz and Nurata.

Sumakh is a type of kilim that got its name from the ancient Azerbaijani city of Shamakhi. Sumac, this is a lint-free carpet. Its main difference from kilim is the protruding threads on the reverse side, which are usually not cut. Most sumacs have geometric patterns of stylized flowers, birds, and symbols. Caucasian sumacs are usually made of wool. Sumac is made from silk in Iran.

Sumac

Sumac technique is a weaving technique in which the warp threads are stretched out to the sides and the yarn is weaved so that it passes over four warp threads, then under two threads, again over four, and so on. There are several options for this technique.

Dagestan Sumy carpets are known and popular all over the world.

Sultanabad - many carpets of rich quality were woven in this city and province in northwestern Iran. Most of carpet production took place in late XIX century, when European companies commissioned large decorative carpets for the European market. Carpet weaving centers include Mahal, Sultanabad, Saryk, Lilikhan, Ferakhan and Saraband.

Carpets Sultanabad

Tabriz (Tabriz) carpets- Tabriz is an ancient city in northwestern Iran, one of the most prolific of all weaving centers. The quality of these carpets is usually exceptional, with most of the warp made from cotton, but sometimes from pure silk. There are many unique designs but, as a rule, the pattern in Tabriz carpets is densely filled with plant motifs, with large palmettes, vases, or bright hunting scenes or illustrations in the field. They may include a medallion "Afshan", and may or may not include, geometric designs are also visible.

Carpets Tabriz with floral ornaments

Tabriz carpets also have underlayers. These include styles such as discreet and elegant "Mahi" in well-coordinated borders of muted tones, which will suit any interior; "Naksheh" with its profusion of pink on beige or, very rarely, black; and wild but beautiful "Tabatabaie", always with motifs of orange, lemon green and beige. The more refined Naksheh and Mahi are made for the most part of the finest quality wool sheared from the chest and shoulders of mountain sheep, and silk is also often used to lavishly highlight the most attractive parts of the carpet.

Tabriz carpets with mahi design

Tabasaran carpets- Carpets of the "tabasaran" type are made in dozens of auls, each of which is dominated by two or three favorite designs. Practically carpets of this type have an infinite number of variants of ornamental patterns. Widespread patterns are "topancha" (large, diagonally arranged X-shaped figures), "chere" (several central figures seem to be overgrown with various geometric shapes), etc.

Tabasaran carpet

Tuserkan carpets are carpets made in the Kurdish nomadic regions of northwestern Iran. Bright colors and geometric patterns are typical of the tribal weaving of this area in Iran.

Tuserkan carpet

Tehran carpets - produced in the capital of Iran. There is no new production going on these days, so most of the existing Tehrans are about 50 years old. Carpets are woven with Senne knots, often dark red with blue elements and turquoise and white contrasts. The patterns are usually medallions and floral motifs, panels and niches. There are also animals or curly patterns.

Tehran carpet

Tianjin carpets are Chinese carpets from the city of Tianjin in eastern China (today the center of commercial carpet weaving in China). Weaving, which began in the 1920s, was soon adapted to Western requirements regarding colors and patterns.

Tianjin carpet

Tibetan carpets - there is a long tradition of carpet weaving in Tibet; some examples of Tibetan carpets date back to the 18th century. The carpets from Tibet were most influenced by Chinese carpets and carpets from East Turkestan. Traditional designs include folk motives, chess designs and tiger motifs. The colors are associated with the function of the carpet. Orange and gold carpets are for religious ceremonies. Red-brown - mainly for flooring in monasteries. Tiger carpets are valued by people in power and represent symbols of power. Antique Tibetan carpets are all-wool and are woven using the Tibetan knot technique. After joining China in 1959, many Tibetans fled to neighboring India, Nepal and Bhutan and continue to make carpets there today.

Tibetan carpet

Tiankatsha - large blankets, both piled and lint-free. Many Soviet writers also described lettuce like a horse blanket or saddle cover.

Tabbakhi - Poor quality wool from an inferior rune obtained from already slaughtered sheep.

Tauk Nuska Göl - Göl in Turkmen carpets in the shape of an octagon. The ornament is decorated with a pattern in the form of arrowheads.

Turk Baft - A symmetrical or Turkish knot used to weave wool and silk carpets in Western Asia.

Turkish knot (Symmetrical knot, Görde, Gördes)- A knot used in carpet weaving, when tying it, the yarn wraps around two adjacent warp threads from different sides and both ends of the yarn come to the surface of the carpet nearby.

The Tibetan knot is a distinct weaving technique now used in areas other than Tibet. A temporary rod that regulates the height of the pile is placed in front of the base. A single yarn is wrapped around two warp threads and once around the rod. When a row of loops ends, they are sheared to create a pile. This method gives a slightly uneven surface.

Tirma is a type of lint-free carpet made by the Kirghiz on a horizontal loom, installed without inclination. Tirma patterns are vertical stripes or highly stylized images of claws, hoof marks, eyes, horns, legs of horses, sheep, deer, tigers, mice and other animals.

Tirma is also called an expensive fabric of complex weaving, produced in India, Iran and Turkey. Tirma is usually woven from soft fine wool.

Tevasi - this was the name in the Middle Ages of multi-colored large challahs with a complex pattern.

Tinfasa is the name given by the Arabs to all the lint-free carpets that they received from the Turkic peoples as a tribute.

Torba - a long rectangular Turkmen bag with pile weaving only on the front side. Bags are hung in yurts and serve to store small items.

Tunisian Carpets - Tunisia is an African country where carpet weaving has been common since the Ottoman era. The city of Kairouan was one of the centers of carpet weaving. The largest part of Tunisian carpets is woven in this city. The poor quality of local wool, which is a big barrier to the Tunisian carpet industry, makes it necessary to import wool from France, England and New Zealand. Chemical dyes are used in dyeing wool for carpets. Carpets from Tunisia are usually made in small sizes no more than 3-4 sq.m.

Carpet from Tunisia

Usak carpets - handmade carpets from the city of Usak in western Turkey. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, many famous styles of carpets were woven here, such as the Ushak carpet with birds, the austere Usak carpets, Lotto carpets with other Persian-influenced medallion carpets. These carpets are woven entirely from wool with red as the dominant color. The decline in the quality of carpets began around the middle of the 19th century, and today the production of Usak carpets has practically come to naught.

Usak carpet

Wilton carpets are machine-made pile carpets with patterns reminiscent of Persian. The name comes from the town of Wilton in Wiltshire, England, which produced handmade carpets in the 16th century. From the middle of the 19th century, all carpets were made by machines in almost any size.

Carpet Wilton

Uttabi is a kind of lint-free, thin, delicate weaving of a carpet, like Zili. It comes from the name of one of the quarters of the city of Mosul, located north of the capital of Iraq, Baghdad, not far from the southeastern border of Turkey. In the 14th century, the Uttabi carpets produced in this quarter gained worldwide fame. Under this name, they spread to European markets. Researchers believe that used in Western Europe the term "Teppich" (teppich) goes back to Uttabi.

Uttabi carpet

Uzbek carpets - carpets made in Uzbekistan are divided into 3 main types of carpets: gilam(Uzbek carpets with short pile), julkhir(Uzbek carpets with long pile), and rugs(Uzbek lint-free carpets). A characteristic feature of short-pile carpets is their red-brown hue, illuminated by the harmony of the light-colored details of the main medallions, which are often geometric in shape.

Uzbek carpet

Woven carpets - carpets, are diverse in Uzbekistan: Kokhma- fabric with uniform stripes in different colors and Ghajari- a fabric woven in a pattern with various techniques of "crisscrossing" technique and embellished with rows of small geometric floral motifs. Until the beginning of the 20th century, carpet weaving was exclusively the craft of women living in rural areas.

Uk-Bash (Yuk-Bash) - bags in which nomads transport wooden parts of dismantled tents and yurts. Uk-bash are made mainly from pile carpets.

Squares - An ornament that fills the corners of the main field of a woolen or silk carpet. In medallion compositions, squares usually occupy an area equal in size to a quarter of the central medallion.

Weft - The transverse threads of the carpet (as well as fabrics), located perpendicular to the warp threads and intertwined with them. Depending on the type and place of origin of the handmade carpet, weft threads can be cotton, silk or wool.

“You left a legacy on my carpets, and all my carpets are Persian,” the hero of Mikhail Bulgakov’s story, Professor Preobrazhensky, was indignant during a visit to him by members of the house management. And there was reason to worry. A decent carpet at that time cost about a month's fee of the luminary of medicine. The fashion for Persian carpets swept European capitals at the beginning of the 20th century. Time passed, but fashion did not pass, except that expensive handicrafts were replaced by mass-produced consumer goods.

King in memory

Carpet weaving is known in many parts of the world, and this craft developed independently in different places. For nomadic tribes woven from durable woolen threads cloths - an irreplaceable thing. In the parking lot, the carpets turn into warm walls and the floor of the dwelling, and in the campaign, rolled up into a pipe, they take up very little space. Over time and as they gain material well-being, people also think about the beauty of carpets.
For a long time, the Persians were also a nomadic people, who, of course, used carpets. However, already at the end of the 5th century BC, the Greek historian Xenophon mentions these products as an element of unprecedented luxury that surrounded the nobles of the Achaemenid state (a state that existed in the 6th-15th centuries BC in Asia).
Iranian tradition attributes the origin of the custom of weaving on carpets intricate patterns the founder of the Persian state - Cyrus II the Great (born presumably in 593 BC). Allegedly, having captured Babylon and seeing its fabulous buildings, the young king wanted to have all this in his camp. But the only way to take a piece of the beauty of Babylon with you was to try to reproduce the patterns of temples and palaces on carpets. The legend claims that several hundred weavers coped with this task, and when they returned home, they continued the tradition of decorating their products with patterns.

Soon Persian carpets became known all over the world, from Europe and North Africa to China. They decorated the palaces of the rulers and were considered of great value, evidence of prosperity and wealth.
For example, the first thing that the Byzantine emperor Heraclius I (reigned from 610 to 641) took care of when he took the capital of the Persians, Ctesiphon, was the preservation of a unique carpet from the palace of the padishahs. It was woven specifically to decorate the main hall of the residence of Khosrov I Anushirvan (501-579). Probably, this carpet will remain the largest known to history: 140 by 27 meters. Silk gold, silver threads and precious stones a garden of incredible beauty was embroidered on it, comparable to paradise. The product was called "Spring Carpet" and became famous all over the world. But in 637 Ctesiphon went to the Arabs. And Khosrov's carpet was too heavy, and they cut it up to take it away piece by piece.

Gifts with meaning

Over time, the masters began to put some meaning into the patterns on the carpets. Pictorial subjects were still popular, but sometimes simple wishes, congratulations, parting words began to appear. With the advent of the Arabs, the patterns were filled with new content. Birds, camels, horses have disappeared from the carpets. Carpet ornaments spoke the language of symbols and abstractions, turned into a woven expression of the Koran. Sometimes a Persian carpet for an initiate is a book about the structure of the universe.
Woven fabrics from Tabriz, Nain and Isfahan were especially famous. The most skilled craftsmen from these places could encrypt a whole message in their carpet. Since the Persians often wanted to write something that the conquerors might not like, they had to invent real ciphers. There was even a kind of language of patterns. Simple messages were understandable to any curious person, and more complex ones - only to the initiated.
Most often, either quotes from the Koran flaunted on the carpet, or wishes for long years, health, the banal “peace to your home” or “so that I live like this” (that is, that the owner of the carpet lives well enough to be able to afford this expensive product).
At the end of the 11th century, followers of the Islamic Nizari sect, also known as Kakassasins, paid attention to carpets. They fought incessant wars with anyone who did not share their teachings. They raided, robbed, destroyed those who could not be driven into slavery. The Nizaris treated their own death with contempt and lived only to destroy the world created by Allah - of course, in the name of saving mankind.

The attitude towards the adherents of this sect was appropriate, but under Hasan al-Sab-bah (mid-1050s - 1124) it gained such strength that the rulers of the Middle East and Transcaucasia trembled with fear, fearing to see a murderer in their chambers. Capturing the impregnable fortress of Alamut in Western Iran by deceit, Sabbah turned it into his capital. Sabbah himself was nicknamed the Old Man of the Mountain.
Of all the trips to Alamut, untold wealth, books were delivered, various craftsmen were brought here. Sabbah was especially interested in the secret language of the Isfahan weavers. Most of his subjects lived in ordinary cities - under the guise of ordinary Muslims or Christians. Soon they began to receive orders from the Old Man of the Mountain and send him reports through the patterns on the carpets. As soon as some emir or sheikh conceived a campaign against the Nizari, Sabbah found out about it. And then there were the secret killers.

What a luxurious death!

However, the people of Sabbah did not limit themselves to woven ciphers alone. It was believed that masters were working in Alamut, capable of “charging” the carpets with certain commands that the addressee could not fail to fulfill. For example, the Syrian fortress of Banias fell, the sheikh of which swore to put an end to Sabbah. Once he received a carpet of extraordinary beauty as a gift from a distant relative. On the very first night after that, the unlucky emir, as if drugged, opened the gates of his citadel to a handful of assassins, who cut the entire garrison, and then cut off the head of the owner of Banias.
The ruler of Shiraz, who started a campaign against Sabbah, also received a carpet as a gift. Most likely, it was replaced by one made in Alamut, and the warlike emir died of a broken heart, barely looking at the pattern. Dozens of rulers who received such "gifts with meaning" went crazy, died from a blow or in their sleep, or even simply forgot about their plans to attack the Assassins. Gradually, Sabbah realized that it was not necessary to keep a large army to guard the borders. Enough with the help of spies to penetrate the plans of neighbors, and then eliminate the most dangerous of them. By the way, many rulers were in a hurry to pay off the Assassins, which served as a good source of replenishment of the treasury.
For almost 200 years, nothing could be done about the Nizari, until the Mongols came to Iran in 1256. The lords of the Assassins were not afraid of anyone in their mountain castles, but their last imam, Ruki ad-Din Khurshah, miscalculated. He could have repulsed the attacks of Hulagu's warriors for years, but he preferred to go for a trick: he sent rich gifts and opened the gates of Alamut. Surely there was also a carpet with some kind of message for the Mongol commander among the gifts. But Hulagu ordered the gifts to be thrown into the abyss, and Khurshah to be executed.

So that I live like this

There was no magic in the deadly gifts of the assassins. They were generally very educated and practical people. For example, fortresses were built in such a way that fortification art reached such heights only after 500 years. There are no less legends about the library of Alamut than about the collection of books of Ivan the Terrible, since it also disappeared without a trace.
Russian inventor Alexander Lukovishnikov suggests that Iranian weavers worked with torsion fields (from the Latin torsio - "torsion"). Perhaps this phenomenon was discovered quite by accident. And the mathematician Eli Cartan described it in the 20th century. The essence of the phenomenon is as follows: any torsion of space and matter creates a physical field that can independently influence the environment. And any Persian carpet is created by twisting, and even by hand, which, according to some researchers, greatly enhances the effect. Lukovishnikov, for example, believes that torsion fields can be positively or negatively charged. If the pattern is twisted clockwise, it carries positive energy, against - negative.

Modern physics considers torsion fields as a hypothetical object, it is still impossible to reliably detect them. But in the USSR, for example, billions of rubles were spent on research in this area until 1991. In many countries of the world, successful commercial products are mass-produced, whose action is based on torsion fields.
By the way, "charged" woven gifts were used not only by assassins. There is evidence that Ivan the Terrible's character began to deteriorate when carpets appeared in his palace, sent as a gift by the Persian Shah.
Products emitting torsion vortices left their mark in the USSR as well. In the mid-1980s, Armand Hammer, big friend Soviet governments (from Lenin to Gorbachev) and an American businessman, supplied equipment for the mass production of carpets in Russia. At the same time, he sold to factories and patterns of several simple patterns.
For some 3-4 years, the carpet has turned from a luxury item into an ordinary detail of the interior of each apartment. Only here the Persian craftsmen put a hidden message “so that I live like this” in expensive carpets, and the Hammer machines gave out cheap consumer goods at best. It was not a blessing, but a curse. So the Soviet people began to live according to their wishes by the beginning of the 1990s.
Whether Hammer wanted good or, on the contrary, committed sophisticated villainy is unknown. But the author of hundreds of inventions, Alexander Lukovishnikov, strongly advises people to get rid of Soviet-made carpets.

When we look at a sheared carpet, old and trodden, in places unevenly woven, what a surprise it wakes us up! Gentle transfusion of colors, nobility of lines, richness of patterns, all this attracts our eyes and brings them new surprises. When you look at such a diverse pattern, it becomes surprising that all this could have been some dark-skinned and perhaps at first glance unlearned Turkish or Persian weaver, whom an ordinary "cultured" European would consider a little savage. But this is only at first glance, and at the second (and third, fourth) glances, this swarthy Turkish or Persian weaver, on the contrary, in the most amazing way, turns out to be a very learned, wise (and even enlightened) master, initiated into the deepest secrets of the universe.

On a real oriental carpet, namely a carpet made not for European taste according to the latest factory samples, but made exactly on an ancient oriental pattern, we are struck, first of all, by a wide range of colors that shimmer into one another. There are no stark contrasts, each piece is a play of different hues, golden yellow or cherry red. When two colors far from themselves meet, then at least one of them is muted. And there are no colors in the oriental carpet that are not found in nature. The weaver-artist, when admiring the blooming levada, wished to recreate the same blooming levada in the carpet. I saw the blue sky, and depicted in the prayer carpets the luxurious azure of the southern sky.

A bit of history: there is no exact information about the origin of oriental carpets. The inhabitants of Asia Minor adopted the weaving technique, perhaps, from the ancient Egyptians. In the Arabic chronicles, mentions of knitted carpets date back to the 7th century, but the remains of the oldest carpets that have survived to this day come only from the 13th century. However, the real flourishing of oriental carpet weaving came much later, only in the 15th, 16th centuries, when, along with the growing power of the Muslim world, both the cultural level and art, in particular the art of carpets, grew. Living trade relations with Venetian merchants spread these examples of Oriental art to all the capitals of Europe, and therefore we often meet them even in the paintings of medieval European artists.

The Mohammedan religion strictly forbids depicting human or animal figures in art. All admiration for beauty resulted in a pattern, in ornamentation. Therefore, oriental art, in particular carpets, rich in a wide variety of patterns, bizarre ornaments, which sometimes entail not just aesthetic admiration, but also a real magic power, the energy of their unusual Sufi creator. It happens that you stand by such a magical carpet and you don’t understand why you feel so good, calm, comfortable, it seems that the very pattern of this oriental work of art somehow imperceptibly affects the subconscious mind, calms, pacifies. Or vice versa, like a good carpet, bright, colorful, and you look at it and in your soul, as if an evil worm, anxiety, anxiety, some kind of incomprehensible fear are born. Oh yes, different carpets carry different energy, depending on the purpose pursued by their creator. Let's say you need to politely send the uninvited guest out, hang up the appropriate carpet (the one that causes alarm) and that's it, in a few moments the guest himself will want to go somewhere, he will urgently have some "urgent things to do".

Since ancient times, the great art of carpet weaving has been mainly practiced by Sufis, representatives of the mystical movement of Islam, the main goal of which is the spiritual perfection of man and, at the end, his merging with his eternal Creator in sacred ecstasy. What attracted the Sufis to this art? It’s just that for such people, the process of weaving carpets was not only an ordinary craft, or even an artistic process, similar to how an artist paints a picture, for a Sufi, carpet weaving is also a meditative practice that helps to concentrate, learn to concentrate, cultivates perseverance and patience , without which there is nothing to do on the difficult path of Sufi (and indeed any spiritual) practices. Lyrical digression: However, all these necessary qualities - patience, perseverance, attention, can be developed by other useful activities, and not just carpet weaving (although for oriental people of the past, this craft was perhaps the most suitable). Well, in our time, instead of carpets, it is possible to manufacture, say, automotive alloy wheels, here you can’t do without attention, patience and perseverance.

The famous Russian mystic of the early 20th century, Georgy Ivanovich Gurdjieff, once well described his training with the Sufis, one of his teachers was just such a Sufi and part-time carpet weaver, under his guidance, Mr. Gurdjieff comprehended this interesting matter. At first, Gurdjieff thought that carpet weaving for his Sufi mentor was just a way to make a living, some kind of wonderful business, and kept waiting for him to start, finally give him some really spiritual practices, but there were no spiritual practices. For days on end Gurdjieff was busy weaving carpets, helping his teacher, because his carpets were famous for their high quality throughout the district, and therefore there was simply no end to customers. Perhaps somewhere, somewhere, a worm of doubt crept into Gurdjieff’s head: “The cunning Turk simply uses me, in fact, as a free labor force, so I work here all day long, making carpets, he doesn’t give any spiritual practices, maybe he’s not a Sufi at all, What about a common scammer? ". But no, in the end, Gurdjieff realized that the very process of weaving carpets was the most important and important spiritual practice, tempered his soul, sculpted patience, created a core, a foundation so necessary for further self-improvement.

Later, the ability to weave carpets came in handy more than once for Gurdjieff, during the bloody October revolution, together with the remnants of the White Army and the still unfinished Russian nobles and landowners, fleeing from Bolshevik Russia, Gurdjieff sold several of his carpets, and with the considerable money he received, he bought tickets for a ship to Istanbul for himself and all members of his esoteric group. (And then to stay with the completely “spiritually not advanced” newly minted communist-Leninists, you see, was somehow sad).

But back to the carpets, of course, modern carpets, massively made at some Soviet factory in Uzbekistan, which at one time massively decorated the walls of their own homes, the inhabitants of the recent scoop (there was such a fashion) have nothing to do with those magical, real, original oriental handmade carpets made by "some" enlightened Persian or Turkish Sufi weaver, perhaps initiated into the deepest secrets of the universe... At least somewhere in European antique shops, the cost of such antique oriental carpets reaches astronomical sums and they are really worth it.

practice.