Situated to the north-west of Iran, Azerbaijan is a mountainous region with very fertile valleys, ideal for sheep-farming. This region is renowned the world over for the quality and solidity of its wool.
In admiring the hills and plains of Azerbaijan, the origin of carpets becomes immediately clear.
Immense, fertile plains lost in the mountains, are peppered with small villages that are cut off from the outside world half the year.
Hundreds of miles of pasturelands between these villages are perfect for sheet-farming. And sheep rhymes with wool! During this long period of forced inactivity, the peasants make blankets, clothes, etc… It is also during this wintering period that the beautiful local carpets are made.
Their main characteristic features: dense knotting, a high and thick pile, and an abundance of geometric patterns;
As in other regions of Iran, there are two different styles of carpets:
Tabriz, the capital of Azerbaijan, is situated at 1350 m of altitude and is surrounded by high mountains. The climate is very harsh: hot in summer and cold in winter. The wool from the sheep is thereby solid and resistant. This legendary solidity has underpinned the success of Tabriz carpets through the centuries. The wool from the region is rather rough, but artisans do not hesitate buying the best wools from other regions, in particular Merino wool from New Zealand.
The best qualities of wool come from the regions of:
The wool is most often still spun manually by women. The type of frame used to knot the carpets is the vertical frame with a beam on either side, known as the Tabriz loom. This frame is ideal for large sizes, as the carpet can be rolled up gradually as it is completed, making it thus possible to produce a carpet of larger size than the traditional standard, which is equivalent to the height of the room.
The work is most often done at home, but given the size of some carpets, entrepreneurs have created workshops manned by at times some twenty artisans each.
The Turkish knot is used, with a concentrating ranging from 90,000 to more than, 1,000,000 knots per square metre.
The weft and warp are usually in raw cotton, and in the finer pieces, in silk.
The fabric is either in wool, or in wool and silk, or entirely in silk.
Style and inspiration
Tabriz, whose origins probably stretch back as far as the 9th century, has always been an important trading centre. It was known for its carpets already in the 15th century, and this long period of prosperity has developed the artisan creation and has contributed to an abundance of different styles.
Furthermore, the artisans of Tabriz have drawn inspiration from the carpets of other regions so as to take account of certain other motifs. Thus, we find in Tabriz carpets the medallion of Kerman carpets, the spandrels of Mashad, and the border of Kashan.
The usual drawings of Tabriz are:
Being remote from large trading centres and having little contact with other towns or villages, owing to a lack in infrastructure and facilities, Heriz and the surrounding villages have retained their original authenticity and freshness. For this motif, the drawings and colours have not been influenced by outside constraints.
The production of Heriz extends to the towns of Goravan, Bakhshayesh, Mehraban, Gharache and Sarab. Heriz is the most prominent of these towns thanks to the diversity of its motifs and the softness of its colours. You just have to see the 19th century Heriz carpets to realise that they are works of art.
Among these old pieces, Heriz is famous for its carpets made entirely of silk that only very well-off enthusiasts can afford.
References and inspiration
The modern production is of coarser workmanship and brighter colours. The Turkish knot is generally used.
The warp and weft are usually in a quite thick cotton, which makes the carpet very solid.
The wool is coarse and thick, and the number of knots per metres varies generally between 6000 to 10000. In certain finer pieces, this density can extend from 100,000 to 150,000 knots per square metre. Most dyes nowadays are chemical, but there is an increasing tendency to use vegetal dyes.
The design is usually geometric, with vertical, horizontal, and oblique lines. The oblique lines are broken to assume the form of a staircase. The field usually consists of a large central medallion and four spandrels.
In line with tradition, the weavers of this region have been wont to shear the carpet, leaving the pile higher than elsewhere. This gives a high and thick wool, quite pleasant and comfortable for the feet.
Thanks to its resistant qualities, a Heriz carpet (in a good quality of wool) will last a long time, for a price often lower than a mechanically woven carpet.
Bakhshayesh specialises in the production of runners. The main colours are: blue, fawn red and brick red, which give the carpet a beauty all its own.
Borrowed from the Heriz style, the design is usually composed of a large, floral medallion.
The wool from the Bakhshayesh region is highly resistant and has a particular shine that has largely contributed to the reputation of Goravan carpets.
The medallion of Goravan carpets is particularly imposing, stretching to the middle of the border so as to save the balance of the design.
The artisans of Ahar and its environs have also drawn their inspiration largely from the Heriz style, but without copying as many other villages have done. They use deep colours, and a denser, very high quality knotting, and are thus renowned for their resistance. The motifs are slightly less geometric and geared more towards a highly stylised leafy form. They have a specific border design, that differentiates them from Heriz carpets.
Gharache is famous for the quality of its runners of very dense knotting. The carpet and runner background is generally ruby red, and the border deep blue.
Inspired from Heriz, the design usually consists of 3 geometric forms: in the centre, a hexagon surrounded by a motif known as “seated dog” with an identical geometric form along each side.
This motif may repeat itself in large-sized pieces.
The name of Ardabil is associated with the famous carpet dating from 1539 that covered the tomb of Shah Ishmael, founder of the Safavid dynasty, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Whereas the golden age of carpet-making in Ardabil is now past, nowadays, the use of an identical, repeated motif, and the absence of a specific style for Ardabil, have deprived this production of any value.
Most of the geometric forms are direct copies from the Caucasus. Other motifs are copied from “Mahi” designs. Carpets made in the beginning and middle of the 20th century include some rare original pieces with human figures or animals surrounded by floral decoration.
Whereas the field motifs of Ardabil carpets are extremely similar to those of Caucasus carpets, the borders are decidedly more complex, and the colours used lighter and brighter.
Situated between Tabriz and Ardabil, the town of Sarab has specialised in large-sized carpets with the “Mahi” motif borrowed from the Bijar design.
This production is conducted on an industrial scale at times, and that is why there are such differences in prices in Tabriz Mahi carpets.
A Mahi motif woven in Tabriz may be worth 2, 3, even 4 times more than a carpet woven in Sarab, because the quality and density of the knotting are different, and an original is always worth more.
