JBOC's  Notes on Oriental Rugs

Guide to Bolnisi Rugs
Buy oriental carpets
100% handmade area carpet and rugs from Tibet.
Modern and traditional design. Armenian too!
www.TufenkianCarpets.com
Can't afford Tufenkian Carpets?
Visit the ONLY official Tufenkian carpet outlet.
Discontinued and one of kind rugs.
www.TufenkianOutlet.com
Need a custom area rug?

If you can dream it, we can weave it.
Custom area rugs by Tufenkian

Oriental Rugs/Caucasian Rugs: Bolnisi Rug Bordjalu

A Bordjalou Kazak rug, circa 1870,

Bolnisi is also known as Jekatrinofeld, Yekatrinofeld, Ljuksemburg(i), Lyuksemburg(i) http://www.library.uu.nl/wesp/populstat/Europe/georgiat.htm

There are a number of distinctive types of rugs attributed to Bordjalu. Bordjalu was a khanate up until 1736 when Nadir Shah lost it to the Kingdom of Georgia. Bordjalu was made up of three districts, Marneuli, Gardabani and Bolnisi.

This group of distinctive latch hook rugs is a large body of distinctive rugs attributed to Bordjalu. I have come to believe that this group is from the Bolnisi district. I came to this by a round about method, We have three well documented anchor rug types in Bordjalu.  Gardabani is represented by the Karayazy tpe rug.  Of all the rugs Gardabani is least like the Bolnisi group.  Then there is the Marneuli/Chobanker group. In there we have the pinwheel Kazaks and the Chobanker.

So then how do we get to a Bolnisi attribution?   First of all let us divide Bordjalu Kazaks into three groups. This group which I have refered to as Type A, Type B which is anchored by Plate 53 in Wright, Richard. Wertime, John. Caucasian Carpets and Covers. Then Type C which includes the Pin-wheel Kazaks aned the Chobanker group. 
Oriental Rugs/Caucasian Rugs: A Bordjalou Kazak rug

A Bordjalou Kazak rug

Type A is a very different rug than Type B. The two center field latch hook medallions in Type A are much closer to the secondary medallions in a Lori Pambak Rug then they are to any of the iconography of Type  B. Since Type B is from Gardabani where we have the greatest concentration in Georgian Bordjalu and Type A is most similar to Armenian rugs I came to the conclusion that Type A rugs must come from

Karayazy became Gardabani in 1947. Plate 53 in Wright, Richard. Wertime, John. Caucasian Carpets and Covers shows a Bordjalu Kazak with some characteristics of Akstafa rugs.

The Daniels Collection Bordjalu Rugs

What is Borchali?

BRIEF HISTORY: The Sultanate of Borchali was located in the southeastern part of Georgia and in the eastern part of today's Turkey. At the beginning of the 18th century, Borchali was vassal of the Khanate of Ganja and in 1736 was ceded by Persian Emperor Nadir Shah Afshar to the Georgian Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti. Borchali was composed of today's Georgian districts of Marneuli, Gardabani and Bolnisi

THE ALMANACH DE BRUXELLES

Oriental Rugs/Caucasian Rugs: The Nomadic Rug Traders Bordjalu Kazak rug

The Nomadic Rug Traders Bordjalu Kazak rug

There seems a clear dichotomy in the rugs attributed to the Bordjalu area. Bordjalu is a collection point in southern Georgia for the area that runs up the southern ridge of the Caucasus south of Tbilisi. This is the quintessential Type A.

Since Borchalo was divided into three provinces; Marneuli, Gardabani and Bolnisi I suggest that we can constuct a probable grouping by seeking to trifurcate the group. By taking the available rugs and dividing them into groups we end up with three logical groups. The easiest one is the Karayazy or Gardabani Group since there is a firm body of rugs and pictorial evidence to give us firm anchor rugs, So now we have two groups and two regions. Type A looks very close to examples that I feel have a high probability of being Arminian. Take for example Bennett, Ian et al. Oriental Rugs Volume 1 Caucasian. plate 69. The field is related to the Type A Bordjalu. The main border however is Arminian, Compare plate 69 to plate 140 a rug attributed to Erivan. Bolnisi is the southwestern most region of the Borchallo area. It historically has had the greatest concentration of Armenians.

If we attribute the Type A Borchally rugs to

Borchalo, Borchaly, Borcialu, Borchalo, Bor`calo

Oriental Rugs/Caucasian Rugs: Bolnisi Borchalu Rug
Bolnisi Borchalu Rug
Item #6
Contemporary 4' 6" X 6'

Seen on www.pangaeacarpets.com

Bordjalou Rugs are part of the broader category of Caucasian Rugs and Caucasian Carpets

For Further Reading:


Thanks and best wishes,

J. Barry O'Connell Jr.

Site Search

Site Map

SpongoBongo and Persian Carpet Guiden Site Search

Persian Rugs

Turkish Rugs

Suzani

Oriental Rugs

Persian Carpets

Baluch Rugs,

The Qashqai and Qashqai Rugs

Veramin Rugs

Tribal Rugs

Khotan-Rugs

Khotan-Carpets

Kirman-Rugs

Kirman-Carpets

Antique-Rugs

Antique-Carpets

Shahsevan-Rugs

Oushak-Rugs

Index to JBOC's Rug Notes

How Do I Find An Honest Rug Dealer?

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Bordjalou Kazak Rug