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Jorge wrote in reference to a
magnificent Akstafa:
"There aren't many ‘Akstafa' rugs without the traditional large birds
on the field. This is one of those few. Also it is uncommon to find
those ‘T'-shaped motifs. The same is valid for the small cruciform
hooked motif at the medallions' centre. But the most unlikely depiction
is the profusion of Talish rosettes, so typical of Talish rug borders.
We find it in this rug's borders and inside the medallions. This
feature confirms Ian Bennett,
Murray Eiland
and Harold M.
Keshishian's opinion that most of the denominated ‘Akstafa'
rugs were actually not woven on the large town in the Kazak weaving district (near
Lambalo and Shulaver) but rather on the Shirvan
weaving area, probably on south Shirvan. The magnificent colours of
this rug also suggest a southern Shirvan attribution."
So obviously when Jorge
Oliveira, Ian Bennett, Murray Eiland and Harold M. Keshishian
agree on something it is a pretty safe bet. I can not think of anyone
who I respect more in the field of Caucasian Pile rugs although there
are a few fellows at that level.
So then why not follow the
leaders and attribute Akstafa Rugs to South Shirvan and be done with
it? Well as I was looking for background information and local color I
stumbled across an important find. In the Council of Europe Minister's
Deputies CM Documents I found CM(2002)10 Addendum 4 (unclassified) 14
February 2002. The document gives clear and compelling proof that in
the Akstafa region there is an Azeri enclave that includes the villages
of Sadykhly and Boyuk (Boyuk Kazak) in Azerbaijan and the villages of
Nazarly, Voyovka and Jandar in the Gardabani region of Georgia.
The
people in South Shirvan who weave colorful rugs like this were Azeri. Now
I differ with men such as Eiland in some respects. Murray places far
more importance on geographic considerations than I do. I take an
ethno-linguistic approach. I expect Azeri rugs to look like Azeri rugs
no matter where in Azerbaijan they were woven. So Azeri who live near
the Kazak region are still Azeri so the rugs they weave should be more
like their kinsmen in South Azerbaijan than their unrelated neighbors.
To put it simply I feel that
it is reasonable to attribute the Azeri rugs that we call Akstafa to
the Azeri of the Akstafa region.
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