Kuba Rugs were considered the best rugs of the
Caucasus when they were originally produced. Kuba as a Khanate was
primarily populated by the 5 Lezgi peoples and the rugs appear to have
been made by Lezgi (largest of the Lezgi Ethno-Linguistic group)and
Tabassaran weavers. the
Lezgi/Tabassaran weave is a denser than most Caucasian Rugs,
symmetrically knotted, ribbed back and tends towards blue selvages. It
has been suggested to me that Lezgi sub-group of Lezgi run a
supplementary weft several inch into the field at irregular intervals.
I find this plausible but not provable... yet..
Kuba was a Khanate of Persia (a Khanate is
equivalent to a state or region in the old Persian system. Kaffel dates
the transfer of Kuba to the Czarist Russians to 1806. Kaffel,
Caucasian Prayer Rugs page 30.
How old then is the city of Kuba? In Early
Caucasian RugsCharles
Grant Ellis quotes the Encyclopedia of Islam that Kuba "did
not exist until C, 1750. Early
Caucasian Rugs page 10. I have heard the same from John Wertime discounting Kuba
because it was not established until the mid 18th century.
(Conversation at Hajji Baba meeting at Wendell Swan's house with John Wertime) The problem with
this is that the United States Embassy confirms the existence of a
16th-century fortress that dominates the city of Kuba.
http://www.usembassybaku.org/post/city.htm Additionally in the Khanalyg
suburb of Kuba there is a 9th century A.D. Zoroastrian temple.
http://geo.ya.com/travelimages Quba.html Obviously Kuba was a
population center well before 1750. How the Encyclopedia of Islam
managed to be so wrong is an open question however since I just
finished writing part of the Encyclopedia of Modern Asia (Scribners
late 2002) I will note that any Encyclopedia is only as good as its
authors and editors.
Kuba is the language of a subgroup of the Lezgians
and Kuba (Quba) is a dialect that is rather distinct from Lezgi. Ethnologue: Azerbaijan.
Kuba Also Quba, and Quebah.
Kuba is both a city and an area and in previous
times it was a Khanate. It is south of Derbend and the area takes in
the lowland Azeri speakers.
Kuba also refers to those people who speak Kuba
as their milk language.
QUBA
"While a 16th-century fortress dominates
this town, most people go to Quba to see the hundreds of apple
orchards. In the spring, the area is fragrant with the scent of apple
blossoms. The town is also a center of carpet making -- tour a plant or
do some shopping (Azerbaijanis will tell you that Cuba rugs are the
best in the region). Along with Sumgait, Quba is generally seen as part
of a long day trip from Baku. 100 mi./165 km northwest of Baku. "
http://www.usembassybaku.org/post/city.htm
Chichi
- Chichi Rugs
I do not understand why the Chichi attribution is no longer taken
seriously. Chichi is a real place; Chichi Azerbaijan see map above.
Latitude
41.2092
Longitude
48.6742
Altitude (feet)
2198
It is also exactly where
you would expect to find it based on the rugs we see attributed to
Chichi and the surrounding area.
Dense community of Southern Tats live in Chichi Azerbaijan.
http://www.tooyoo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/Russia/bibl/Tat.html
The late Ulrich Schurmann wrote that
Alpan rugs were a type of Kuba "probably woven in Sejshour" Caucasian
Rugs page 113. Ian
Bennett suggests that they are actually a type of Seichur.
Of course he also places Seichur as a type of Kuba and that Alpans and
Seichurs have the same construction. Oriental
Rugs Volume 1 Caucasian pages 301 - 303.
A village in Russian
Daghestan south of Derbent but it's rugs are counted as Kubas since
Karagashli was in the Persian Khanate of Kuba. I see some Karagashli as
a degenerate form of the Harshang
carpets of the 18th and 19th centuries. Karagashli are a
slightly finer than average Kuba. As a group they average knot count
135 - 145 knots per square inch.
Weft: 2
shots of 2 ply wool or cotton. Cotton - white wool can be white to
brown.
Pile: 2
Wool singles.
Ends:
May have band of Sumac at either end. Dr,
Murray Eiland Jr. does not expect loops at one end but rather
both ends the same. Eiland
and Eiland, pg. 284. Many examples have plainweave skirt and
warp fringe.
Selvages:
two warp unit reinforced white cotton selvage sometimes blue. One warp
unit (cord) reinforced in very old examples. One reinforced warp unit
in red wool is seen in Karagashli
rugs.
Notes: Pete Stone mentions
averages of 113 kpsi and average size of 27 square feet. Oriental
Rug Lexicon. He also notes that Karagashli Kubas average 144
kpsi and on average are small. Oriental
Rug Lexicon
Zejwa Rugs
Notes: Stone mentions that
Zejwa are the largest of the Kuba rugs at about 40 square feet and
average 90 kpsi. He also noted that they are usually all wool. Oriental
Rug Lexicon page 258.
