Caucasus Carpet

Caucasus Carpet
General information
Name	Caucasus Carpet
Original name	فرش قفقاز، قالی قفقاز
Alternative name(s)	Caucasus Rug
Technical information

Caucasus Carpet or Caucasus Rug is one of the eastern rugs that woven in Caucasus.
Formerly, southern Russia, an area bounded by the Caspian Sea on the east and the Black Sea on the west. The Caucasus mountain range, from the northwest to the southeast, diagonally divides the region. The area south of the mountain range is termed the Transcaucasus. This is the primary rug-producing area. The population is of varied ethnic origin. Rugs and carpets are woven by Azeri Turks, Kurds, and Armenians. Travelers refer to rug production in the Caucasus in the fifteenth century, and there are Dragon carpets from the seventeenth century attributed to the Caucasus. Rug production was a major cottage industry in the nineteenth century.
Rugs are brightly colored and generally have geometric designs. The symmetric knot is used with average knot densities ranging from 60 per square inch for Kazaks to 114 per square inch for Kuba rugs. Pile is wool. Warps are undyed. With few exceptions, these rugs have two or more wefts between each row of knots. Rugs with cotton foundations from the Caucasus have higher knot densities than those with wool foundations.
There is contemporary pile rug production in cooperative rug factories in Azerbaijan, Daghestan, and Armenia. The largest producer is Armenia. Designs are traditional or modern variations of traditional designs. Depending on commercial grade, knot densities vary from 78 knots per square inch to 162 knots per square inch. Export of these rugs was handled by a division of the Russian agency, Novoexport. After export, these rugs receive a chemical wash to improve their color tone and and color contrast.

Caucasian kilims and palases are usually woven as a single piece. The slit weave tapestry structure is used. Warp ends are knotted to produce a web effect. Motifs consist of adjacent or compacted large geometric medallions suggesting palmettes or rows of smaller geometric motifs. A few kilims consist of all-over patterns of small, repeated geometric elements. Colors are bright and contrasting. Regional attribution of kilims within the Caucasus is problematic, despite trade designations such as "Kuba", "Shirvân", or "Talish".
Soumak bags and mafrash are attributed to Kurdish weavers in the Caucasus and similar pieces to the Shahsavan in Iran. Large soumaks were woven throughout the Caucasus, many of them from Kuba. Common designs in the nineteenth century were a vertically repeated diamond medallion alternating with two hexagons or circular motifs, and dragon soumaks based on the pile dragon rugs. A design of large “S” shapes thought to represent drag ons was woven with the soumak structure.