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ARMENIAN RUGS SOCIETY

​​​
​THE ARMENIAN RUGS SOCIETY IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOUNDED IN WASHINGTON D.C. IN 1980,
​DEDICATED TO THE IDENTIFICATION, PRESERVATION AND DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF ARMENIAN RUGS.​
​
​BLOG

​​Video © Lumen Cinematography 
​YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS, MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE...
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​PLEASE GIVE TO THE ARMENIAN RUGS SOCIETY, TODAY...!
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ARMENIAN RUGS SOCIETY ANNOUNCES INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES​

7/24/2018

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The Armenian Rugs Society is proud to announce it is now accepting applications for internship opportunities targeting high school, college, and university students, as well as others individuals interested in public service within a vibrant and growing non-profit organization.

Those interested in connecting with a passionate global community  learning about Armenian culture, the textile arts, exhibition and symposium organizing, curating, and event planning, as well as a slew of other activities and projects, are urged to apply. 

All interns will receive commensurate community service and volunteer experience and accreditation. Some positions may become paid part-time or full-time opportunities in due course.

Please inquire and/or apply via our website 
CONTACT page or via our e-mail info@armenianrugssociety.org with #internship in the comment section or subject line. ​
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message from Armenian Rugs Society board President Hratch Kozibeyokian

7/21/2018

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Dear Friends,
​
The Armenian Rugs Society is proud to announce its new eco-friendly, digital newsletter (part of our effort towards paperless operations) and the opening of our new website at armenianrugssociety.org which went live in late April/early May of this year, as did so many things in the world of Armenian arts, culture, and social life.

Changes in the Homeland were followed by great new activities and events here in the US with our three-week long participation in the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival and its associated activities in Washington DC, a rugs exhibit and lecture during Armenia's first Independence Centennial celebration in Detroit, and continued work with our amazing colleagues in Armenia at the Folk Arts Hub Foundation​, and so much more...
​
The Festival brought together Armenian woven arts and cultural artisans and performers from all over, especially from all parts of the Republic of Armenia, which included weavers, sculptors, stone carvers, culinary experts, singers, dancers, and Armenian heritage performers. I was honored to curate the Armenian woven arts/carpets portion of the festival which included master weavers from Armenia's Folk Arts Hub Foundation and Tufenkian Carpets, among others. We were able to interact with countless individuals (some estimates say close to one million...!) over the span of the festival's activities, bringing the rich culture of Armenian woven arts to a greater and very interested audience.

Prior to the festival's incredible outpouring of emotion and celebration, we also dealt with some challenges one of which is sadly ever-present in Armenian life, but reared its ugly head more audaciously, once again, in April. The Azeri government and allies began an international campaign, within the world press and international art circles, claiming age-old Armenian woven arts traditions and carpets were Azeri and part of so-called "Azeri culture." The Armenian Rugs Society rose to face this unmitigated criminal act head-on and, with the aid of a seasoned writer from within our community, issued a press release which echoed the truth throughout the Armenian and non-Armenian press, here and abroad.

Our age-old and, yet, so vibrant woven arts traditions continued to gain steam this year, not only here at the renowned Smithsonian, but in the Homeland where it matters most. New generations of Armenian artists and artisans, academics and experts have taken up both the cause of Armenian woven arts, as well as the weaver's loom. The Armenian Folk Arts Hub Foundation in Yerevan,  in conjunction with the Armenian Rugs Society, continues to raise the bar when it comes to transmitting our cultural traditions to new generations of artisans via our well-known (and well-received) Adopt-a-Loom initiative throughout rural Armenia. 

​In accordance with our commitment to transmitting our heritage to a new generation and serving our community in the cause of our culture, the Armenian Rugs Society is now initiating an internship program wherein interested individuals--high school, college and university students, as well as others--will have an opportunity to help a registered non-profit in its daily endeavors and, most importantly, work and learn in an environment of ever growing beauty and historical significance. Besides the unparalleled experience of working with the Armenian Rugs Society, all interns will also be earning volunteer, work experience, and community service credits.

Please contact us via our email at info@armenianrugssociety.org or through our CONTACT page with #intership in the subject line or comment area.

More new projects are in the offing including new collaborations and partnerships with universities, research centers, and museums as well as cultural groups both here and abroad, which we look forward to sharing with all our members, supporters and friends around the world and in Armenia and Artsakh.

Thank you for all your support and your generous donations both financial and in kind.

​

Yours Respectfully and Sincerely,

Hratch Kozibeyokian
​Armenian Rugs Society

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SILK RUGS RENAISSANCE

7/21/2018

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Silk is the noblest of all natural fibers--it is delicate durable and shines like gold. No other woven textile equals it’s beauty.
The Silk Road caravans found their way to Armenia, as well, and Armenian merchants brought the secret of sericulture home.

In Western Armenia (Ottoman Empire), as well as in present day Artsakh, the mulberry tree is abundant and, hence, local production of silk from cocoons thrived as well. During the Soviet Era, along with many folk traditions, the art of sericulture died, too.

Fortunately, today, Folk Arts are experiencing a revival in Armenia. The young generation is embracing the folk traditions and crafts with enthusiasm infusing into them their contemporary creativity.

Having this revival in mind, two years ago Folk Arts HUB Foundation sponsored a silk weaving workshop by inviting Mr. Avak Shirinian from Istanbul to Yerevan. Mr. Shirinian is a world renown master silk rug weaver and he had expressed his desire to transmit his knowledge and craft to the new generation of the young Republic of Armenia.

Two looms and big bundles of colorful silk threads were shipped from Istanbul to the Silk Road Hotel in Yerevan. Also, two traditional designs were provided by Hratch Kozibeyokian, President of the Armenian Rugs Society, in the U.S.

Mr. Shirinian and his long time assistant, Ms. Kadife, conducted silk weaving workshops for 10 straight days. Thus, the challenging and magical craft of silk weaving took root and is continuing to this day.

Presently, we are also offering workshops for ceremonial silk belt weaving which requires a different technique from the historical traditions of Kars-Karin. We are excited and optimistic that this new seedling of silk weaving art and craft will grow to be a healthy tree…


​Text by Levon Der Bedrossian
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AZERBAIJAN AND THE GREAT CARPET CON:       AZERIS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN CLAIMING ARMENIAN   CARPETS AS THEIR OWN

7/21/2018

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​Azeris Portray Ancient Armenian Textile and Woven Arts Culture as Being an Azerbaijani Turkish Tradition
 

 
Official Azerbaijan, in collusion with members of the private sector close to the Azeri regime, has launched a campaign geared towards appropriating ancient Armenian carpet, rug, and textile weaving traditions and production as their own by generating articles in local and international news outlets, sponsoring exhibits, and publishing art books that portray Armenian woven arts and history, as their own.
 
Several Azeri news sources (Sputnik Azerbaijan, World Economics Magazine: Azerbaijan Journal of Economics, Finance and Business), supported and abetted by the Azeri government—a notorious human rights violator--have recently published articles erroneously claiming that what are clearly Armenian carpets and rugs of global renown, from a variety of historic Armenian regions, including the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), respectively, are Azeri cultural artifacts and traditions.
 
In one such article, “Revival of Azerbaijani Carpet,” the author, Ainur Veliyeva, has actually paraphrased verbiage taken directly from an Armenian Rugs Society publication (Weavers, Merchants, and Kings, 1980) concerning historical accounts of Armenian rugs, and has replaced the words “Armenia” and “Armenian,” wherever they appeared in the text, with the words “Azerbaijan” and “Azerbaijani.”
 
 
“The Azerbaijani carpet has an ancient history - so ancient that already ancient historians Herodotus, Claudius Elian and Xenophon wrote about the development of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan. Carpet weaving, the most common kind of folk craft, became a symbol of the Azerbaijani people. Carpets expressing the idea of ​​protection of the home and harmony create coziness in the house, filling the space of the room with a meaning and visually increasing it. Not without reason, experienced housewives in the renovation of the interior primarily care about the quality and beauty of carpets, curtains and lighting fixtures. Today, Azerbaijan revives carpet weaving, which has somewhat reduced the pace of development and production volumes in the country. Currently, the first stage of the revival is under way, involving the construction of 10 carpet-making enterprises, and in the future their number will be brought to 30.”
 
 
                                                      --“Revival of Azerbaijani Carpet”
                                       World Economics Magazine: Azerbaijan Journal Of Economics, Finance And Business
                                                                           February 26, 2018
                                                  (Translated from the Russian via Google Chrome Translate)
 
 
These salacious contentions are, of course, diametrically opposed to decades of work produced by countless academics, experts, and specialists from around the world, regarding the provenance of the artifacts and the millennial traditions of Armenian artisans and craftspeople, as well as their vast influence on other cultures.
 
This unabashed falsification of history and cultural capital is the latest in a long line of smear campaigns and propaganda that not only strike at the heart and soul of Armenian cultural identity, but is a harsh blow to the international arts community and to woven arts scholarship in general, putting in serious danger whole academic disciplines and bodies of work.
Sadly, the Azeri and Turkish states have long engaged in heinous policies and actions targeting Armenians and Armenian culture.  The early part of the last century saw the wholesale slaughter and deportation of Armenians from the Armenian Highlands, and, then, the wholesale destruction of Armenian architectural sites, cultural artifacts, archeological treasures, and myriad other cultural properties, across once vibrant historic Armenia, filled-out the rest of the century.
 
Unfortunately, the early 21st century did not bode well for Armenian cultural preservation either, as atrocities both human and material continue at the hands of the Azeri state in and around historic Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Nakhichevan, the millennial home of indigenous Armenians.
 
These myriad and misguided attempts to erase the native origins of a far-reaching Armenian cultural reality, and the woven arts, in particular, are horrific in and of themselves. However, within the context of Azerbaijan’s bloody history of pogroms against its own Armenian population (as well as other minorities), its attempted genocide and current continued aggression against the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), and its despicable record of destroying precious World Heritage Sites, such as the once profoundly beautiful Cross Stones of Nakhichevan, this #altnews fiasco, in the age of the internet, begins to take on a wholly different and sinister meaning.
 
The Turkish and Azeri states have not only engaged in genocide, but continue to attempt to strip the survivors of genocide, and their progeny, of any and all cultural meaning, memory, and motifs that have somehow survived and, indeed, form the fundament of Armenian cultural identity. To leave the victims of genocide bereft of all meaning, tradition, and identity, to which they cling so dearly, is to deny their very existence and is the final and most horrendous stage of genocide.
 
This concerted effort to usurp, appropriate, and distort Armenian cultural traditions and production, and its dire consequences to international arts scholarship, must be stopped immediately.
 
The Armenian Rugs Society, a non-profit organization founded in Washington D.C., in 1980, has dedicated itself to the identification, preservation, and documentation of Armenian woven arts, as well as to the dissemination of the cultural contributions made by Armenian weavers and craftspeople to the rich and vibrant history of textile arts.


The Society, with the help of its members, supporters, academicians, and collectors has been at the forefront of preserving and promoting the precious global heritage treasure that is the Armenian woven arts tradition. The Society has also, by the nature of its very mission, been forced to deal with the callous, crass, and seemingly endless acts of aggression by the Azeris and their allies within the realm of art scholarship and culture.
 
Now, with the help of scholars, textile experts, and organizations, both Armenian and non-Armenian, we can begin to set the record straight and uphold, with dignity, these global cultural traditions that have brought so much joy, meaning, and artistic excellence to not only the Armenian people, but to world culture and history over the span of centuries.
 
 
Please join us in support of the truth and let your voice be heard.
 
 
 
                                                                                               --AKM
                                                                                For the Armenian Rugs Society
                                                                                                4/9/18
                                                                                             Los Angeles
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Hali tour armenia 2016

5/16/2018

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A recent tour to Armenia organized by Hali Magazine in conjunction with The Armenian Rugs Society. 
Carpet and textile enthusiasts and scholars visited Armenian Knot Foundation at Silk Road hotel.
Thank you to Levon Der Bedrossian of ARS Director of the establishment, Tatev Muradyan and all the staff of Silk Road for their warm hospitality.
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ADOPT-A-LOOM​ CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2017​​

4/3/2018

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​Dear sponsors of the Adopt-A-Loom Project,

We are approaching the end of the year and we would like to sum up the Adopt-A-Loom Project achievements for 2017.
​
2017 has been a success and we're happy to share with you the results from the villages of our Homeland.
In addition to the villages of Arakads, Karagert, and Sassounik, we've added six more, thanks to you!

  1. Oshakan, in the Aragatsotn Region - 11 students and 2 teachers.

  2. Hatsik, in the Armavir Region - 10 students and 3 teachers.

  3. Ptghunk, in the Armavir Region - 13 students, 3 teachers, and 2 young girls from the nearby Light House
    Organization.

  4. Meghradzor, in the Kotayk Region - 10 students and 1 teacher.

  5. Voskevaz, in the Aragatsotn Region - 9 students and 2 teachers.

  6. Ujan, in the Aragatsotn Region - It's the last location for this year and we're in the process of setting up - 16 students
    and 4 teachers.

We have a total of 69 eager participants excited to learn the ancient and noble rug weaving craft, thanks to your valuable support and donations to the Armenian Rugs Society in the US and the Folk Arts Hub in Yerevan.

We hope to triple the number of villages in 2018 and include border villages, as well.

We appreciate your support and investment in renewing and preserving the precious art of Armenian carpet weaving and passing it on to the younger generation. You've brought joy, happiness and hope to our participants and their communities.

Be sure that these hand woven treasures are waiting for you, with open hearts, and we'll be happy to take you along to some of the villages next time you visit Armenia--I assure you, it will be memorable!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2018...!

May your life be filled with joy and happiness and may each new day bring you moments to cherish.On this joyous day, and throughout the new year, may your life be filled with an abundance of love.

Merry Christmas and may you live a long and happy life filled with goodwill and friendship.

And, hope see you in Armenia during the upcoming year to enjoy the results of your donations together with us all.



                                                 Warm greetings from all the Regions and Yerevan, 
                                                                       Sincerely,
​
                                                                   Tatev Muradyan
                                                     Director of Folk Arts HUB Foundation and 
                                                                    Silk Road Hotel
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Introduction to Armenian Rugs

3/19/2018

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​Historical Perspective

Armenians are the earliest known weavers of oriental rugs. Ulrich Schurmann, a reknowned expert on oriental rugs, believes that the Pazyryk rug, the world's oldest known rug (5th cent. B.C.), can be attributed to the late Urartians, or early Armenians, based on the rug's structure, design, and motifs [1].

Marco Polo and Herodotus are among the many observers and historians who recognized the beauty of Armenian rugs. They noted the rugs' vivid red color which was derived from a dye made from an insect called "ordan" (Arabic "kirmiz"), found in the Mount Ararat valley. The Armenian city of Artashat was famous for its "ordan" dye and was referred to as "the city of the color red" by the Arab historian Yaqut [1].

It is also theorized that the word "carpet", which Europeans used to refer to oriental rugs, is derived from the Armenian word "kapert", meaning woven cloth. The Crusaders, many of whom passed through Armenia, most likely brought this term back to the West. Also, according to Arabic historical sources, the Middle Eastern word for rug, "khali" or "gali", is an abbreviation of "Kalikala", the Arabic name of the Armenian city Karnoy Kaghak. This city, strategically located on the route to the Black Sea port of Trabizond between Persia and Europe, was famous for its Armenian rugs which were prized by the Arabs.


               "The Armenians and Greeks who lived intermingled among the Turcomans
                    ... weave the choicest and most beautiful carpets in the world " 
 
                                                                                  --Marco Polo



Geographically located at the crossroads of many great empires, including the Persian, Ottoman, and Russian, Armenians lived scattered throughout the Caucasus and the Anatolian Plateau, as well as other parts of the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East. Although under foreign rule for most of their history, Armenians were the leading artists, architects, and merchants within these empires.

The merchants in Armenia, in particular, used this dispersed network of expatriated Armenians to their advantage as they acted as the middle-men for trade between the Mediterranean, Asia, and Europe. By the 14th century this trade network was firmly established between Northern and Southern Europe. Thus, many Armenian rugs made their way to Europe. This is evidenced by the appearance of Armenian rugs in many European paintings, the most notable of them being Hans Holbein's (1425-1524) portrait of George Gyze, a merchant who is depicted as sitting at a table covered with a popular Armenian Kuba rug [2].

The Role of The Armenian Carpet in Society

The invention of the Armenian alphabet in 406 A.D. marked the beginning of the golden age in Armenian literature. The writings, paintings, and illuminated manuscripts produced in this era provide insight to the significance of the role of the carpet in Armenian society and oriental rugs in general. The written histories and heroic tales contain references to the Armenian rug. Armenian miniature paintings of royalty and religious scenes as well as the famous illuminated manuscripts also contain many illustrations of Armenian rugs.
Armenian rugs were status symbols that were placed on the floor or hung on the wall to create an ambiance within the home, palace, or church. Dining on rugs was customary among Armenians and non-Armenians. The numerous kings, emperors, caliphs, sultans, and princes that presided over the Armenians prized these beautiful Armenian rugs and often demanded them as part of a yearly "tax" along with mules, falcons, and salt-fish[1]. Extravagant rugs, woven with gold or silver threads, were placed on the thrones and at the feet of Armenian royalty.
The Armenian Church, which adopted Christianity in 301 A.D., regarded the Armenian rugs as treasures of the church. Although prayer rugs are today associated with Islam, historical references confirm that Armenian prayer rugs were woven by Armenians well before the emergence of Islam in the 7th century. Rugs were also woven to commemorate a special event, such as a royal wedding, or to honor the dead. Rugs were placed on coffins during royal funeral processions and would be buried along with the coffin.

The Caucasian Armenian Rug

Geographically, the Caucasus are located between the Black and Caspian seas, the gateway between Europe and Asia. Inhabitants of the Caucasus are primarily Armenians and Azerbaijani (Azeri) Turks with a smaller number of Georgians and Kurds. Other ethnic groups include the Abkhaz, Circassians, Chechens, Lesghians, Mingrelians, Svans, Laz, and Talish.

Although there is a wealth of historical information available about the Caucasus, the rugs from this region are commonly misrepresented. Many Caucasian rugs are often labeled "Cabistan" or "Kazak". However, these names do not correspond to any known geographical location or groups of people. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of the "Kazak", it can be traced to the area in the south Caucasus, between Tiflis and Erevan. According to official Russian census figures for the late 19th century, it is most likely that Armenians and Azeris who were living side-by-side in this region wove the "Kazak" rugs.

Caucasian rugs can not be classified based on patterns as is common with Persian and Turkish rugs. Because rugs were commonly traded throughout the region, rug patterns were widely dispersed and would inevitably be copied. In order to identify and classify Caucasian rugs their construction must be examined. This includes the variance in the color of the warp, the arrangements of the strands, the dyed color of the weft, the way the ends are finished, the way the sides are bound, and the quality of the wool (i.e. coarseness vs. lustrous).

A typical Armenian rug contains a division of fields, medallions, and motifs that employ geometric shapes. A large proportion of the inscribed Armenian rugs contain cross shapes, human figures, and geometric bird and animal figures not commonly found in non-Armenian rugs. These animal figures and crosses are believed to have religious significance since they are consistent with motifs found in Armenian manuscripts and relief sculptures on Armenian churches and monasteries [1]. Also, the use of red cochineal dye, which has been documented as being produced by Armenians, is common among the inscribed Karabagh rugs [1].

H. M. Raphealian has studied the meanings of symbols in oriental rugs, including Armenian rugs, for over 50 years. Interestingly, he believes that many of the motifs used in Armenian rugs and Armenian art in general, were a result of Armenia's contact with Asia, particularly India and China, as early as the 4th century A.D. [2]. Some of these motifs include figs, Asoka trees, pine cones, turtles, serpents, and birds.

Provincial village women were the primary weavers of rugs, although there are Armenian inscriptions referring to male weavers. All of the rugs were woven with wool, which was locally obtainable. Cotton was only used as weft threads and for edging. According to Arthur T. Gregorian, "Armenian rugs are woven firmly with the nap clipped very low, making the rugs supple and soft. A great preference is shown for delicate shades of soft blue, touches of green, coral, old gold, and tans. All the patterns are outlined in either natural brown or wool dyed to this shade"[3]. The weavers knew that over time this brown color would fade faster than the other colors, thus it was used for outlining motifs. This color was obtained from the use of an iron pyrite in dyeing the wool.

Common Armenian Rugs

Kazak Rugs

As stated above, the term "Kazak" does not correspond to any known tribe of people. The Kazak rugs were woven in the area between Tiflis and Erevan, a region mainly inhabited by Armenians even today [4]. In general, the Kazak rugs contain large scaled patterns, several medallions, and bright contrasting colors.

There are three types of Kazak rugs [4]: 1. Bordjalou - a district south of Tiflis whose rugs are coarsely woven, contain simpler designs such as many latch hooks, and use vibrant colors including madder red, blue, ivory, and natural brown. 2. Rugs from the area south of Bordjalou and north of Erevan - These rugs have a shorter pile, are larger, have fewer wefts between each row of knots, and contain more formal medallion designs. 3. Rugs from Erevan and areas to its southeast including Echmiadzin, Ekhegnadzor, Martuni, and Shamshadeen - These rugs are thinner, double wefted, up to 15 feet long, and contain simpler designs. The more common colors are red and darker shades of blue, with less ivory.

Karabagh Rugs

Karabagh refers to a region, not an ethnic group. The population of Karabagh is mainly comprised of Armenians and Azeris. However, the population in the larger cities of Mountainous Karabagh, including Shushi, Stepanakert, and Agdam were, and still are, mostly Armenian.

The Karabagh village rugs are similar to the Kazaks. They are all wool, have a thick pile, a coarse weave, and are double wefted. The most notable design is known as the Eagle Kazak, or the Sunburst rug. There are several Sunburst rugs containing Armenian inscriptions in existence [1]. Murray Eiland considers these rugs the ancestors of the famous 16th century Dragon rugs, which contain elongated geometric animal and plant forms, because they are most similar in texture, design, details, color and structure [1]. Due to the complexity of the Dragon rugs it is believed that they were woven near an industrial city, most likely Shusa, where fine materials and a variety of color dyes were available [4].

Another Karabagh village rug is referred to as the Cloudband Kazak because its medallions contain multiple "S" shaped forms which resemble Chinese Cloudbands. These carpets are variable in construction and were woven over a wide geographical area. However, there are also several Cloudband Kazak's containing Armenian inscriptions.

Genje Rugs

Genje, also known as Kirovabad or Elizabethpol, is an area also inhabited by Armenians and Azeris. The rugs of Genje are also very similar to the Kazaks and Karabaghs in their knotting, pile, and texture. Some of the distinguishing characteristics include the multiple colors used in binding the sides, an uncolored wool warp, and red or light gray wool weft strands. The designs of the Genje rugs contain smaller repeating geometric patterns, often in a diagonal arrangement (see rug below). They are typically more blue and white and are lighter in color.

Shirvan Rugs

Shirvan is south of the Greater Caucasus and east of Genje. Rugs from this region containing Armenian inscriptions have been collected, although the population is mostly Azeri, with small groups of Armenians and Tartars. These rugs have a shorter pile than the other rugs listed, finer knotting, a white woolen weft, and a warp consisting of brown strands twisted with white. There are many designs, including some with Persian influence, meaning that they are more floral than geometric. The main colors employed are blue and ivory and the rugs are not as bold as Kazaks. Many of the rugs are prayer rugs.

Akstafa rugs, a sub-type of Shirvan rugs, are runners containing medallions and stylized birds (Note birds at the top and bottom of the rug below). As mentioned above, the use of animals is common in Armenian rugs. In addition to conventional Shirvan rugs a few Akstafa rugs containing Armenian inscriptions have been cataloged [1].


Definitions (taken from [1]):


Warp - The warp threads run vertically through the length of a textile. The threads making up the warp are stretched on the loom before weaving begins. When the rug is completed and cut from the loom, the exposed ends of the warps make up the fringe. Warp material may be wool (which is most common in Armenian rugs), cotton, silk, or, rarely, bast fibers.

Weft - The weft threads are inserted perpendicularly to the warps, and the run across the loom. They may be made of any of the same materials as the warps, but they are ordinarily visible only from the back of the rug. The number of wefts that pass from side to side between the rows of knots are referred to as shoots. Armenian rugs may from the Caucasus and Anatolia have 2 or more shoots between the rows of knots, but in parts of Persia, Armenian rugs may have only a single shoot. At times the wefts are dyed.

Pile - The manner in which the yarn is twisted around the warps to form pile is described as the "knotting" process, and we refer to each segment of pile as a "knot". There are 2 common types of knots, the Turkish (or symmetrical) and the Persian (or asymmetrical). All but a few Armenian rugs are symmetrically knotted. The "knot count", or number of tufts of pile in a given unit of area, is one measure of a rug's quality.

Edge Finish - Often the manner in which the edges are overcast (covered with a simple running stitch or selvaged (finished with a woven band) gives us information relative to the rug's origin. The purpose of both overcast and selvage is to reinforce the edges, which are particularly susceptible to wear.

Sources:
​

"Weavers, Merchants, and Kings. The Inscribed Rugs of Armenia", by Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian and Dr. Murray L. Eiland, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 1984.
"Rugs of Armenian, Their History and Art", by H. M. Raphaelian, Anatol Sivas Publishers, New Rochelle, New York, 1960.
"Oriental Rugs and The Stories They Tell" by Arthur T. Gregorian, 1967, Nimrod Press, Boston.
"Oriental Rugs", by Murray L. Eiland, Expanded Edition, New York Graphic Society, Boston, 1976.
"The Color Treasury of Oriental Rugs", by Stefan Milhofer, 1971.
Caucasian Rug Images found at http://earth.oconnell.net/RugNotes/Caucasia.htm

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The Armenian carpet

3/19/2018

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​​The term Armenian carpet designates, but is not limited to, tufted rugs or knotted carpets woven in Armenia or by Armenians from pre-Christian times to the present. It also includes a number of flat woven textiles. The term covers a large variety of types and sub-varieties. Due to their intrinsic fragility, almost nothing survives--neither carpets nor fragments--from antiquity until the late medieval period.
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Traditionally, since ancient times the carpets were used in Armenia to cover floors, decorate interior walls, sofas, chairs, beds, and tables. Up to the present, the carpets often serve as entrance veils, decoration for church altars and vestry. Developed in Armenia as a part of everyday life, carpet weaving was a must in every Armenian family, with carpet making and rug making being almost solely a woman's occupation. 

Armenian carpets are unique "texts" composed of ornaments wherein sacred symbols reflect the beliefs and religious notions of the ancient ancestors of the Armenians from the depth of centuries. Armenian carpet and rug weavers strictly preserved these traditions.

​The imitation and presentation of one and the same ornament-ideograms in an unlimited number of the variations of styles and colors contain the basis for the creation of any new Armenian carpet. In this regard, the characteristic trait of Armenian carpets is the triumph of the variability of ornaments that is increased by a wide gamut of natural colors and tints.
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The Etymology of the word "carpet"

3/19/2018

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​The Armenian words for carpet are "karpet" (Armenian: կարպետ) or "gorg" (Armenian: գորգ). Though both words in Armenian are synonymous, the word "karpet" is mostly used for non-pile rugs and "gorg" is for pile carpets.

Two of the most frequently used terms to designate woven woolen floor coverings emanate directly from the Armenian experience: carpet and kali/khali.

The term "karpet" (Armenian: կապերտ), formed of root "kap" (Armenian: կապ) which means "knot", later to become "karpet" (Armenian: կարպետ) in colloquial Armenian, is used in the 5th-century Armenian translation of the Bible (Matthew 9:16 and Mark 2:21).[10] 

It is assumed that the word "сarpet" entered into French (French: carpette) and English (English: carpet) in the 13th century (through Medieval Latin carpita, meaning "thick woolen cloth") as a consequence of the trade in rugs through the port cities of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, a Florentine merchant stationed in Cyprus, reported in his La pratica della mercatura that from 1274 to 1330, carpets (kaperts) were imported from the Armenian cities of Ayas and Sis to Florence.

The Armenian word "gorg" (Armenian: գորգ) is first mentioned in written sources in the 13th century. This word ("gorg") is in the inscription that was cut out in the stone wall of the Kaptavan Church in Artsakh (Karabagh) and is dated 1242-1243 AD. Grigor Kapantsyan, professor of Armenian Studies, has posited that the Armenian "gorg" (Armenian: գորգ) is a derivative of Hittite-Armenian vocabulary, where it existed in the forms of "koork" and "koorkas." Edgar H. Sturtevant, an expert in Hittite studies, explains the etymology of word "koork"/"koorkas" as "horse cloth."
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As for the Persian "qali", which entered into Turkish as "qali" or as "khali" in Anatolia Ottoman Turkish and Armenian, it derives from the city of Theodosiopolis-Karin-Erzerum, known to the Arabs as Qali-qala from the Armenian "Karnoy k‘aghak", the "City of Karin." The name "Erzerum" itself, as is well known, is of Armenian origin from the usage Artzen ar-Rum. This latter term came into being after the destruction of the important Armenian commercial center of Artzen, 15 kilometers east of Theodosiopolos-Karin, by the Seljuks, in 1041, after which the inhabitants fled to Karin, then in Rum, in Byzantine territory, renaming it Artzen in Rum or Arzerum/Erzerum/Erzurum.

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History of Armenian Rug Weaving Culture

3/19/2018

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The art of Armenian carpet and rug weaving has its roots in ancient times. However, due to the fragile nature of carpets very few examples have survived. Only one specimen has been discovered from the ancient (pre-Christian) period and relatively few specimens are in existence from the early medieval period which can be found in private collections, as well as various museums throughout the world.

"The complex history of Armenian weaving and needlework was acted out in the Near East, a vast, ancient, and ethnically diverse region. Few are the people who, like the Armenians, can boast of a continuous and consistent record of fine textile production from the 1st millennium BC to the present. Armenians today are blessed by the diversity and richness of a textile heritage passed on by thirty centuries of diligent practice; yet they are burdened by the pressure to keep alive a tradition nearly destroyed in the Armenian Genocideof 1915, and subverted by a technology that condemns handmade fabrics to museums and lets machines produce perfect, but lifeless cloth."

The Pazyryk Rug

Various rug fragments have been excavated in Armenia dating back to the 7th century BC or earlier. Complete rugs, or nearly complete rugs of this period have not yet been found. The oldest, single, surviving knotted carpet in existence is the Pazyryk carpet, excavated from a frozen tomb in Siberia, dated from the 5th to the 3rd century BC, now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Although claimed by many cultures, this square tufted carpet, almost perfectly intact, is considered by many experts to be of Caucasian, specifically Armenian, origin. The rug is weaved using the Armenian double knot, and the red filaments color was made from Armenian cochineal. The eminent authority of ancient carpets, Ulrich Schurmann, says of it, "From all the evidence available, I am convinced that the Pazyryk rug was a funeral accessory and most likely a masterpiece of Armenian workmanship." Gantzhorn concurs with this thesis. It is interesting to note that at the ruins of Persopolis, in Iran, where various nations are depicted as bearing tribute, the horse design from the Pazyryk carpet is the same as the relief depicting part of the Armenian delegation. The historian Herodotus writing in the 5th century BC also informs us that the inhabitants of the Caucasus wove beautiful rugs with brilliant colors which would never fade.

The Christian Period

Apart from the Pazyryk carpet, after Armenia declared itself as the first Christian state in 301 AD, carpet making took on a decidedly Christian art form and identity. This art form existed continuously unaltered until the Armenian Genocide. By the Middle Ages, Armenia was a major exporter of carpets to as far away places as China. In many Medieval Chinese artworks for example, carpets were depicted in which the designs were typically that of Armenian carpets with some even depicting clear Christian crosses. The art of the Armenian carpet during this period evolved alongside Armenian church architecture, Armenian cross-stones and illuminated manuscript art, with typical rug motifs using the same elements of these designs. The cruciform with its variations would eventually come to dominate Armenian carpet designs.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Orphan Rug also known as the Ghazir Rug

The period of the Armenian Genocide from 1894-1923 saw a demographic change in the hitherto Armenian tradition of rug and carpet making in Anatolia (Western Armenia, as well as Turkey). Even though carpets from this region had established the commercial name of "Turkish Carpet," there is evidence to suggest that the majority of weavers in the Ottoman Empire were Armenians. However, after 1923, carpet making in the newly established Turkish republic was erroneously declared a "historically Turkish craft," as is claimed, for example, by the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum where many Armenian carpets are depicted as "Turkish or Islamic art."

During the Genocide, in addition to the catastrophic loss of many expert carpet weavers, thousands of Armenian children were also orphaned and the Near East Relief saved many of these children, some of whom ended up in the northern part of Beirut, where a rug factory would be established under the guidance of Dr. Jacob Kuenzler, a Swiss missionary. This factory was established for the purpose of teaching young orphans (mainly girls) rug weaving, so that they may go on making a living later on in their adult lives. Thus for a brief period "orphan-rugs" were created in this factory, the most famous of which was gifted to the White House in 1925, as a gesture of gratitude and good will towards the American people by the orphans. Known as the Armenian Orphan Rug, the rug depicts a Biblical Garden of Eden featuring various animals and symbols and measuring 12 feet by 18 feet with 4 million knots. This rug is said to have been made by 400 orphans over a period of 18 months from 1924-1925.

The Soviet Period

After a short-lived republic, Armenia fell to Soviet rule in 1920 and within a short period, carpet making in the Caucasus, as well as Central Asia, would take a new turn. The Soviet Union commercialized the trade and sponsored much of the production. Thus, carpet making went from a mostly home craft to a mostly commercial craft. However, in rural areas, the carpet making tradition in some families continued. Although commercial carpet makers were mostly free to practice their art, religious themes were discouraged. During this period the designs on Armenian rugs also changed somewhat, although the overall character remained. Many "Soviet carpets" were also produced depicting Communist leaders.

The Modern Era​

With the fall of the Soviet Union, carpet making in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh continued. Private companies, as well as home workshops, were again revived. Among some weavers, the traditional method of using rug motifs from Armenian churches, manuscript art and cross-stones was also revived. After the Nagorno-Karabakh War, some carpet making workshops were formed to help the many displaced Armenians find employment. Today the traditional art of Armenian carpet making is kept alive by weavers in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh using all the methods, techniques, and designs from ancient times. This is remarkable considering the history of Armenia.


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