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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