FAMOUS RUGS
The interest in the very old weavings is not as manifest in the American cities as in many of the European cities, such for instance as Vienna, London, Paris, and Berlin. This is due to several reasons. In the first place, Europe began the importation of Oriental textiles many years before the United States did. In the second place, most of the choice pieces in the United States belong to private individuals instead of to museums, consequently they are seldom, if ever, seen by the public. In the third place, many of the European cities, especially London and Vienna, have given a number of public exhibitions of old rugs, while the recent exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts in New York City was the first one ever held in the United States. At this exhibit there were forty-seven pieces of the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, pieces that would compare favorably with those of any country, all owned by private collectors in the Eastern States.
Great credit is due Dr. Wm. R. Valentiner and his assistants for the promotion and successful management of this exhibition. Let us hope that it is but the beginning of a series of such exhibits which will stimulate a more formal interest and desire to know more about these wonderful products of the Eastern loom.
The age of old rugs can be at least as accurately determined as the age of old paintings and in many cases even more so. According to Dr. Valentiner the so-called Polanaise and Ispahan rugs belong to the 17th century and the Persian animal or hunting rugs belong to the 16th century, while the so-called dragon rugs belong to the 15th century. Many of the rugs from Armenia and the eastern part of Asia Minor date back as far as the 13th and 14th centuries.
Every old rug has its individual character manifest by its designs, colors, weave, and material, all of which are peculiar to the time when it was made or the locality in which it was made, so that it can be located and dated with greater accuracy than would be supposed.
Many early rugs were used for decorative purposes in the pictures of the early Italian and Flemish painters.
BERLIN DRAGON AND PHŒNIX RUG
(See page [334])
According to recognized authorities the so-called Polish carpets were not woven in Poland at all, but were products of Persia, and the so-called Ispahan rugs were not made at Ispahan or even in Persia, but came from the city of Herat in Western Afghanistan. Of the former several hundred are still in existence, the best of which are in the European courts and museums, about forty being in the United States, while nearly every collection contains one or more of the Herats.
The Ardebil Carpet.—Without a doubt the most famous Oriental carpet now known is the mosque carpet of Ardebil owned by the South Kensington Museum in London.
It is a Persian masterpiece and was made in 1536 by one Maksoud for the Ardebil Mosque. In size it is thirty-four and one-half by seventeen and one-half feet and contains in the neighborhood of 32,000,000 knots, about 530 to the square inch, and was purchased by the South Kensington Museum for $12,500, although, if put up at auction to-day, it would doubtless bring many times that sum. The ground is of a rich blue and is covered with the most intricate of old Persian floral designs. It has a central medallion in pale yellow with corners to match. There are three border stripes, one wide one with a narrow one on either side of it. The ground of the outer stripe is of a tawny yellow with small floral designs; the ground of the inner stripe is cream colored and that of the main stripe is of a rich brown with round and elongated panels alternating and surrounded by a profusion of floral lines. Within these panels are to be found in Arabic the following inscription: "I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold; My head has no protection other than this porch way; The work of the slave of the Holy place, Maksoud of Kashan." In the year 942 (which corresponds to A.D. 1536.)[B]
The Dragon and Phœnix Rug of the Kaiser Frederich Museum, Berlin, is a Central Asia Minor weave of the 14th century and is probably the oldest existing rug that has been identified with the representation of a similar fabric in a painting. It was purchased for the Berlin museum by Dr. Bode, from a church in Central Italy on account of its resemblance to a rug in the fresco painting representing the "Marriage of the Foundlings," one of the series painted by Domenico di Bartolo in Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala in Senna about 1440.
In design it represents a dragon and a phœnix in deadly combat.
EAST INDIAN HUNTING RUG
IN THE BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
BY COURTESY OF MR. SIDNEY N. DEANE
(See page [335])
The Austrian Royal Hunting Carpet.—Next in prominence to the Ardebil Carpet comes the Royal Hunting Carpet of the Austrian Imperial and Royal Court, which is said to have been presented by Peter the Great. It is a Persian rug of great antiquity and shows Chinese influence in the design, which includes elaborately woven horsemen in pursuit of deer and other animals and winged gods in contest with lions and buffaloes.
The Indian Hunting Rug of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts is perhaps the most noted of the forty-seven pieces which were in the recent Metropolitan exhibit. It was made in India about 1640, is eight feet three inches long by five feet three inches wide and contains about three hundred and sixty knots to the square inch. Its predominating color is red. In the upper left-hand corner are a couple of buildings in which are seated in Oriental style several individuals. Below these buildings are several deer, a chained leopard in a cart drawn by a bullock, hunters, a winged elephant, tigers, and goats, all of which are interspersed with floral and tree forms. There are three border stripes, the centre one of which is the wider and carries leaf-shaped panels containing faces. Each one of these panels is separated by a bird and small floral forms upon a cream-colored ground. The two narrow stripes carry designs in light and dark blue, pink and red. This rug was purchased at $35,000 by the late Governor Ames of Massachusetts and presented to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
The Altman Prayer Rug, owned by Mr. Benjamin Altman of New York City, was made in North Persia about 1580. It is similar to one which was in the Yerkes sale and to another one which was shown at the recent Munich exhibition of Mohammedan art. It has beautiful floral designs with arabesques and Chinese motifs in deep shades of red, blue, and yellow, many of the designs being worked with light yellow or silver thread in the ghileem style. The Mihrab is the Persian style, from which hangs a mosque lamp which is covered with red, yellow, and pink flowers on a green ground. The lower part of the field is covered with various floral and tree forms in yellow with pink blossoms. There are two border stripes. The inner one has a yellow ground, the lower part of which is covered with arabesques and the upper part with Arabic inscriptions in blue which read "May the Blessing of God rest upon them all. There is no God but Allah (the true God); Mohammed is the prophet of God. Ali is the saint of God. God the exalted one says: Verily God and His angel shower their blessings upon the prophet. Oh ye faithful send your blessings with Him, as well as offer your salutations unto Him." The outer border has a blue ground upon which are rounded octagons and oblong panels in gray, the latter containing inscriptions from the Koran in black. Size five feet five inches by three feet three inches.
THE ALTMAN PRAYER RUG
BY COURTESY OF MR. BENJAMIN ALTMAN
The Metropolitan Animal Rug (see illustration at p. [26]), from the Ardebil Mosque, was made in Northern Persia about 1530. It was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Yerkes collection. On a claret colored ground are the repeated figures of a lion, a jackal, and a spotted deer in deadly combat. There are also running boars amid a profusion of flowers. There are three border stripes, a wide one with a narrow one on either side. The former is filled with arabesques and cloud bands in blue and pink on a ground of dark blue. The inner stripe carries a green design on a yellow ground and the outer stripes carry a floral design on a red ground. In size it is ten feet eleven inches long by five feet ten inches wide and has in the neighborhood of four hundred knots to the square inch.
The Baker Hunting Rug (see illustration at page [338]), owned by Mr. George F. Baker of New York City, is also one of the four famous mosque rugs of Ardebil. It was woven about the middle of the 16th century; it is about fourteen by six feet and contains upwards of five hundred knots to the square inch. It is a harmonious blending of red, blue, green, pink, brown, old rose, cream, white, and silver, the predominating color of the field being a dark red. It has three central medallions, one large one and a smaller one just above and below it, with a quarter segment of a cusped circle in each corner of the field to match. Intermediate spaces are filled with flowering branches, fish and animals, the latter being worked with silver thread in the ghileem stitch. There is one wide border stripe with a narrow one on either side. The former has a back of cream and carries alternately round and oblong medallions which contain verses from the Koran in silver.
THE BAKER HUNTING RUG
BY COURTESY OF MR. GEORGE F. BAKER
(See page [337])
GLOSSARY[C]
Quick Links to Glossary
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Abrashes. The name applied to an irregularity in weaving in which the color of the groundwork in a rug is suddenly changed, giving it the appearance of having changed weavers' hands at that part. This is a Kurdish characteristic.
Afghan (Ăf-găn), see [Khiva].
Afghanistan (Ăf-găn' ĭs-tăn). Bounded on the north by Turkestan, on the south by Beluchistan, on the west by Persia, and on the east by India. It covers about 215,444 square miles and has a population of nearly five millions. It is generally mountainous and the climate is severe, being hot and dry in the summer and cold and stormy in the winter. The government is an hereditary absolute monarchy of an Oriental despotic type.
Aine. A Persian word meaning an oasis or fountain. It is sometimes used by retailers, but is not a specific trade name.
Ak Hissar (Ä-khis-sär'), Akhissar, Aksar, Axar. A city of Western Anatolia, near Smyrna, with a population of 12,000. The meaning of the name is "White Fortress." For description of the so-called Akhissar rug, see [Turkish classification].
Aksar, see [Ak Hissar].
Anatolia (Ăn-ä-tō' liä). Another name for Asia Minor.
Angora (Ăn-gō' rä). Name of a province and a city, the latter being the capital of the former with a population of 28,000. The province is noted for the so-called Angora goats.
Ardebil (Är-dĕ-bēl'). Name of a Persian town on the west shore of the Caspian Sea in the Azerbijan province. It is from here that the celebrated Ardebil carpet, which is now in the South Kensington Museum, came.
Ardelan (Är-de-lān'). A province in Western Persia in the Kurdish district. It furnishes the highest grade of rugs.
Armenia (Är-mē'nĭ-ä) is situated partly in Transcaucasia, partly in Persia, and partly in Turkey in Asia. On the west it is bounded by the Black Sea, Asia Minor, and the Taurus Mountains; on the south by Mesopotamia, and on the east by Persia, while on the north it extends almost to the Caucasian Mountains. It is a mountainous country and gives rise to nearly all of the great rivers of Western Asia. It is a country of special interest to the world inasmuch as it is supposed to have been "the cradle of the human race," the Garden of Eden, in all probability, having been located among its mountains near the head of the river Euphrates, and it also contains the celebrated Mount Masis, better known as Ararat, upon which the Ark of Noah rested when the waters of the great flood subsided. It has an area of more than 70,000 square miles, but the population is less than two and one-half millions.
Asia Minor. That part of Turkey in Asia bounded on the east by Kurdistan and Persia, on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, on the north by the Black Sea, and on the south by Arabia, the Mediterranean and Red Seas. It is sometimes known as Anatolia.
Askabad (Äs-kä-bäd'). A town in Persia peopled by wandering Turkoman tribes who make numerous rugs of the usual Persian variety. A name sometimes used by retailers, but it has no commercial meaning. The Tekke rugs are usually marketed at Askabad.
Axar, see [Ak Hissar].
Azerbijan (Äz-er-bī-jän'), Azerbiajan, Aserbaijan. An agricultural province in Northwestern Persia, bordering on Lake Urumiah, of which Tabriz is the principal city. It covers 40,000 square miles and has a population of 1,000,000. Many fine rugs come from this province.
Bagdad (Băg'dăd). The name implies "Abode of Peace." The name of a province and a city of Mesopotamia on the Tigris. The province covers 54,503 square miles and has a population of 850,000. The city has a population of 145,000 and is a market for the products of Western Persia.
Bakhshis, Bakshaish. A small village east of Tabriz in the Herez district. A great rug centre for the so-called Herez rugs. See [Persian classification].
Bakshaish, see [Bakhshis].
Baku (Bä-kö'). The name signifies "Place of the Winds." A province and a city. The former covers an area of 15,095 square miles and has a population of 790,000. The latter is a port on the Caspian Sea in the heart of the Russian petroleum district with a population of 112,000. Many Caucasian rugs are marketed here. For description of the so-called Baku rugs, see [Caucasian classification].
Beluchistan (Be-lōō' chĭs-tăn), Baluchistan, Beloochistan, Belloch. A mountainous and desert country bounded by Persia on the west, Afghanistan on the north, India on the east, and the Arabian Sea on the south. It has an area of about 130,000 square miles and has a population of about 800,000. For description of the Beluchistan rug, see page [296].
Bergama (Bēr'gä-mä), Bergamo, Berghama, Pergamo. A city in Anatolia, forty miles north of Smyrna. Pergamo was the ancient name. For description of the so-called Bergama rug, see [Turkish classification].
Bijar (Be-zhär'). A town in Western Persia in the province of Kurdistan. The Bijar rug is sometimes known as the Sarakhs or Lule.
Birjand. The so-called Birjand rugs are woven in the village of Daraksh, about fifty miles northeast of Birjand.
Bokhara (Bō-khä' rä). Meaning "Treasury of Science." A city of Russian Turkestan. It is the capital of the khanate by the same name. This province has an area of 142,000 square miles with a population of less than half. For description of Bokhara rugs, see [Turkoman classification].
Brousa (Brö' sä), Brusa. A city in the northern part of Anatolia near the sea of Marmora. It is the capital of the province by the same name and has a population of 76,000.
Cabistan, see [Kabistan].
Cæsarea, see [Kaisariyeh].
Carabagh, see [Karabagh].
Carian, see [Meles].
Cashmere, see [Shemakha].
Catechu (Kăt' ē-chū). A dry, brown, astringent extract, obtained by decoction and evaporation from the acacia catechu. From it a brown dye is frequently obtained.
Caucasus (Kä-kā' sŭs). An isthmus joining Europe and Asia. It is bounded on the west by the Black Sea, and on the east by the Caspian Sea. The Caucasian Mountains extend through it from its northwestern to its southeastern extremity, dividing it into two parts, Caucasia proper to the north and Transcaucasia to the south. It has an area of over 180,000 square miles and the population is over nine million.
Chichi, see [Tchetchen].
Circassian (Ser-kash-an), see [Tcherkess].
Cyrus. Founder of the ancient Persian monarchy.
Daghestan (Dä' gĕs-tăn). A district in Russian Caucasia on the Caspian Sea, north of Baku. It covers 11,352 square miles and has a population of 587,000. For description of the so-called Daghestan rug, see [Caucasian classification].
Demirdji (Dā-mēr' jĭ). Means "ironsmith" or "blacksmith." A city of Anatolia.
Derbend (Dĕr-bĕnt'), Derbent, meaning "a fortified gate." A city in the province of Daghestan on the Caspian Sea. The inhabitants are mostly Tartar. For description of Derbend rugs, see [Caucasian classification].
Djidjum, see [Ghileem].
Djijum, see [Ghileem].
Djoshaghan, see [Joshaghan].
Elizabethpol. Name of a province and a fortified city, the latter of which was formerly known as [Ganga].
Enile, Inely. One of the better type of rugs woven at [Oushak].
Fars (Färs), see [Farsistan].
Farsistan or Fars (Fär-sĭs-tăn'). A province in Northwestern Persia with a population of 1,700,000, composed mostly of the wandering Arabs and Kashkais, who make high-class rugs of the softest and best dyed wool. Shiraz is the leading town.
Feraidan. A Persian district ruled by Ispahan. The rugs made there are woven in imitation of the Feraghan quality.
Feraghan (Fēr' ä-hän). A district in Persia near Sultanabad. For description of the so-called Feraghan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Ganga. A Caucasian city ninety miles southeast of Tiflis. Now known as [Elizabethpol].
Garous. A district in Persia producing a good quality of rugs.
Genghis (Jĕn' gĭs), Guenja, Ganga, Guenje, Guendjie. The name of a tribe of Nomads living in the vicinity of [Elizabethpol].
Ghileem, Khilim, Killim, Kilim (Kēē'-lŭm). Names given to a napless rug which is woven in nearly all of the Oriental rug-weaving countries. A full description may be found in the chapter on Ghileems, page [311].
Guenja, see [Genghis].
Gulestan. Meaning "The Rose Garden," name applied to one of the better type of rugs woven at [Oushak].
Hamadan (Hä-mä-dän'), Hamadie, Hamidieh. A city in Northwestern Persia, southwest of Sultanabad, with a population of 35,000. It is the ancient Ekbatana where Esther and Mordecai were buried. For description of Hamadan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Hamideh, see [Hamadan].
Hardjli, or Princess Bokhara. The name given to a rug made by the Tekke Turkomans. It usually consists of a design of a cross inclosed in a square.
Herat (Hĕr-ät') is the capital of Afghanistan, on the Persian border, and its principal trade is with Meshed. For description of Herat rugs, see [Persian classification].
Herez (Hė' rēēs), Heriz, Heres. A mountainous district in Northwestern Persia. For description of Herez rugs, see [Persian classification].
Inely, see [Enile].
Irak Ajemi (E-räk' äj' ě-mē). The largest province in Persia. It is situated in the central part of the country, its largest city being Teheran, the Persian capital.
Iran (E' răn). The Persian name for Persia. A name commonly and wrongfully given to rugs, excepting in referring to Persian rugs in general.
Ispahan (Ǐs' pä-hän), meaning "Place of Horses." A city of 80,000 inhabitants in the commercial heart of Persia. At one time it was its capital. For description of Ispahan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Jejium, see [Ghileem].
Jelium, see [Ghileem].
Jhelum, see [Ghileem].
Jooshaghan, see [Joshaghan].
Joshaghan, Jooshaghan. A district in Persia, south of Feraghan. For description of Joshaghan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Kaba-Karaman, see [Karaman].
Kabistan (Kăb' ĭs-tăn), Cabistan. The name given to rugs woven near Kuba on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Kaisariyeh, Kaisarieh, Kaiseriyeh. The Cæsarea of the Bible. An Anatolian city of 72,000 population, about one hundred and sixty miles southeast of Angora. An important rug market.
Karaman (Kă-rä-män'). A town in Turkey, southeast of Konieh. The name Kaba-Karaman is frequently applied to a class of rugs from this town. The meaning of the prefix Kaba is "coarse." For description of Karaman rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Karabagh (Kă-rä-bä'), Carabagh, Shemakinski, "Country of the Sun." A province in the southern part of Transcaucasia, just north of Tabriz. For description of Karabagh rugs, see [Caucasian classification].
Kara Dagh (Kă-rä-dä). Meaning "Black Mountains," mountains in Persia, north of Tabriz.
Karajah Dagh (Kă-rä-jä' dä). One of the principal rug-making districts of Turkey in Asia.
Kashan (Kă'chăn). City of Persia with 30,000 inhabitants. Located half way between Teheran and Ispahan. For description of Kashan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Kashmir, see [Shemakha].
Kazak (Kä-zăk'), Kazack. A corruption of the word Cossack. Kazak rugs are made by the Russian Cossack tribes in Transcaucasia near Mt. Ararat. For description of these rugs, see [Caucasian classification].
Kerman, see [Kirman].
Karmanshah (Kěr-män-shä'), Kirmanshah. A city of mud houses in the Ardelan district of Western Persia. It has a population of some 40,000 and is a centre of commerce, but no rugs are woven there. The so-called Kermanshah rugs come from Tabriz. For description of these rugs, see [Persian classification].
Kermes. An insect found upon oak trees about the Mediterranean from which a rich, fast carmine dye is obtained.
Ker Shehr, see [Kir Shehr].
Khilim, see [Ghileem].
Khiva (Kē'vä). A principality or khanate in Turkestan. It covers 23,166 square miles and has a population of 800,000. Khiva Bokhara is the proper name for the so-called Afghan rugs, as these rugs are woven mostly by the Nomadic tribe of Khiva. For a description of these rugs, see [Turkestan classification].
Khorasan (Kō' rä-sän). A large province in the northern corner of Persia, of which Meshed is the capital. For description of Khorasan rugs, see [Persian classification].
Kilim, see [Ghileem].
Killim, see [Ghileem].
Kirman (Kǐr' män). Name of a city and a province in Southeastern Persia. The latter has an area of over 63,000 square miles, has 600,000 population, and is largely a desert. For a description of the so-called Kirman rugs, see [Persian classification].
Kirmanshah, see Kermanshah.
Kir Shehr (Kǐr Shěhr'), Ker Shehr, Keer Shehr, Keer Sherir. A Turkish town in the province of Angora, just over the Konieh border. For description of the so-called Kir Shehr rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Kis, meaning "A girl." Kis Ghileem is the name applied to dowry rugs woven by young girls.
Kiz, see [Kis].
Koniah, see [Konieh].
Konieh (Kō' ně-ä). The ancient Iconium. A city of Anatolia with a population of 44,000. Capital of province by the same name which covers 39,681 square miles and has a population of 1,088,000. For description of the so-called Konieh rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Koulah, see [Kulah].
Koultuk, see [Zangen].
Kuba (Kōō' bä). Name of a village and a district in Transcaucasia under the Baku government. Kabistan rugs are woven here.
Kulah (Kōō' lä), Koulah. A city in Turkey, west of Oushak. For description of the so-called Kulah rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Kurd (Kōōrd). An inhabitant of Kurdistan.
Kurdistan (Kōōr' dǐs-tän). A region occupying the eastern part of Turkey in Asia, and the western part of Persia. It has an area of about 74,000 square miles and a population of 3,000,000.
Kurk. A very soft wool obtained by combing the sheep in winter.
Kutayah, Kutaria, Kutaya, Kutchia (Ko-ti-ya). A city of Anatolia in the Province of Brousa, about sixty miles north of Oushak, with a population of 22,000.
Ladik (Lä-däk), Ladic, Laodicea, Latakia. Name of a rug made in the ancient village of Laodicea in Anatolia, northeast of Konieh. See [Turkish classification].
Laodicea (Lā-od-i-cē' ä), Latakia. An ancient village of Anatolia, northeast of Konieh, with a population of 22,000. The so-called Ladik rug comes from here.
Laristan (Lär-ǐs-tän'), see [Niris]. A mountainous province in Western Persia.
Lule (Lū' lā). A corruption of the Persian word "roulez," meaning "jewel." A term frequently applied to Bijar rugs.
Luristan, see [Laristan].
Madder. A dye made from the root of the "rubia tinctorum." From it are made a multitude of reds.
Mahal (Mä' häl). A name given to a class of rugs from Sultanabad. See [Persian classification].
Maksoud. The name of the weaver of the celebrated Ardebil carpet, which is in the South Kensington Museum.
Mecca, or Mekka (Měk' kä), "The Heart of Islam." The holy city of the Mohammedans containing the Caaba, visited annually by multitudes of pilgrims. It has a population of 60,000. The name is frequently applied by retailers to Shiraz rugs.
Melace, see [Meles].
Meles (Mē' lăs). The name given to rugs produced in the Smyrna district. A corruption of the word Milassa, a small town about one hundred miles south of Smyrna. See [Turkish classification].
Meshed (Mesh-hed'), Meshad. Capital of the province of Khorasan in Northeastern Persia with a population of 70,000. For description of the so-called Meshed rugs, see [Persian classification].
Mesopotamia. Consists of that triangular portion of the southeastern part of Turkey in Asia which lies between the Tigris and the Euphrates. It has an area of 131,000 square miles and a population of only six million.
Milassa. A town in Anatolia on the coast, about one hundred miles south of Smyrna.
Mir (Mǐr). A village in the district of Sarawan, where it is said that the Mir or Mir Saraband design originated.
Miskabad, see [Mushkabad].
Mosul, Mossoul, Mousoul. A city of Mesopotamia on the Tigris. Kurdish tribes market their rugs here. For a description of the so-called Mosul rug, see [Turkish classification].
Mushkabad (Mus-ka-bad), Miskabad. A name given to a class of Sultanabad products. See [Persian classification].
Niris, Laristan, Luristan. Name applied to rugs made by the hillmen in the uplands around the salt lake of Niris in Laristan. See [Persian classification].
Ouchak, see [Oushak].
Oushak (Oō'shäk), Oocuak, Ushak. A city of Anatolia, in the province of Aidin, about one hundred miles east of Smyrna.
It has a population of 100,000 and is one of the greatest rug centres in Anatolia. For description of the so-called Oushak rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Para (Pā-rä'). Piece of Turkish money equivalent to about one mill of American money.
Pergamon (Pĕr' gä-mon), Pergamos. The name of the ancient Greek Kingdom in the northeastern part of Asia Minor, which is now known as Bergama.
Persia. A kingdom of Southwestern Asia occupying the western half of the Iranian plateau, which rises to the height of from six to eight thousand feet between the valleys of the Indus and the Tigris. It has an area of more than a million square miles and a population of over eight million inhabitants. The capital is Teheran.
Piaster (Pǐ-ăs' tẽr). A piece of Turkish money equal to less than four cents of our money.
Princess Bokhara, see [Hardjli].
Roulez. Persian word meaning "jewel." See [Lule].
Samarkand (Săm' är-känd), Samarcand, "The Head of Islam." Name of province and city in Russian Turkestan. The former with an area of 26,627 square miles, and a population of 858,000; the latter is a very interesting city with a population of 55,000. For description of the so-called Samarkand rugs, see [Turkestan classification].
Saraband (Săr' ä-bănd), Serebend, Selville. Names given to a class of rugs woven at Sarawan, a district in Persia just south of Feraghan. See [Persian classification].
Sarak, see [Sarakhs].
Sarakhs (Sä-räks'). A frontier town of 10,000 inhabitants in the northeastern corner of Persia on the Tijend River. See [Bijar].
Sarawan (Să' rä-wän). A district of Persia just south of Feraghan. See [Saraband].
Sarouk, see [Saruk].
Saruk (Sä-rōōk'), Sarouk. A village in the district of Feraghan, not far from Sultanabad. See [Persian classification].
Savalan (Să' vä-län). The name of a mountain in Azerbijan province. A name often given in the American market to products of Sultanabad. For description of the so-called Savalan rugs, see Sultanabad, under the [Persian classification].
Sedjedes, means a small rug.
Sehna, see [Senna].
Selville, see [Saraband].
Senna (Sěn' nä), Sehna, Sinneh, Sinn. A city in Western Persia just north of Hamadan. Here rugs are made which are quite different from those made anywhere else in the Orient. See [Persian classification].
Serab, see [Sirab].
Serapi (Sě-răp' ě), Serab, Sirab. Name applied to some of the Herez rugs. See [Persian classification].
Seraband, see [Saraband].
Shah Abbas (Sha-Abbas). A popular Persian ruler of the 16th century. His name has been given to a favorite design which originated during his reign.
Sharokh, see [Bijar].
Shemakha (Shē' mä-kä), Shemka, Shemaka, Cashmere, Kashmir, Soumak. All names given to a class of pileless rugs which are woven by the Nomadic tribes of Shirvan, near the town of Shemakha, a manufacturing town of the Baku district, Transcaucasia, with a population of 20,000. See [Caucasian classification].
Sheraz, see [Shiraz].
Shiraz (Shē-răz'). A manufacturing and commercial town in the Fars district with a population of 32,000. It was the former capital of Persia. Shiraz rugs are sometimes erroneously called Mecca rugs. See [Persian classification].
Shirvan (Shǐr' văn). The name of a city and a khanate in Russian Caucasia, just west of the Caspian Sea and along the southern slope of the Caucasian Mountains. Shirvan rugs are woven here. See [Caucasian classification].
Sinna, see [Senna].
Sibab (Sǐ-räb'), Serab. A village in the Herez district in Northern Persia. Serapi, a name applied to some of the Herez products, is a corruption of the name Sirab.
Sivas (Sē-väs'), The name of a city and a province in Northern Asia Minor, south of the Black Sea; the former with a population of 43,000 and the latter with a population of 1,087,000 and an area of 24,240 square miles.
Smyrna (Směr' nä). Province and city of Eastern Anatolia. The former has an area of 20,844 square miles and a population of 1,397,000. The city has a population of 201,000 and is an important rug market, but not a centre of weaving. For description of so-called Smyrna rugs, see [Turkish classification].
Soumak, see [Shemakha].
Souj Bulak (Souge Bū' läk). The name of an old Kurdish capital on the border south of Tabriz. For a description of the so-called Souj Bulak rug, see [Persian classification].
Sultanabad (Sǔl-tān' ä-bäd). A city in Persia about one hundred and sixty miles east of Kermanshah. It has a population of 25,000 and is the centre of rug weaving under European control. Rugs from this district are known as Sultanabad, Savalan, Muskabad, and Mahal. See [Persian classification].
Tabriz (Tă-brěěz'), Tabreez, "Pinnacle of Islam." A commercial city of the province of Azerbijan in the northwest corner of Persia. It is an important centre of rug weaving, and has a population of 180,000. For a description of the so-called Tabriz rug, see [Persian classification].
Talim. A drawn or painted copy used by weavers indicating the pattern which they are to weave.
Tchechen, see [Tchetchen].
Tcherkess, or Circassia. A province in Northwestern Caucasia on the Black Sea, once peopled by a tribe which has become almost extinct.
Tchetchen, Tchechen, Tzitzi, Chichi. A tribe of wandering shepherds who inhabit the mountains north of Daghestan. They make a good quality of rugs. See [Caucasian classification].
Teheran (Tē' hē-rän), "The Pure." The present capital of Persia, with a population of 160,000 in summer and 250,000 in winter.
Tekke Bokhara (Tē' kä Bō-khä' rä). The name of a rug woven by the Tekke Turkoman tribes who inhabit the country along the Transcaspian Railroad from Askabad to Merv. See [Turkestan classification].
Tiflis. The capital of Transcaucasia, next to Constantinople, is the greatest rug market in the world, especially for the Caucasian products. It has a population of 161,000, mostly Armenians, Georgians, and Russians. It is said that more than seventy languages are spoken here.
Tjoshaghan, see [Joshaghan].
Toman (Tō' mān). A piece of Turkish money equivalent to about $0.91 of our money.
Transcaucasia. That part of Russian Caucasia south of the Caucasian Mountains.
Turkestan is an immense territory lying east of the Caspian. It is bounded on the south by Persia, Afghanistan, and China, on the east by China, and on the north by Asiatic Russia. It is divided into Russian Turkestan on the north with an area of 257,134 square miles and a population of nearly four millions; Eastern or Chinese Turkestan with an area of 550,579 and a population of 1,200,000; and Turkestan proper on the south, which also belongs to Russia. The rug centres are Samarkand of the northern district, Kashgar, Yarkand, and Khotan of the eastern district, and Bokhara and Khiva of the southern district.
Turkey in Asia. Comprises Anatolia, Syria, the coast of Arabia bordering on the Red Sea, Armenia, and Mesopotamia. A medley of races and religions.
Turkoman (Tǔrk' ō-măn). Rugs from Turkestan proper and generally grouped under the name Turkoman.
Turkman, see [Genghis].
Tzitzi. A corruption of the word Tchetchen.
Valonia. The husk of a certain kind of acorn which is used for dyeing.
Yamud, see [Yomud].
Yarkand (Yär' kănd). A city of Eastern Turkestan. An important trade centre with a population of 60,000. For description of the so-called Yarkand rug, see Turkestan classification.
Yezd (Yäzd), "City of Light." Capital of the province by the same name with a population of 55,000.
Yomud (Yä'mǔd), Yamud, Yamund, Yamut, Yamund. Names applied to a class of rugs which are woven just east of the Caspian Sea by the Yomud Turkomans. See [Turkestan classification].
Youraghan, see [Joshaghan].
Yourdez, see Ghiordes.
Yuruk (Yū-rūk'), Youruck, Yourouk. The word means mountaineer. Also the name given to a class of rugs woven by a certain mountain shepherd tribe of Anatolia. See [Turkish classification].
Zanjan (Zăn-jān'). A town in the northwest corner of the province of Irak Ajemi, Persia. Rugs from this vicinity are called either Zangan or Koultuk.