Plate O. No. 1, Shah Abbas design. No. 2, Mina Khani design. No. 3, Guli Hinnai design. No. 4, Herati design. Nos. 5-a, b, c, d, e, f, Swastikas. Nos. 6-a, b. c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, Pear designs. No. 7, Cloud-bands. No. 8, Pitcher. No. 9, Motives of Asia Minor and Armenian rugs. No. 10, Octagonal disc. No. 11, Combs. No. 12, Motives of Melez rugs. Nos. 13-a, b, c, d, 14, 15, conventionalised leaf-forms in Asia Minor rugs. Nos. 16-a, b, c, The lotus. No. 17, Knot of destiny. Nos. 18-a, b, Motives of Daghestans and Kabistans.
The Soumak with its flat stitch and with ends of yarn hanging loose at the back is unlike all other rugs. At the sides is a carefully woven selvage, and next to the nap at the end is a narrow selvage of fine spun threads. The rugs of Shemakha, woven by some of the same tribes who dwell nearer the mountains, have similar selvages at the sides of blue or bluish green, similar ends of a narrow web of “herring-bone” weave and one or more rows of knots, and a medium long nap of rich blues, reds, yellows, browns, and greens. The Kuba rugs are almost identical with them, except that each thread of warp is equally prominent at the back, whereas in the Shemakhas one thread to each knot is depressed. When once these selvages, the narrow end-webs of “herring-bone” weave, and the particular tones of colour characteristic of these rugs have been carefully observed, they are not forgotten. The well-known Georgian stripe (Plate [J], Fig. 9, opp. Page 228) is rarely found in any but these three classes.
The Baku rug may be distinguished by its geometric-shaped pear designs, and stiffly drawn birds. If modern, the tones are dull.
Long, shaggy nap, strong colours, of which red and green are almost invariably present, and large designs surrounded by numerous small nomadic figures are the general features of a Kazak. The Tcherkess has a striking resemblance to it, so that they are constantly mistaken for one another; but the Tcherkess is generally better woven and the pattern usually consists of what is known as the “Sunburst” resting on a field of dull red or a tawny shade. The border is almost invariably of three stripes, of which the central has the tarantula design, and the two guards have a reciprocal sawtooth design.
The field of the typical Chichi has an all-over pattern of small geometric design; and its main border stripe has rosettes separated by diagonal ribbon-like bars, as shown in Plate [I], Fig. 6 (opp. Page 226).
Rugs from the Karabagh district may frequently be recognised by the Persian influence in the drawing of their patterns.
Genghas may readily be distinguished from other classes of this group by the fact that the weft crosses more than twice and frequently many times, between every two rows of knots, which are not appressed, so that the weft, as it encircles the warp, appears at the back like a narrow beaded surface.
Daghestans, Kabistans, and Shirvans have so many different patterns that it is not always easy to distinguish the classes; but it will be some assistance to remember that the border design of wine cup and serrated leaf (Plate [I], Fig. 1, opp. Page 226) is found in about one half of the Shirvans, and that the bracket design (Plate J, Fig. 19, opp. Page 228) is peculiar to Daghestans and Kabistans.
