Azerbaijan. In Western markets the name has been corrupted, and the rugs
are there called _Serapi_. These rugs come in large sizes, and are of
excellent colors. A medallion of good proportions occupies the field,
and about this floral designs are arranged. Sometimes inscriptions are
seen in the rug.
_Sultanabad_ is one of the most important of the modern rug-producing
regions of Western Asia. Factories are kept busy supplying the market,
and in many cases excellent rugs are manufactured. This is especially
true when old patterns are used, for no modern ones sent out by Western
firms can be deemed worthy to take the place of original Oriental
designs. Large quantities of rugs from this district are exported to the
United States, and are then frequently called _Savalans_. The groundwork
is generally light in color, and the designs are many, while the variety
of brilliant hues is perhaps the largest in Persia. _Muskabad_ is a
trade name for a certain grade of rug from this district.
_Tabriz_ rugs are now supplied in large bales to the trade from
factories that are under Western jurisdiction. They are of well selected
yarn, closely woven, and very durable. The weaving is faultless. The
centre medallion is in a rich color, set in a field of ivory or other
solid color, and decorated with floral forms. The sharply defined corner
areas and the borders also contain floral designs in attractive colors.
Sometimes cartouches with lines from a Persian poet or birds and animal
forms are seen in the borders.
_Yezd_, where the fire-worshippers live, furnishes rugs with a short
pile, but these are used chiefly in mosques, and seldom leave Persia.
A fine Persian rug is valuable, even at the seat of manufacture. A small
one, measuring three by four and a half feet, quite modern, but very
fine and with splendid colors, has been sold at Teheran for eight
hundred dollars.
[Illustration: ARABIAN RUG
SIZE, 4.10 × 7.5
_Although distinctly Arabic in style, this rug was probably woven in the
vicinity of Shiraz. The squares which form the design resemble an
old-fashioned log-cabin quilt in the variety of their colors and the
regularity of their stripes. Some hues are green, then red comes into
play, while plum, brown, yellow, and blue are also employed. The wide
border of stripes shows the Shiraz ornamentation in its beauty, and the
Greek crosses suggest the possibility of a Christian weaver. There is a
fine sheen on the surface. This rug is quite heavy, and its very oddity
makes it interesting to the collector._]
TURKISH RUGS
The term Turkish Rugs includes all those rugs that are manufactured
within the Turkish Empire, whether the manufacturers be Kurds or
Circassians or Christians; the last of these names comprises the
Armenians, the Greeks, and the Syrians. Turkish rugs are not so finely
woven as Persian; they have a longer pile and looser texture. As they
are usually very soft and thick, the foot when walking upon them feels
as if it were treading upon a bed of moss.
The principal rug-manufacturing district of Turkey is Karajah Dagh. Much
weaving is done also at Cæsarea. The rugs found at Adana are generally
from the latter region, while those sold at Urfa are either from the
Kurdish territory or from Persia. In Constantinople are seen rugs from
almost every part of Asia, but the greatest number are from within the
Turkish territory of Transcaucasia.
Each rug-weaving district of Turkey seems to have a distinct and
individual class of rugs; and this is not surprising, for there are a
number of different tribes, each of which impresses its individuality
upon the work. The surface configuration and the climate of a place
have much to do with the quality of the rugs manufactured within it.
Naturally, in the rocky, mountainous regions the flocks consist of goats
instead of sheep. The sheep would be injured among the steep, sharp
crags, and much of their wool would be lost, as it would adhere to the
rocks. The goats, however, being hardy, easily jump from crag to crag,
sustaining no injury to their hair.
The hair of the goat is woven into the mohair and so-called Smyrna rugs,
and also into what is known as Paul's Tent Cloth. This last is woven
quite differently from other rugs; it is the coarsest of all, and the
women weave it on the ground. To make it firm enough to keep out every
drop of rain requires laborious work with the fingers, but when the
cloth is woven with care it is a most excellent shelter from the storm.
A large Paul's Tent, such as a rich man owns, costs about four hundred
dollars. It shelters the women of the household, as well as the cattle;
and one part is partitioned off for a guest-room.
In Turkey the floor is always covered with matting, and the matting, in
its turn, is so closely covered with rugs as to be quite concealed. In
large cities rugs are used in the Summer for divan and couch covers; in
the Winter the same rugs serve as beds.
Constantinople is the greatest rug market in the world. Every known
nation is represented in that wonderful city, where the ancient
industrial skill of Asia meets the steadily increasing demands of the
West. Nothing can be more interesting to the rug-lover than to wander
through the streets and byways, observing the different phases of his
favorite industry. The Custom House, where enormous bales of rugs await
transportation; the great warehouses, which handle only at wholesale;
the bazaars, and even the street vendors, possess each an absorbing
interest. The travelling merchants from Persia, who yearly journey to
Constantinople, establish themselves in that busy section of the city
known as Stamboul. Here they erect their khans, covering the walls and
floors with rugs, many of which are really splendid in tone and quality.
The large retail houses at Constantinople usually have collections of
very choice rugs.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CERTAIN TURKISH RUGS
Akhissar rugs have a thick pile, and are loosely woven. Their colors are
usually red and green. Rugs of mohair are made at Akhissar.
_Anatolia_, or Asia Minor, produces both rugs and mats of good quality.
The Anatolian rug is large and very heavy. The Anatolian mats are made
in large numbers, and are very thick and soft. They are used by the
natives for pillows. Some are very beautiful; and although many are
turned out with aniline dyes, many others are splendidly colored with
vegetable dyes. The designs are many and varied.
_Bergamo_ (ancient Pergamos) rugs have a long, silky pile, and are
almost square. They are quite thick, and have geometrical figures in the
centre, while the borders are floral in effect. The colors are rich,
generally yellow, green, red, and blue. A red webbing at each end
carries a blue or yellow embroidered stripe. Antique Bergamos are very
beautiful.
_Brusa_ (Broussa) had a fresh impetus in the rug industry a few years
ago. Very fine and beautiful silk rugs are woven there now by Turkish
women and girls. The Great Mosque and the Mosque of the Thunderbolt at
Brusa both contain rare old rugs.
[Illustration: OLD GHIORDES PRAYER RUG
SIZE, 4.6 × 6.9
_The rich magenta which is the field of this rug has been mellowed by
time. There is throughout the rug a softness and harmony of tone that is
very pleasing. The niche is high, and the corner areas and the border
are in richly blended blues and yellows, with magenta. The delicacy of
the floral designs, and the warmth of tone, give it a particular
charm._]
_Cæsarean_ rugs have a thicker pile than any of the rugs woven in
Anatolia. They are garish in color and are stained with chemical dyes.
Large numbers are turned out by the factories, but they in no way
resemble the good rugs of former years, except in their durability.
_Cassaba_ (see Sparta) rugs.
_Demirdji_ rugs are a product of modern growth, unknown thirty-five
years ago. To-day the town is a large manufacturing centre. The rugs
bear strong Turkish elements. They are heavy and durable, and woven of
excellent wool when of the first quality. There are, however, three
different qualities. The weavers of these rugs have a small pattern
which they reproduce in the large sizes.
_Ghiordes_ rugs of antiquity are not in the market. Once in a decade it
is possible such a rug changes hands, but this is either the result of
lack of knowledge on the part of the owner, or because he is in
pecuniary straits. The rug derives its name from the ancient town of
Ghiordium, and its form is that of a prayer rug. The weavers were most
painstaking, and used the finest of dyes and designs. The hanging mosque
lamp, or a tree form, is suspended from the high point of the niche, and
a column appears on either side of the field, extending to the
spandrels. Above is a horizontal panel, and there is generally one below
the field. In colors there is a discriminating use of the old porcelain
blue, rare green, red, yellow, ivory, and white. When white was chosen,
the weavers often substituted cotton for wool, thinking it would keep
its purity of tone longer. The field is generally in one of these solid
colors. The borders are most interesting and beautiful. The main stripe
is usually ornamented with well-defined designs of small flowers and
leaves, arranged with a square effect. The other borders are generally
floral, while the zigzag water motif encloses the field. The apex of the
mihrab or niche runs high in the Ghiordes rug. A silk fringe often
finishes the top. One collector in Constantinople has many very fine and
rare specimens. He began to collect Ghiordes rugs years ago, before the
value of the rug became generally known. The modern rugs are very
coarse, and have no resemblance to the old ones.
_Hereke_ rugs receive their name from the village about forty miles from
Constantinople, on the Gulf of Ismid, where the Sultan has established
the imperial factories and a school of art. About four hundred young
women, mostly Greeks, are here actively employed in weaving rugs in silk
and wool. His Imperial Majesty is anxious to give employment to the
village girls, and takes much interest in this industry, which was
started about fifteen years ago. The rugs are reproductions, for the
most part, of famous antiques belonging to the Sultan. In 1898 Emperor
William of Germany visited this factory. After his return home the
Sultan sent him a large number of Hereke rugs. In 1902, during one of my
sojourns in Berlin, I was permitted by the courtesy extended to me by
the court official in charge of these rugs to see the entire collection
arranged in one section of the Palace. Beside the magnificent antique
Persian rugs belonging to the Imperial House of Germany these modern
Turkish rugs were startling in color; but the texture was fine, and time
will, of course, subdue the glowing colors, which are now often softened
in the Western markets by a washing process known to certain firms. Old
mohair rugs are also being reproduced at the Hereke factory with good
results. Great attention is paid in all these rugs to exactness of
detail in reproduction.
_Kara-Geuz_ rugs are mostly of the runner order, with mixed designs and
fugitive colors.
_Karaman_ has a considerable trade with Smyrna. Its rugs are coarse,
loosely woven, and not at all attractive.
_Kir-Shehr_ rugs are made in the province of Angora. Because of their
durability and thickness they are both useful and desirable. Their
colorings are rather strong, but fine; green is the most usual color,
although red and blue are frequent. The designs are mostly of Arabic
origin, and quite highly decorative.
_Konieh_ rugs are of great weight and resemble Ouchaks. They usually
have a plain centre, and when there are panels these are also of one
shade. Being firm and strong they are very durable.
_Kulah_ prayer rugs of ancient make are most interesting and valuable.
They are about the size of the old Ghiordes prayer rug, and have other
points in common, which might be expected from the proximity of the
towns. The Kulah rug, however, instead of the solid centre of its
neighbor, is apt to have its field ornamented with small floral designs.
The colors most prominent are a yellowish-brown, a blue, or a soft red.
Green and white are seen at times. There are many narrow stripes as
borders, often alternating in dark and light colors, and these are
beautifully ornamented with floral effects in minute designs. The niche
of the prayer rug is of medium height, often with serrated sides.
[Illustration: INDIAN PRAYER RUG
SIZE, 5.10 × 3.4
_This rug is a modern product of India. The prayer niche, with long
lines leading to it, extends well toward the top. The niche is decorated
with a delicate, dark blue floral design in ivory, red, and fawn, and
the lines leading to it are ornamented in blue, red, and brown. The
field is a beautiful sage-green, and the main border is embellished with
reds, browns, ivory, and occasionally with light blue. The outer border
is of the same green as the field. At each end is a full fringe. This
rug was made in the jail at Amritsar, from a design sent from the United
States._]
_Kurdistan_ (the Turkish portion) rugs are woven by the women in odd
moments, and one of the ways a girl gains distinction among her
associates is by the skill she displays in rug-weaving. As the wool is
taken from the flocks that are kept near home, and is spun and dyed
there, and as the time consumed in the weaving is not counted, each rug
is considered clear gain. In fact, the Kurdish women do not make their
rugs entirely for the market, but for their own entertainment and
use. Kurdish rugs are very durable, and they are much prized in
Turkey; but they do not sell readily in America because of the lack of
that harmony of color which our taste demands. Their coloring is often
too bright and varied to attract us. An Armenian clergyman said to me
recently: "I find Americans more devoted to harmony than to anything
else. I have in my house one of the finest of Kurdish rugs, but I could
never sell it in this country, should I wish. An American looks at it
and says, 'What hideous colors!' and I doubt if I could even give it
away, although it would be considered a superior rug in Turkey."
_Kutahia_ sends out Anatolian rugs of goat's hair and wool. Some
improvement has been noticed in the rugs recently.
_Ladik_ prayer rugs were made in the ancient city of Laodicea. They are
among the finest rugs of old workmanship. The field is of a solid color,
often a rich wine-red. The niche is serrated on the inside to the apex,
which is enclosed by straight lines. On the outside of the niche one
often sees the hook design, extending into the upper field, which in its
turn is frequently ornamented with lancet-shaped leaves and floral
forms. The Rhodian lily sometimes plays a part in the border design.
White, red, blue, a light tan, and green, with an occasional touch of
violet, are used. The webbing is red, and extends about an inch and a
half, when a narrow fringe finishes the ends.
_Meles_ (Melhaz) rugs of modern make are of coarse texture, and
brilliant in fugitive dyes of red, yellow, blue, and green. They find a
market at Milassa. The modern prayer rug does not compare favorably in
any way with the antique. The texture of the ancient rug is thin, but
with a wealth of coloring and blending of hues, as beautiful as rare.
Sometimes, too, the Ghiordes panel is seen above the niche. A good deal
of black was used in the old rugs, but, as is usual in antiques, it has
gradually disappeared with age. Violet, too, is a color that was
sometimes used with great effect in old rugs.
_Mohair_ rugs are made of the soft, silky hair of the Angora goat; but
though beautiful, they are not durable, as experiments tried at Akhissar
and Kulah have shown.
_Mosul_ rugs are strong and rich in colorings of blue, yellow, green,
and red. The designs are rather striking, and with their silky softness
these rugs are generally desirable. The best are made of camel's hair,
including the outer border, but occasionally they are made partly of
goat's hair. They are now made in several Turkish provinces, and are
often wrongly called Persian rugs.
At _Ouchak_, with its large population, there are steadily at work about
two thousand looms, giving employment to fully four thousand weavers,
and as many as one hundred and fifty dyers. Ouchak is the principal city
of Asiatic Turkey for the dyeing of the wool of which the rugs are
woven, and that industry is carried on in many factories. Ouchak rugs
have a thick pile; and though green is forbidden by Mohammedan law, the
modern rugs frequently have green for their dominant color. The reason
for this innovation is that the influence of their religious faith has
waned, and consequently the law regarding that color is not now strictly
enforced. The weavers of these rugs are mostly Moslem women and girls.
The wool is generally bought in the interior from nomad tribes, and the
weaving is carried on in private houses in a manner similar to that of
other rugs, except that the yarn is spun more loosely. In the early
history of rug-weaving these rugs were known in the Western market as
the _Yapraks_, and the colors were, almost invariably, red with either
green or blue. Until recently, even the best Ouchak rugs were apt to
have inferior wool for their foundation, and hemp was frequently
employed. The wool was loosely woven, and the dyes were fugitive. There
are now, however, certain provinces in Turkey, including Ouchak, where
the products are controlled by European and American firms, and where
excellent wool and natural dyes are used. The rugs made under such
control are very durable and in every way satisfactory. In size Ouchaks
vary greatly, ranging from a few feet to fifty by twenty-five feet.
_Sivas_ rugs are always woven of wool, and almost every hamlet carries
on the industry of weaving in the homes. There are no factories, the
young girls and women doing the work here, as in other parts of Turkey.
Sivas rugs are in most cases small, measuring about eight by four feet;
but lately larger and more attractive rugs are being made. Even the
poorest families have fine rugs, and regard them as valuable property,
to be sold only under the pressure of great extremity. The weavers are
so frugal in their manner of living that their daily earning of fourteen
to nineteen cents is sufficient to supply their wants.
[Illustration: INDIAN LOOM AND WEAVERS]
_Smyrna_, next to Constantinople, is the most important commercial
centre in the East. It is the open door to mysterious Asia, and within
its boundaries are found representatives of every race and religious
belief of that little-known continent, the land of mystics, nomads, and
fanatics. It is a mistake to imagine that the so-called Smyrna rugs are
made in that city. As a matter of fact, no rugs are manufactured there.
It is the export depot for goods from the interior, and dealers have
allowed the name to be used merely for convenience, for commercial
purposes. A student of rugs can readily understand that throughout the
vast territory which concentrates its commerce in Smyrna there are a
score or more of valuable manufactures which could never be known under
one descriptive name.
_Sparta_ rugs are made in a village bearing that name situated in the
interior not far from Smyrna. They are very heavy, firm, and in
different colors. Some of those recently made are especially fine.
Attention is being paid to harmonious coloring as well as to quality and
texture. A splendid specimen is in the home of the leading merchant of
Smyrna. It is in the softest shades of rose and blue, with a lustrous
sheen. The texture is as fine as velvet, and the medallion in the centre
is most gracefully designed. Many rugs are sold under the name of
_Cassaba_, which are really woven at Sparta.
_Yaprak_ (see Ouchak) rugs.
_Yuruk_ rugs are so called from a band of nomads who dwell among the
mountains of Anatolia. They have large flocks of sheep, and weave rugs
of strong, hardy texture. The colors are very good, the field often of
brown, ornamented with large, bold designs.
III
RUG-WEAVING IN INDIA, AFGHANISTAN, BELUCHISTAN, CENTRAL ASIA, AND THE
CAUSCASUS REGION
INDIAN RUGS
The manufacture of rugs was introduced into India by the Mohammedans at
their first invasion in the beginning of the eleventh century. Persian
rugs, however, were always preferred to those made in India, and princes
and nobles of the Delhi Court, when it was in its greatest splendor,
sought the fabrics woven in Herat, or by the Sharrokhs on the Attrek, or
the nomad tribes of Western Kurdistan. These were purchased only by the
princes and their wealthy followers. A few specimens of these rugs still
remain in India, and are now and then reproduced with more or less
accuracy.
In the sixteenth century, however, the Emperor Akbar, or more properly
Jalal-ud-Din Mahomed, sent for Persian weavers to make the exquisite
fabrics for which Persia was then so famous. At first these weavers
continued to weave according to the designs employed in their own land;
but it is not surprising that as time went on, and the natives of India
learned the art of weaving from the Persians, Hindoo ideas should have
found expression, in Southern India especially. Thus geometrical designs
were substituted for floral, although even now the designs of some
Indian rugs revive memories of Persian teachers in the careful
arrangement of flowers and leaves. The designs of Indian rugs were
frequently named after the original owners, in which cases the weavers
generally lived and worked in the houses of their employers. At the
present time the manufacture of many Indian rugs is carried on largely
in jails, where the old Persian designs are generally used.
In Indian rugs, as in those of other countries, there are certain
distinct characteristics that stamp them as coming from particular
districts, and in India alone are to be detected the few Assyrian types
still in existence. Genuine old India rugs are works of art, but they
are rarely seen.
The religion of the Hindoo does not permit of his tasting the flesh of
sheep; and as India is not a wool-producing country, except in the
northern part, cotton is often substituted. For this reason, and because
the time consumed for weaving is less, Indian rugs are generally less
expensive than Persian.
Mr. Julian Ralph, in an interesting account of his visit to the home of
a prince in India, published in one of our magazines, writes of the
splendid rugs shown him by his host: "They were state rugs, and one was
green with a border of gold that must have weighed twenty pounds or
more. The other was red with a similar border, so stiff and cumbrous
that it did not seem made to walk upon. However, the prince sent for his
stiff-soled heavy-heeled ceremonial shoes which were quite as richly
crusted with gold, and walked about on the rugs, crushing the gold
embroidery in a ruthless way." When Mr. Ralph spoke of the damage, he
said, "It is of no consequence, these borders have to be renewed very
frequently."
An Indian rug of great beauty was taken to England from India by Lord
Clive, who ordered the architect of his magnificent
palace--Claremont--then in process of building, to design a room
especially for it. Such special care for the proper display of this work
of art may be exceptional, but it shows true appreciative power on the
part of Clive.
From the time of the decadence of the industry of weaving fine shawls,
which was so long a feature of Kashmir, the wool of which they were
woven was gradually transferred to the rug industry, and the weavers
turned their attention from the shawls to the rugs, on which they
displayed the same patience and skill.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CERTAIN INDIAN RUGS
_Agra_ sends out very satisfactory rugs. These are mostly of great
weight and thickness. Many of the best are woven in the jail. The finest
specimen that I have seen belongs to Mrs. Potter Palmer, of Chicago, and
is a duplicate of one owned by Mrs. Frederick D. Grant. The rug is of
enormous size and weight, and the tree design is arranged in shades of
exquisite blue upon a field of delicate fawn color. The border, in the
same coloring, gives the most perfect harmony to the entire rug. Many
more Agra rugs would be imported, but there is now a United States law
prohibiting the importation of goods made in jail.