Comparative Study of Motifs in Shahsavan and Caucasus's Carpets

The majority of the Shasavan tribe lives in northwest Iran near the city of Ardabil and Dasht-e Moghan. Small groups of Shahsavan, however, moved to central Iran near Saveh, Garmsar, and Varamin. In Farsi (official language of Iran) Shahsavan means "those who love the Shah (king)"; Most of their weavings consist of practical pieces such as saddle bags, traveling bags and animal trappings. Their textiles frequently use the Soumak and Kilim weaves. It is likely that traditionally each clan of the Shahsavan confederation had its own designs and carpet presents its idea — the idea of a reality that simultaneously unfolds the Turkish-speaking Shahsavan people weave bags in the sumak technique. A series of large diamond latch hook medallions repeats down the field, each enclosed in a compartment of different color. Shahsavan weavings have a strongly tribal flavor with highly abstract, geometrical designs and rich colors. They are sometimes distinguished by certain shades of lavender or deep pink and salmon tones, in conjunction with soft blues. Shahsavan carpets are very similar to Caucasian carpets. The Shahsevan tribes were originally transported and resettled in the Northwest from Central Asia by the Persian kings in the seventeenth century. This helps to explain the ties between these rugs and those of the Turkmans and other Central Asian tribes. This paper discusses the ancient roots of tribal weaving, the interrelatedness of common designs and tribal motifs in Shahsavan and Caucasusian Kilims. Larger Shahsavan rugs are uncommon, and often they are mistaken for rugs from the nearby Caucasus region.