ARMENIAN CARPET

by pronaturaal PRO NATURA ALESSANDRIA . Italia

The term Armenian carpet designates, but is not limited to, tufted rugs or
knotted carpets woven inArmenia or by Armenians from pre-Christian times to the
present .[1][2][3] It also includes a number of flat woven textiles. The term covers a
large variety of types and sub-varieties. Due to their intrinsic fragility, almost
nothing survivesneither carpets nor fragmentsfrom antiquity until the late
medieval period.
Traditionally, since ancient times the carpets were used in Armenia to cover floors,
decorate interior walls, sofas, chairs, beds and tables.[4] Up to present the carpets
often serve as entrance veils, decoration for church altars and vestry. Starting to
develop in Armenia as a part of everyday life, carpet weaving was a must in every
Armenian family, with the Carpet making and rug making being almost women's
occupation.[5] Armenian carpets are unique "texts" composed of the ornaments
where sacred symbols reflect the beliefs and religious notions of the ancient
ancestors of the Armenians that reached us from the depth of centuries. The
Armenian carpet and rug weavers preserved strictly the traditions. The imitation
and presentation of one and the same ornament-ideogram in the unlimited number
of the variations of styles and colors contain the basis for the creation of any new
Armenian carpet. In this relation, the characteristic trait of Armenian carpets is the
triumph of the variability of ornaments that is increased by the wide gamut of
natural colors and tints.
Etymology of word "carpet" in the Armenian and other languages
The Armenian words for carpet are "karpet" (Armenian: )[6] or "gorg"
(Armenian: ).[7] Though both words in Armenian are synonymous, word
"karpet" is mostly used for non-pile rugs and "gorg" is for a pile carpet.
Two of the most frequently used terms to designate woven woolen floor coverings
emanate directly from the Armenian experience: carpet and kali/khali. The term
"kapert" (Armenian: ), formed of root "kap" (Armenian: ) that
means "knot",[8][9] later to become "karpet" (Armenian: ) in colloquial
Armenian, is used in the 5th-century Armenian translation of
the Bible (Matthew 9:16 and Mark 2:21).[10] It is assumed that the word "arpet"
entered into French (French: carpette) and English (English: carpet) in the 13th
century (through Medieval Latin carpita, meaning "thick woolen cloth")[11] as a
consequence of the trade in rugs through the port cities of the Armenian kingdom
of Cilicia. Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, a Florentine merchant stationed in Cyprus,

reported in his La pratica della mercatura that from 1274 to 1330, carpets (kaperts)
were imported from the Armenian cities of Ayas and Sis to Florence.[12]
Armenian word "gorg" (Armenian: ) is first mentioned in written sources in
the 13th century. This word ("gorg") is in the inscription that was cut out in the
stone wall of Kaptavan Church in Artsakh (Karabagh) and is dated by 12421243
AD.[13][14] Grigor Kapantsyan, professor of Armenian Studies, considered that
Armenian "gorg" (Armenian: ) is a derivative of Hittite-Armenian
vocabulary, where it existed in the forms of "koork" and "koorkas".Edgar H.
Sturtevant, an expert in Hittite studies, explains the etymology of word
"koork"/"koorkas" as "horse cloth".[15]
As for the Persian "qali", which entered into Turkish as "qali" or as "khali" in
Anatolia Ottoman Turkish and Armenian,[16] it derives from the city of
Theodosiopolis-Karin-Erzerum, known to the Arabs as Qali-qala from the
Armenian "Karnoy kaghak", the "city of Karin". The name "Erzerum" itself, as is
well known, is of Armenian origin from the usage Artzen ar-Rum. This latter term
came into being after the destruction of the important Armenian commercial center
of Artzen, 15 kilometers east of Theodosiopolos-Karin, by the Seljuks in 1041 after
which the inhabitants fled to Karin, then in Rum, that is in Byzantine territory,
renaming it Artzen in Rum or Arzerum/Erzerum/Erzurum.[17]
History

Armenian rug weaving centers,

19-20th centuries
The art of the Armenian carpet and rug weaving has its roots in ancient times.
However, due to the fragile nature of carpets very few examples have survived.
Only one specimen has been discovered from the ancient (pre-Christian) period and
relatively few specimens are in existence from the early medieval period which can
be found in private collections as well as various museums throughout the world.

"The complex history of Armenian weaving and needlework was acted out in
the Near East, a vast, ancient, and ethnically diverse region. Few are the people
who, like the Armenians, can boast of a continuous and consistent record of fine
textile production from the 1st millennium BC to the present. Armenians today are
blessed by the diversity and richness of a textile heritage passed on by thirty
centuries of diligent practice; yet they are burdened by the pressure to keep alive a
tradition nearly destroyed in the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and subverted by a
technology that condemns handmade fabrics to museums and lets machines
produce perfect, but lifeless cloth".[18] [19]
Early history

The Pazyryk carpet

Various rug fragments have been excavated in Armenia dating back to the 7th
century BC or earlier. Complete rugs, or nearly complete rugs of this period have
not yet been found. The oldest, single, surviving knotted carpet in existence is
the Pazyryk carpet, excavated from a frozen tomb in Siberia, dated from the 5th to
the 3rd century BC, now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Although
claimed by many cultures, this square tufted carpet, almost perfectly intact, is
considered by many experts to be of Caucasian, specifically Armenian, origin. The
eminent authority of ancient carpets, Ulrich Schurmann, says of it, "From all the
evidence available I am convinced that the Pazyryk rug was a funeral accessory and
most likely a masterpiece of Armenian workmanship".[20]
Gantzhorn concurs with this thesis. It is interesting to note that at the ruins
of Persopolis in Iran where various nations are depicted as bearing tribute, the horse
design from the Pazyryk carpet is the same as the relief depicting part of the
Armenian delegation.[21]

The historian Herodotus writing in the 5th century BC also informs us that the
inhabitants of the Caucasus wove beautiful rugs with brilliant colors which would
never fade.
The Christian period
Apart from the Pazyryk carpet,,after Armenia declared itself as the first Christian
state in 301 AD, carpet making took on a decidedly Christian art form and identity.
This art form existed continuously unaltered until the Armenian Genocide. By the
Middle Ages, Armenia was a major exporter of carpets to as far away places as
China. In many Medieval Chinese artworks for example, carpets were depicted in
which the designs were typically that of Armenian carpets with some even
depicting clear Christian crosses. The art of the Armenian carpet during this period
evolved alongside Armenian church architecture, Armenian cross-stones and
illuminated manuscript art, with typical rug motifs using the same elements of these
designs. The cruciform with its variations would eventually come to dominate
Armenian carpet designs.
The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Orphan rug also known as the Ghazir rug

The period of the Armenian Genocide from 1894-1923 saw a demographic change
in the hitherto Armenian tradition of rug and carpet making in Anatolia (Western
Armenia as well as Turkey). Even though carpets from this region had established
the commercial name of "Turkish Carpet" there is evidence to suggest that the
majority of weavers in the Ottoman Empire were Armenians. However, after 1923,
carpet making in the newly established Turkish republic was erroneously declared a
"historically Turkish craft" as is claimed, for example, by the Turkish and Islamic
Arts Museum where many Armenian carpets are depicted as "Turkish or Islamic
art".[21]
During the Genocide, in addition to the catastrophic loss of many expert carpet
weavers, thousands of Armenian children were also orphaned and the Near East
Relief saved many of these children, some of whom ended up in the northern part
of Beirut, where a rug factory would be established under the guidance of Dr. Jacob
Kuenzler, a Swiss missionary. This factory was established for the purpose of

teaching young orphans (mainly girls) rug weaving, so that they may go on making
a living later on in their adult lives. Thus for a brief period "orphan-rugs" were
created in this factory, the most famous of which was gifted to the White House in
1925, as a gesture of gratitude and good will towards the American people by the
orphans. Known as theArmenian Orphan rug, the rug depicts a Biblical Garden of
Eden featuring various animals and symbols and measuring 12 feet by 18 feet with
4 million knots. This rug is said to have been made by 400 orphans over a period of
18 months from 1924-1925.
The Soviet period
After a short-lived republic Armenia fell to Soviet rule in 1920 and within a short
period, carpet making in the Caucasus as well as Central Asia would take a new
turn. The Soviet Union commercialized the trade and sponsored much of the
production. Thus carpet making went from a mostly home craft to a mostly
commercial craft. However, in rural areas the carpet making traditions in some
families continued. Although commercial carpet makers were mostly free to
practice their art, religious themes were discouraged. During this period the designs
on Armenian rugs also changed somewhat, although the overall character remained.
Many "Soviet carpets" were also produced depicting Communist leaders.
The modern era
With the fall of the Soviet Union, carpet making in Armenia and NagornoKarabakh continued. Private companies as well as home workshops were again
revived. Among some weavers, the traditional method of using rug motifs from
Armenian churches, manuscript art and cross-stones was also revived. After
the Nagorno-Karabakh War some carpet making workshops were formed to help
the many displaced Armenians find employment. Today the traditional art of
Armenian carpet making is kept alive by weavers in Armenia and NagornoKarabakh using all the methods, techniques and designs from ancient times. This is
remarkable considering the history of Armenia.
Development of Armenian carpet and rug weaving

Armenian rugs shown at Vernissage market in Yerevan

Armenian carpet weaving that at the initial period coincided with cloth weaving by
execution technique have passed the long path of development, starting from simple
fabrics, which had been woven at the braiding frames of various form to pile
knotted carpets that became the luxurious and dainty pieces of arts.
Carpet-weaving is historically a major traditional profession for the majority
of Armenian women, including many Armenian families. Prominent Karabakh
carpet weavers there were men too. The oldest extant Armenian carpet from the
region, referred to as Artsakh during the medieval era, is from the village of
Banants (near Gandzak) and dates to the early 13th century.[23] The first time that
the Armenian word for carpet, gorg, was used in historical sources was in a 12421243 Armenian inscription on the wall of the Kaptavan Church in Artsakh.[24]
Art historian Hravard Hakobyan notes that "Artsakh carpets occupy a special place
in the history of Armenian carpet-making."[24] Common themes and patterns found
on Armenian carpets were the depiction of dragons and eagles. They were diverse
in style, rich in color and ornamental motifs, and were even separated in categories
depending on what sort of animals were depicted on them, such
as artsvagorgs (eagle-carpets), vishapagorgs (dragon-carpets)
and otsagorgs (serpent-carpets).[24] The rug mentioned in the Kaptavan inscriptions
is composed of three arches, "covered with vegatative ornaments", and bears an
artistic resemblance to theilluminated manuscripts produced in Artsakh.[24]
The art of carpet weaving was in addition intimately connected to the making of
curtains as evidenced in a passage by Kirakos Gandzaketsi, a 13th-century
Armenian historian from Artsakh, who praised Arzu-Khatun, the wife of regional
prince Vakhtang Khachenatsi, and her daughters for their expertise and skill in
weaving.[25]

Armenian carpets were also renowned by foreigners who traveled to Artsakh; the
Arab geographer and historian Al-Masudi noted that, among other works of art, he
had never seen such carpets elsewhere in his life.[26]
On the opinion of various authors that the origin of the oriental carpets and rugs did
not have any association with nomadic tribes, and Central Asia. They consider that
the "oriental carpet is neither of nomadic origin, nor do its origins lie in Central
Asia; it is a product of ancient oriental civilizations in the Armenian Uplands at the
crossroads of the oldest trade routes between west, north and south".[21]
The development of carpet and rug weaving in Armenia had been the barest
necessity that had been dictated by the climatic conditions of the
complete Armenian Highland. The type, size and thickness of carpets and rugs had
also depended upon the climate of every specific region within the territory
of Armenian Highland.[27] The dwelling houses and other buildings in Armenia
were constructed exclusively of stone or were cut in rocks with no wood flooring
inside traditionally. This fact was proved by the results of excavations carried out in
medieval Armenian cities, such as Dvin, Artashat,Ani and others.[4] There has been
the necessary source of raw materials in Armenia, including wool yarn and other
fibres, as well as natural dyes.[28]The most widespread raw materials to produce
yarn for carpets and rugs was sheep wool, as well as goat wool, silk, flax, cotton
and other.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, when the carpet weaving started to develop at Near
East, Armenia "was one of the most productive regions" in this regards. It was
conditioned by the existence of "good quality wool, pure water and dyes, especially
beautiful purple dye".[29]
One of the most important conditions for the development of carpet and rug
weaving was the availability of towns and cities, where the arts and crafts might
develop. These cities and towns also served as large commercial centers located on
main ancient trade routs that passed by the Armenian Highland, including one of
the branches of Silk Road that passed across Armenia[30]Silk Road#Persian Royal
Road.
Abd ar-Rashid al-Bakuvi wrote that "the carpets and as-zalali that are named "kali"
are exported from Kalikala (Karin) that was located on the strategic road between
Persia and Europe. According to the 13th-century Arab geographer Yaqut alHamavi, the origin of the word kali/khali/hali, a knotted carpet, is from one of the
early and important Armenian carpet centers, Theodosiopolis, Karin in Armenian,
Qaliqala in Arabic, modern Erzerum. He says, " Qaliqala on fabrique des tapis
qu'on nomme qali du nom abrege de la ville".[31][32] Academician Joseph
Orbeli directly writes that word "karpet" is of Armenian origin[33]
Between the tangible reality of the Pazyryk carpet and the Mongol domination of
the Near East in the 13th century virtually nothing survives, not even fragments.

Our knowledge of oriental rugs is entirely from literary sources. Of these there are
three categories: the Arab geographers and historians, who represent the most
important witnesses of rug making, the Italian merchants and travelers, and the
Armenian historians. The most common term for these Near Eastern floor and wall
covering in these sources are Armenian carpets or carpets from Armenia. It is only
later, as the Ottomans conquered these areas, including all of Armenian in the 16th
century, that the term Turkish carpet began to be used, but that too was replaced in
the 19th century by the term Persian rug or carpet because the great commercial
agents of England, the U.S., and Germany began setting up looms for quantity
weaving in Iran to supply the ever increasing demand for the oriental rug in their
countries.
The Medieval Arab sources al-Baladhuri (a 9th-century Persian historian), Ibn
Hawqal (a 10th-century Arab writer, geographer, and chronicler),Yaqut (13thcentury Arab geographer), and Ibn Khaldun (a 14th-century Arab polymath) among
the most famous - speak regularly about the wonderful Armenian carpets of Qaliqala and the medieval Armenian capital of Dvin ("Dabil" in Arab sources) as well
as their use of the Armenian red cochineal dye known in Armenian as vordan
karmir ("worm's red"), the fundamental color of many Armenian rugs. Marco
Polo reports the following his travel account as he passed through Cilician
Armenia: "The following can be said of Turkmenia: the Turkmenian population is
divided into three groups. The Turkomans are Muslims characterized by a very
simple way of life and extremely crude speech. They live in the mountainous
regions and raise cattle. Their horses and their outstanding mules are held in
especially high regard. The other two groups, Armenians and Greeks, live in cities
and forts. They make their living primarily from trade and as craftsmen. In addition
to the carpets, unsurpassed and more splendrous in color than anywhere else in the
world, silks in all colors are also produced there. This country, about which one
might easily tell much more is subject to the Khan of the eastern Tatar Empire" [34]
[35]
/
According to the 13th-century Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi, the origin of the
word kali/khali/hali, a knotted carpet, is from one of the early and important
Armenian carpet centers, Theodosiopolis, Karin in Armenian, Qaliqala in Arabic,
modern Erzerum. He says, " Qaliqala on fabrique des tapis qu'on nomme qali du
nom abrege de la ville".[31][32] Academician Joseph Orbeli directly writes that word
"karpet" is of Armenian origin.[36]

Gallery

Armenian girls, weaving carpets in Van, 1907, Western Armenia

References
1.
2.
3.
4.

Jump up^ Temurjyan, . . (1955). "The Carpet Weaving in Armenia" (" "). Yerevan:
Institute of History, Academy of Science of the Armenian SSR.
Jump up^ Davtyan ., . , , 1975, . (1975). "Armenian
Carpet" (" "). Yerevan: Academy of Science of the Armenian SSR.
Jump up^ Kouymjian, Dickran; Kvorkian et B. Achdjian (1991). "Les tapis inscriptions armniennes",in
"Tapis et textiles armniens". Marseilles. pp. 247253.
^ Jump up to:a b N. Marr, Armgiz, 1939, Yerevan, p. 197 - in Russian

5.

Jump up^ "Armenians. The End of the 19th - Beginning of the 20th century" at Russian Ethnographic
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6.

Jump up^ - , , , 1987, . 345

7.

Jump up^ - , , , 1987, . 167

8.

Jump up^ Armenian-English, English-Armenian Dictionary

9.

Jump up^ - , , , 1987, . 337

10.

Jump up^ Matthew 9:16. ` ., Mark 2:21.

...etc., Hovhann Zohrapian, Scriptures of the Old and New Testments
(critical edition in Armenian), Venice, 1805, pp. 654, 671.

11.

Jump up^ "carpet" in "Online Etymology Dictionary", "carpet - late 13th century, "coarse cloth;" mid-14th
century, "tablecloth, bedspread;" from O.Fr. carpite "heavy decorated cloth," from M.L. carpita "thick woolen cloth," pp.
of L. carpere "to card, pluck," probably so called because it was made from unraveled, shreded, "plucked" fabric; from
PIE *kerp- "to gather, pluck, harvest" (see harvest). Meaning shifted 15th century to floor coverings. From 16th-19th
centuries often with a tinge of contempt, when used of men (e.g. carpet-knight, 1570s) by association with luxury,
ladies' boudoirs, and drawing rooms. On the carpet "summoned for reprimand" is 1900, U.S. colloquial (but cf. carpet
(v.) "call (someone) to be reprimanded," 1823, British servants' slang). To sweep (something) under the carpet in the
figurative sense is first recorded 1963. The verb meaning "to cover with a carpet" is from 1620s. Related: Carpeted;
carpeting".

12.

Jump up^ Pegoletti, La pratica della mercatura, edited by Allan Evans. Cambridge, Mass.: Mediaeval
Academy of America, 1936

13.

Jump up^ .

14.

Jump up^ Kh. Hakobyan, "Medieval Art of Artsakh", Yerevan, Armenian SSR, "Parberakan, 1990, p. 84, ISBN
5-8079-0195-9

15.

Jump up^ Sturtevant, Edgar H. (1931). Hittite glossary: words of known or conjectured meaning, with
Sumerian ideograms and Accadian words common in Hittite texts. Language, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 3-82., Language
Monograph No. 9.

16.

Jump up^ James W. Redhouse, A Turkish and English Lexicon, Constantinople, 1921, p. 1423

17.

Jump up^ Halil Inalcik, "Erzurum", The Encyclopedia of Islam, Leiden-London, 1965, p.712

18.

Jump up^ http://armenianstudies.csufresno.edu/faculty/kouymjian/articles/armenia_textiles.htm Dickran

Kouymjian, "Armenia Textiles: An Overview", The catalogue of an exhibition entitled "Trames de memoire d'Armenie:
broderies et tapis sur les chemins de l'exil de 1900-1940" on Armenian refugees in the textile industry in southern

France after the 1915 genocide to be held at the Museon Arlaten in Arles, France from June through December 2007
as part of the Year of Armenia in France
19.

Jump up^ Kouymjian, Dickran (2007). "Armenia Textiles: An Overview" "Trames dArmnie : tapis et
broderies sur les chemins de lexil (1900-1940)". Arles: Muson Arlaten.

20.

Jump up^ Ulrich Schurmann, The Pazyryk. Its Use and Origin, Munich, 1982, p.46

21.

^ Jump up to:a b c Volkmar Gantzhorn, "Oriental Carpets", 1998, ISBN 3-8228-0545-9

22.

Jump up^ The Nine Books of the Histories of Herodotus. Thomas Gaisford, Peter Laurent, London, 1846,
CLIO I p.99

23.

Jump up^ Hakobyan, Hravard H (1990). The Medieval Art of Artsakh. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Parberakan.
p. 84. ISBN 5-8079-0195-9.

24.

^ Jump up to:a b c d Hakobyan. Medieval Art of Artsakh, p. 84.

25.

Jump up^ (Armenian) Kirakos Gandzaketsi. (History of Armenia). Yerevan, Armenian

SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1961, p. 216, as cited in Hakobyan. Medieval Art of Artsakh, p. 84, note 18.

26.

Jump up^ Ulubabyan, Bagrat A (1975). , X-XVI (The Principality of

Khachen, From the 10th to 16th Centuries) (in Armenian). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences.
p. 267.

27.

Jump up^ David Tsitsishvili "Rugs and Carpets from the Caucasus", "Avrora", Leningrad, 1984 672(7-20);
p.p. 7-8(total pages: 151)

28.

Jump up^ ref name="ReferenceB">, Book 1, Chapter 203, Volume 1,

29.

Jump up^ "Encyclopdia Britannica: a new survey of universal knowledge, Volume 19, Author: Walter Yust,
1953, p. 623

30.

Jump up^ The Silk Road represents an early phenomenon of political and cultural integration due to interregional trade. In its heyday, the Silk Road sustained an international culture that strung together groups as diverse as
the Magyars, Armenians, and Chinese

31.

^ Jump up to:a b . - ,
1977 ; 205( 326)

32.

^ Jump up to:a b Deutscher Kaliverein Kali p 109 Brill Archive, 1907.

33.

Jump up^ .
. 1948 .,173. - 67

34.

Jump up^ Marco Polo, Il Milione, translated by Ulrich Kppens from the Ottimo-manuscript of 1309, Florence
Bibliotheca Nationale, Inv. no. II.IV.88, Berlin: Propylen, 1971

35.

Jump up^ Discussion of the various manuscripts and early printed version of Marco Polo in French, Italian and
German in Volkmar Ganzhorn, Der christlich orientalische Teppich, Kln: Taaschen, 1990, pp. 13-15

36.

Jump up^ . ,
, 1948, 173 ., . 67