Carpets and rugs of Dagestan. Is it true that Dagestan carpets are valued higher than Persian ones? Carpet Museum in Derbent

Dvornikov Vladislav. Project manager Sakultsanova Lyudmila Nikolaevna

The author of the work tells about the traditional national craft of Dagestan - handmade carpet weaving. Carpet weaving in Dagestan arose as a form of labor activity, but over time it turned into one of the types of decorative and applied art. The greatest development of carpet weaving was in South Dagestan, which, most likely, was due to geographical proximity to one of the main centers of world carpet art - Persia. Therefore, the author spoke about the Eastern tradition of making handmade carpets.

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Essay

Subject : “Carpet weaving is a folk craft of Dagestan”

Place of work: Nevinnomyssk,

MOU secondary school No. 16, 9 "A" class

Supervisor: Sakultsanova Ludmila Nikolaevna,

foreign language teacher MOU secondary school No. 16

Stavropol, 2011

Chapter 1. Carpet weaving is a traditional national craft of Dagestan

1. Eastern tradition of handmade carpets……………..4

1.2. History of Dagestan carpet weaving. Centers of handmade carpet art of Dagestan……………………………………………………………….6

1.3. Types of Dagestan carpets. Pile carpets…………………………….7

1.4. Lint-free carpets. Smooth one-sided carpets - "sumakhs"………..9

1.5. Lint-free double-sided carpets “davagins”…………………………10

1.6. Carpets "chibta" - mats from marsh sedge…………………………...10

1.7. Features of “chuli” carpets and “dum” carpets……………………………10

1.8. Lint-free carpets…………………………………………………11

1.9. Felt carpets………………………………………………………....12

Chapter 2. Materials, manufacturing process, features of the ornament

carpets…………………………………………………………………………...12

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...15

List of used sources and literature…………………………..16

Applications…………………………………………………………………….17

Introduction

For centuries, unsurpassed folk craftsmen worked in Dagestan: goldsmiths of the village of Kubachi, silversmiths Gotsatl. The Untsukul people created man-made poems from wood, the Derbent and Tabasaran women transferred all the hundred colors of my land to the carpets, the Balkhark women wrote mysterious verses on clay jars.

Rasul Gamzatov

Dagestan is rightly called a reserve of folk art crafts, a land of remarkable craftsmen. The most diverse types of crafts have long been widely and widely developed here - artistic metal processing, stone and wood carving, pottery, carpet weaving, bone processing, patterned knitting and gold embroidery. In the past, these types of crafts have played and continue to play a very important role in the economy of the mountainous region in the past. Nowhere in our country did folk arts and crafts acquire such great importance in the economy and spiritual life of the people, were they of such a mass character as in mountainous Dagestan.

Having originated in ancient times and having gone through a number of stages of its development and improvement, folk crafts have become an integral and integral part of the traditional national artistic culture of Dagestan.

Back in the Middle Ages, large specialized centers for the production of certain types of artistic crafts were formed in Dagestan, which were widely sold throughout the mountainous region and far beyond its borders. Among them, the villages of Kubachi, Kumukh, Gotsatl, Untsukul, Balkhar, Sulevkent, Akhty, Mikrakh, Khiv, Khuchni and the city of Derbent stood out in terms of the degree of development and the level of perfection of manufactured products.

Handmade carpets were the most valuable items in a Dagestan home. A medium-sized carpet could be exchanged for a pair of horses or several cattle. For the money earned from the sale of the carpet, the Dagestan family could provide themselves with everything they needed for six months in advance. The Dagestani bride's dowry necessarily included carpets and sumakhs, and, for example, among Tabasarans, at least one of the carpets had to be woven by the bride herself. With the advent of Soviet power and the organization of artels, carpet weaving in Dagestan received fertile ground for its development. These enterprises were created by uniting single craftswomen who taught young people their skills. Also, industrial enterprises for processing wool were created.

Chapter 1. Carpet weaving is a traditional national craft of Dagestan

Carpet weaving, along with jewelry and pottery, is a traditional national craft of many peoples of Dagestan. The greatest development of carpet weaving was in South Dagestan, which is most likely due to geographical proximity to one of the main centers of world carpet art - Persia.

With the adoption of Islam and the spread of Arabic writing, individual representatives of the Dagestan masters got the opportunity to join the achievements of oriental culture.

The first mentions of Dagestan carpets are found in Herodotus. They say that a herd of horses was passed over the finished product, burned under the sun and kept in the water. So they checked their quality. The skill of hand-made Dagestan carpet was passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, while skills were honed and patterns and compositions of the ornament were improved.

1.1. Eastern tradition of handmade carpets

The art of carpet weaving began more than two and a half thousand years ago. The oldest of the carpets that have come down to us was supposedly woven more than two thousand years ago! A dense pile cloth depicting deer, birds and horses was found during excavations of the royal burial mound in 1949. This find testifies to a unique fact: centuries later, the classical technique of hand-woven carpets has not undergone any changes! Today, this masterpiece of centuries adorns the Hermitage collection. Yes, it is a “masterpiece of the ages”, because carpet weaving is an ancient art, which has its roots in the Ancient East.

Initially, the carpet performed exclusively practical functions: the eastern nomads came up with the idea of ​​weaving warm fabrics in order to be able to quickly create a house. The man-made carpets of that time served to protect the dwelling from wind and sand, and made it possible to quickly divide the room. Gradually, a person began to move away from the primitive philosophy of "warm and dry" - he wanted it to be also beautiful, elegant, and most importantly - not like everyone else. For the East, a carpet is furniture, wallpaper, and a sign of prosperity. The level of a person's well-being in the Ancient East was determined by the quality of the carpets in his house. In a rich house there should always be a lot of carpets, and of the highest quality.

The pattern of handmade carpets is never random. In the choice and arrangement of certain elements of the pattern, there are centuries-old traditions, talent and intent of the master. Each ornament has a specific meaning. In angular diamond-shaped flowers and leaves with jagged edges, in fine jewelry knitting, in a mosaic pattern, you can read proverbs, legends, wishes for the future owner.

From the middle of the 16th century, the East (Persia, India, China) supplied many royal courts and aristocratic houses of Europe with carpets. Trading expeditions were equipped for oriental carpets.

Handmade carpets are considered not only household items, but also works of art. Carpets in the East are woven by everyone and everywhere: individual families, ancient craft dynasties and large factories.

1.2. History of Dagestan carpet weaving. Centers of handmade carpet art of Dagestan

The art of carpet weaving in Dagestan has evolved over many centuries. The information of research scientists and the results of archaeological excavations show that the inhabitants of Dagestan were engaged in spinning and weaving in the Bronze Age.

In the XII century. Dagestan is turning into the most important center of the economy, trade and artistic culture of the Caucasus. Trade relations with the countries of the Near East and Central Asia contributed to the emergence of carpet products for religious purposes (prayers, prayer rugs).

Derbent, which at that time was a major trading city in the Caspian Sea, was famous for dyes extracted from herbs and shrubs, which were used to dye woolen threads. Here, the cultivation of a natural dye - madder - has become widespread. The development of women's artistic crafts associated with carpet production has spread throughout Dagestan. This was also facilitated by the availability of raw materials, and an excess of free hands. After many centuries of development of this type of art, already in the 19th century, according to research scientists, original centers of carpet weaving were formed among Lezgins, Tabasarans, Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Laks, concentrated in Southern, Central and Northern Dagestan.

So, among the Lezghins, carpet weaving was widespread in the villages of the Kyura and Samur districts: Akhty, Mikrakh, Magaramkent, Imamkulikent, Kurakh, Kabir, Kasumkent, Ashaga-Stal, Orta-Stal, Yukhari-Stal, Kug, Chilikar, Kurkent, etc. Among the Tabasarans settlements: Khuchni, Arkit, Yersi, Khiv, Kandyk, Mezhgyul, Lyakhlya, etc. Pile and especially lint-free carpets were also produced in the villages of the mountain Avaria: Khunzakh, Tlyarata, Kutlab, Batlaich, Tsada, Kharakhi, Karata, Gergebil, Gotsatl. In the Dargin villages, felt carpets and woolen rugs were mainly produced (Levashi, Gasankent, Upper Mulebki, etc.). In the Kumyk villages of Buglen, Upper and Lower Kazanishche, the production of Arbabash felt carpets was most developed. Patterned woolen rugs, double-sided "dum" rugs were also produced by Kumyk craftswomen in the villages of Kayakent, Geli, Durgeli, Paraul. In the Lak villages of Balkhar, Kumukh, Kuli, patterned smooth rugs were especially developed. In the regions of southern and mountainous Dagestan, the manufacture of small carpet products was also widespread. These are khurjins, saddlers, saddlebags "topraks" and original knitted stockings and shoes.

1.3. Types of Dagestan carpets. Pile carpets.

According to the nature of the patterns and the technique of execution, all carpets can be divided into three main groups: pile, lint-free and felt.

Such compositions of pile carpets as "Safar", "Akhty", "Mikrakh", "Patnusi", "Budulai furar", "Derbent", "Gasan-Kala", "Tabasaran", "Ersi" are original and not similar to each other. , Khiv, Rutul, Tlyarata, etc. Each of these types of pile compositions is based on the artistic features of certain ornamental motifs and the corresponding color scheme.

In the traditional motifs of pile carpets, we find geometrized images of plants, animals, humans, and tools. All these patterns are a diverse world of symbols - the language of carpet art, through which folk craftswomen depict the world around them, nature, convey their feelings and moods. The image on the carpets of figures of animals and people used to have a magical meaning associated with ancient cults and rituals. But gradually it was lost, and the patterns began to be only decorative.

It should be noted that all types of pile carpets, regardless of the nature of the pattern, are built according to a single compositional principle, i.e. the carpet consists of a central field and a border - two main components. This gives the composition a closedness, where the stripes of the border (border) limit the central part of the carpet from all sides.

Patterns are the language of carpet art. Ornaments of carpet compositions

By its nature, the ornament of the carpet composition can be divided into: centric (for the central large figures - medallions); background (filling the places of the central field free from large figures); edging (tape) to fill the border. The ornamental art of pile carpets is composed of simple forms of geometric motifs (straight lines, zigzag lines, triangles, rhombuses, polygons, spirals, crosses, etc.), geometrized plant motifs (leaves, flowers, thorns, etc.), zoomorphic motifs (dogs, horses, birds, goats, etc.), anthropomorphic motifs (human figures, separate parts of the figure: eye, hand, mustache) and geometrized forms of celestial bodies, objects (asterisk, moon, sun, water, snow, earth , sword, lamp, sleigh, etc.).

Many elements of the carpet ornament had specific names, which came from the correspondence with the content “yar bubu” - “poppy flower”, “gyed” - “star”, “gyil” - “hand”, etc. Or from the similarity with reality “katsin pats "- "cat's footprint", "meker" - "forelock", "kiirer" - "hook-shaped", "hash" - "cross", etc. And some motifs were named depending on the location of the pattern on the carpet ("yukvan fur" - “central medallion”, “kyereh” - “border”) or even from color (“tsIaru kyereh” - “variegated edge”, “chIulav kyereh” - “black edge”).

Color features of pile carpets

The color solution of pile carpets is one of the leading components of the composition, where a pattern of 7 to 24 colors and shades was located against the background of traditional blue or cherry red. The color harmony of the carpet composition was achieved by creating a balance of bright and dark spots, large and small details of the pattern forms, and a combination of warm and cold. The contour line of black or another color gives special expressiveness, strength and sonority to the main color in the patterns.

1.4. Lint-free carpets. Smooth one-sided carpets - "sumakhs"

Lint-free carpets are magnificent Lezgin smooth carpets “sumakhs”, Avar “davagins”, Kumyk “dumas”, Tabasaran and Lak “pallas” and numerous small-sized carpets: khurjins, chuvals, ribbons for jugs.

"Sumakhi", like pile carpets, have a utilitarian purpose and artistic features, which sometimes surpass the latter. The peculiarity of these carpet products is a rather large size, widespread use in everyday life, mainly for flooring, as it is soft due to the undercarpet layer of long woolen threads, which are formed due to weaving technique. Usually "sumakhs" are woven in horizontal rows of stitches intertwined with warp threads, and the ends of the yarn about 10-12 cm long are released from the inside of the carpet.

The composition of "sumakhs", as well as pile carpets, consists of a central part and a border. Usually the central field is occupied by several main medallions with narrow gaps in the background, which are filled with rare small patterns.

The pattern-forming elements of "sumakhs" have almost the same basis as pile carpets. These are geometric shapes (triangles, rhombuses, rectangles, squares, zigzag figures, polygons, etc.), stylized plant motifs (stems, flowers, leaves, etc.). In addition, there were sketchy pictorial motifs (horses, mountain tours, riders, figurines of people, birds). In sumakh patterns, there are also motifs characteristic of other types of folk art: S-shaped patterns, crosses, meanders, stars, etc.

The color solution of the "sumacs" of the old sample included about 24 colors and shades, where warm colors prevailed: red-brown, ocher-golden.

1.5. Lint-free double-sided carpets "davagins"

Lint-free double-sided carpets "davagins" are made in the Avar villages. Characteristic for them is the use of a large amount of a free field of blue or dark blue color, on which a complex symmetrical ornament "rukzal" is built. These carpets are decorative and perfectly complement the interior of the dwellings of the highlanders. The compositional solution of the carpet, like other carpet products, has a central part, which is composed of several medallions. From these medallions, numerous branches branch off in different directions, very similar to the long elongated necks of birds with a triangular ending. The entire central part is bordered by a wide frieze with a geometric ornament. The color scheme of the "davagins" is also distinguished by its concise use of dark blue and blue background colors, red, black, yellow - for a pattern that has a border of a different color.

1.6. Carpets "chibta" - mats from swamp sedge

Similar in ornament to "davagins" are mats made of marsh sedge, which are called "chibta". The ornament is usually marked with woolen threads of burgundy, orange and has a black outline, which harmonizes well with the golden yellow background of the carpet.

1.7. Features of "chuli" carpets and carpet"dum"

No less interesting are the "chuli" carpets, which are made using the "carpet" technique, have a central part of the main field of the carpet and a border with two or three stripes of border. The wonderful "dum" carpets of Kumyk craftswomen also belong to the traditional types of lint-free carpets.

The most favorite type of carpet "dum" among the Kumyks is a carpet with a pattern "nakhu oyuv" (wedding). The central field is filled with several rows (2-4) of figures with a lot of free background. And the border consists of one wide and two small strips. Such a composition of the carpet is built on a red-brown background, where large blue medallions with outlines of a complex pattern are arranged in rows. The red background of the carpet goes well with the brown border.

1.8. Lint-free rugs

The group of lint-free carpets is completed by carpets (simple and patterned). Patterned rugs were made by Lezgin, Tabasaran, Lak, Kumyk, Avar and Dargin craftswomen.

The group of Dagestan lint-free carpets also includes rugs, which were made from hemp, cotton, wool and served in everyday life for flooring, as a bedding for drying grain, corn, etc. on them. The decorative solution of these rugs was the most uncomplicated. It consisted of simple rhythmically alternating colored bands of varying widths, which were arranged either horizontally or vertically. So, rugs with a vertical compositional solution are known as Balkhara. For each nation, such carpets also had their own names, for example, among the Lezgins - “rukh”, the Tabasarans - “barkhal”, the Avars - “turut”, the Dargins - “chIankIa”, the Kumyks - “tyuz”.

In addition to such carpets, craftswomen also wove carpets ornamented with patterns with various geometric elements (triangles, squares, rhombuses, crosses, zigzag and hook-shaped), with the help of which figures were formed that filled the stripes. Many elements of patterned rugs had their own names. For example, the Kumyk carpet pattern: "ilme" - "stripes", "kaichy" - "scissors", "chermeler" - "barrels", "adamlar" - "people", "karlygach" - "swallow", "kanziler" - "steps", "yatgan" - "ladder", etc.

Patterned carpets also had their own names among the Dagestan peoples, for example: “Khaima” (Lezg.); "kyumes" (tab.); "kilim" (lacquer); "Jugarai" (cum.).

1.9. Felt carpets

Avars, Laks, Dargins, Kumyks and Nogais were mainly engaged in the manufacture of felt carpets. Widely known welt patterned felt carpets "Arbabash". They are made from several felts dyed in different colors: black, white, red, green, blue. Felt is superimposed one on top of the other, and a pattern is cut out according to a predetermined ornament. Then the cut patterns are sewn into the felt of a different color, and eventually several arbabash are obtained with the same pattern, but different in color. The seam between the patterns is closed with white braid. The pattern of such carpets is based on a stylized floral ornament, which is based on a contrasting combination of background color and a pattern that is enhanced by the white contour line of the braid.

Nogai felt carpets "kiiz" are somewhat similar, but at the same time they are different. For example, there is no applique technique for applying a pattern, as in arbabash carpets, although small household items and women's clothing (skullcaps, pouches, handbags, etc.) continue to be decorated with this technique. The most distinctive feature of decorating Nogai felt carpets is the technique of applying an ornament with a colored cord using the fastening technique. In contrast to the silhouette pattern of "arbabash", here a contour drawing is obtained, which is read in contrast against the background of the carpet.

Chapter 2. Materials and process of making carpets

The process of making a Dagestan carpet requires delicate taste, individual skill, enviable patience and perseverance from carpet weavers, since the work is done in a sitting and half-bent position. Many experienced craftswomen, not having a technical drawing in front of them, but knowing the scheme for constructing a carpet pattern, perform it from memory.

The most common material used in the production of handmade carpets is sheep's wool. The ability to choose the right yarn and process it is very important, since not only the softness and strength of the carpet, but also the degree of brightness of color shades depends on the quality of the woolen thread. For example, dyeing camel and goat hair threads in light colors is practically impossible due to the original dark natural shades.

Sheep wool also comes in different categories. There are special breeds that give a more elastic and soft coat. The best wool is produced by young animals at the age of eight to twelve months. The wool of adult animals is valued less, as it contains a lot of coarse pile. The quality of wool is also affected by the diet and habitat of animals. The finest woolen threads can only be made from wool of the highest category. Very often, cotton thread is used for the weft warp of the carpet. It is more durable and less elastic (not subject to deformation along the length) and on this basis it is easier to maintain the proportions and symmetry of the carpet. In the manufacture of carpets, silk is also used, extracted from the cocoon of a silkworm. Silk is more durable, which makes it possible to obtain the finest threads necessary for the manufacture of carpets with a rich and complex ornament. Both natural and aniline dyes are used in the dyeing of carpet threads.

Despite the widespread use of artificial dyes, some manufacturers still use natural dyes in carpet weaving, which are obtained on the basis of traditions that have come down from ancient times.

Red (one of the most common colors in oriental carpets) is obtained from madder roots. Orange shades are obtained by diluting the dye (from madder) with lemon juice. Henna leaves and sandalwood are also used in coloring. Shades of blue come from indigo root, yellow from turmeric or tannin. A very delicate yellow color is obtained from the pomegranate peel, which, mixed with the red color of the madder, gives a peculiar bright orange color. The rich yellow color is obtained from saffron flower pollen. Shades of beige and brown are natural to the coat. Green is obtained by mixing blue and yellow dyes. From the shell of a walnut or chestnut, a rich brown and black color is obtained.

For the manufacture of pile carpets, two types of knots are used: Turkish (symmetrical) and Persian (asymmetrical). An asymmetric knot is more convenient for making floral ornaments and images of people, animals, birds, as it allows you to more accurately reproduce curved soft lines. A symmetrical knot is more durable, but adapted to convey a geometric ornament.

There is also the so-called Spanish knot, which is knitted on one warp thread, as well as the jofti knot; it uses four threads. It is lighter in execution and less durable.

Handmade carpets are mainly made in small workshops and large manufactories. But traditionally they were woven by private craftsmen using technology that was passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, they not only made the carpet itself by hand, but also produced raw materials: they sheared sheep and processed wool, and prepared dyes.

Dagestan carpets can be found in museums in New York, Paris, Montreal, Osaka, Leipzig, Milan, Tokyo, Brno, Izmir and other cities. In terms of quality, Dagestan carpets are not inferior to the best world samples. They are permanent exhibits at international and domestic fairs and exhibitions, where they were awarded honorary diplomas and gold medals: in Brussels (Belgium, 1958) and the Leipzig Exhibition-Fair (GDR, 1967). With their beauty and splendor, Dagestan handmade carpets shocked the Russians at the Russian Festival of Economic and Cultural Cooperation "Moscow and Russian Regions 2000".

Conclusion

Carpet weaving in Dagestan arose as a form of labor activity, but over time it turned into one of the brightest types of decorative and applied art of Dagestan.

The rich heritage of folk art, based on centuries-old traditions, is an integral part of the ethno-artistic culture of the peoples of Dagestan. The works of folk masters reflect the experience of the people, their worldview, worldview and maintain a continuous connection between generations. Products of folk art crafts of Dagestan of the past and present are witnesses of great diligence, a subtle sense of beauty and artistic talent of the Dagestan peoples.

May there be peace over the mountain range,

May the evil of the native land not touch.

So, conjuring, you wove a carpet

For a thread, a thread in thought choosing.

Mountains and snow were woven into the pattern,

The cry of cranes and cloud feathers,

Blooming alpine meadows,

Ancient legends and beliefs.

And the carpet bloomed to flower flower,

Like native Dagestan in the height of summer.

For a thread a thread, so from beautiful lines

The creation of a poet is born.

Rasul Gamzatov

List of used sources and literature

1. Bayrambekov M.M., Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Dagestan - Reserve of Folk Art Crafts, 2005

2.Debirov P. "Carpets of Dagestan".Dagestan Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2006

3. Mammaev M.M. Decorative and applied art of Dagestan. Makhachkala, 1989.

Annex 2

2. Carpet making

Carpet weaving among the peoples of Dagestan

Dagestan has been known throughout the world for its numerous folk art crafts since ancient times. Hand-made carpet weaving, pottery and copper-chasing production, weapons and jewelry making, artistic casting, gold embroidery, carving on bone, stone, wood, ornamental notching and metal inlay on wood, etc., developed here.

In the Dagestan traditional society before the revolution, every second village had its own artistic craft. It was of a massive nature and had a priority in the economy and spiritual life of our people. Until recently, more than 15 thousand people worked in 120 settlements of the republic at the enterprises of folk art crafts.

Lezgins, like other peoples of Dagestan, contributed to the development of almost all types of artistic crafts. The most ancient and widespread type of arts and crafts among the Lezgins is carpet weaving. This kind of art, beloved by the people, has been carefully passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Its language, pattern, coloring were close and understandable to everyone. The abundance of local raw materials - wool and natural dyes, the development of animal husbandry and agriculture, but most of all - the talent, artistic talent, taste and attitude of the mountain women have long contributed to such a wide development of carpet weaving among the Lezgins.

Unknown masters created unique carpets, the artistic perfection of which pleases and surprises to this day. Magnificent carpets and rugs, created by the hands of Lezgin craftswomen, adorn the largest museums of our country.

Historical sources contain numerous information about the highly developed production of carpets in the Lezgin villages of Dagestan and about their export to different countries. In an old folk epic, purple Lezgin carpets are especially praised.

Carpet weaving is most common in Akhtyn, Dokuzparinsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Kurakhsky, Khiva regions, in such settlements as Akhty, Mikrakh, Orto-Stal, Kabir, Chilikar, Kashkent, Kug, Tsinit, Arkhit, Tsnal, Dardakent, Zakhit, Tslak , Trkol, Kancil and others, covering more than 2000 highly skilled craftswomen. In the 1920s, a new period in the development of the art of carpet weaving began. A trade cooperation was created, carpet weavers were united in production cooperatives, first in partnerships, and later in artels in the village. Ortho-Steel, Kabir, Mikrah (1928), Akhty (1931), Chilikar (1940).

In 1927 in the village. Akhty, an educational and demonstration school was opened to train craftswomen of export carpet production. In 1934 in with. Ortho-Stal creates a nursery for growing madder. And in s. Mikrah opens a dyeing workshop. In the same year, 20 best carpet weavers of the Orto-Stalskaya artel were awarded the prizes of the Export Conference under the Council of People's Commissars of the DASSR. artistic carpet weaving lezgi

In competitions and exhibitions, the work of Lezgin carpet weavers was highly appreciated. The names of craftswomen K. Kadyrova from the village are known. Ortho-Steel, A. Karabekova from the village. Ahty and many others. others

Lezghian pile carpets were exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition of Art Products (1938), where Dagestan carpets were awarded a gold medal and a diploma of the first degree. In 1939, pile carpets by Sh. Ramazanova from the Mikrakh carpet artel were presented at the New York exhibition. Lezgin carpets enjoyed great fame at the Brussels International Exhibition (1958). Over time, in the village. Akhty, Mikrah, Kabir, Ortho-Stal and others were built bright, spacious rooms, equipped with new improved machines.

Lezghin craftswomen made pile and lint-free carpets, sumakhs, rugs and other carpet products, such as shoulder bags "belih", saddlebags "khurjins". The production of pile and lint-free carpets reached 15 thousand square meters. m, and jurabs - 100 thousand pairs. Pile carpets, known far beyond the borders of the republic, were especially famous. They made up the bulk of the carpets produced by the Lezgins. Part of the high-density pile carpets was exported.

Lezgin carpets "Akhty", "Mikrakh", "Kasumkent", Tassan-Kala", "Erpenek", "Ah-Gyul", "Budelay furar" occupy a special place in the art of carpet weaving of Dagestan. They are included in the golden fund of arts and crafts The high-density carpet "Akhty" is distinguished by high quality, quality factor and elasticity of the fabric, a clear and detailed pattern, harmonious colors.

Convened on the basis of an ancient tradition, Mikrakh carpets are valued in all regions of Dagestan and are known far beyond its borders. Only in Mikrakh pile carpets, a very specific flesh-pink tone is included in the blue-red gamut usual for Dagestan, only here the role of white is significant, especially in the accompanying borders, the number of which sometimes reaches eight or nine. The pattern of Akhtyn and Mikrakh carpets has a small detailed development of ornamental motifs. Pile carpets of the "Akhty" and "Mikrakh" types are currently produced in small quantities due to the termination of the enterprises.

In addition to pile carpets, very peculiar one-sided smooth rugs, sumakh carpets, are made. Kasumkent, Kabir are one of the centers of sumac production. They are characterized by great rigor, clarity and some straightforwardness.

The Orto-Stal factory was once one of the most advanced in the field of work on new carpets. Many plot-themed carpets are made here, such as "Portrait of Suleiman-Stalsky" and others.

The art of Lezgin carpet weaving lives to this day in Dagestan. Craftswomen create their best carpets, maintaining devotion to classical traditions, while ancient motifs and compositions acquire a new meaning. However, today they need serious state support. With the transition to market economic conditions, state support for carpet enterprises was suspended. Many enterprises have ceased to exist, the volume of production of carpets and rugs is falling every day, the financial situation of carpet enterprises, and therefore the provision of work for carpet weavers is deteriorating every year. The export of carpets has ceased. The periodic intensification of crisis processes in carpet production, the lack of the necessary economic conditions for the independent exit of carpet enterprises from the current situation can lead to a complete curtailment of production in many traditional carpet weaving centers in the Lezgin regions and an increase in unemployment among carpet weavers. As a result, there may be a serious problem of maintaining the status of original folk hand-woven carpet weaving in Dagestan. State support for handmade carpet weaving, which is one of the important factors in the revival, preservation and further development of traditional folk arts and crafts, which is the national cultural heritage and property of the Dagestan peoples, will help stabilize socio-economic life and preserve the prestige of the Republic of Dagestan.

Good day, dear blog readers. Today you will find a very interesting article about the world-famous folk craft of Dagestan - carpet weaving. Really, Dagestan carpets are considered the standard of elegance and quality, and very often I heard rave reviews from people who said that even Persian carpets are not as beautiful and of high quality as Dagestan ones.

The idea of ​​writing this article was suggested to me by a regular reader of the blog, Jamal Ramazanov. If you remember, at the end of 2011 I held a New Year's contest. So, then Jamal's article "Tabasaran carpets are the pride of the people" took an honorable third place. I think it's time for me to have my say on this subject.

You know, before starting to write this article, I looked through a lot of information about Dagestan carpets on the Internet, and noticed a very interesting detail - everyone writes (or rewrites) about the history, development and current state of the carpet weaving industry, but nowhere is the process of creating beautiful Tabasaran carpets carpets and where a person can buy such carpets. Realizing that one article does not fit everything, I decided to give you all the information in three articles:

1. Why Dagestan carpets valued above the Persian
2. Mechanism and process of creation Tabasaran carpets
3. How and where can you buy Dagestan carpets?

I will write the second and third articles later. Subscribe to blog updates , so as not to miss the appearance of new articles on the blog (). And today you will receive basic information about carpets, and a pleasant surprise awaits you at the end of the article. I want to immediately clarify the question of why in some cases I say "Dagestan carpets", and others - "Tabasaran carpets". In fact, they are one and the same. Indeed, carpet weaving in Dagestan is associated, first of all, with the activities of the Tabasaran people. In general, a very interesting "division of people's labor" has developed in the mountainous republic. In the old days, they even said this: “The Dargins of the village of Kubachi are known for metal processing and stone carving, the Avars of the village of Untsukul are masters of artistic notching with metal on wood, the inhabitants of Tabasaran are skilled carpet weavers.” And now, let's look at the history of carpet weaving.

Dagestan carpets: the history of appearance and purpose

The first mention of Dagestan carpets can be found in the writings of the "father of history" - Herodotus. Traditional Dagestan carpet weaving is based on the traditions of oriental craftsmen. Indeed, for many centuries, Europeans equipped trading expeditions to Persia and China in order to bring from there not only silk, but also carpets. Any self-respecting aristocrat or monarch had a whole scattering of the most beautiful carpet products of the East. By the way, the oldest carpet that has survived to this day was found during excavations in 1949, and today it is included in the golden collection of the Hermitage:

It is foolish to think that carpets were originally invented as a luxury item. Initially, they had a very narrow functional character. Think for yourself, in the East in ancient times lived mainly nomads. And what is the most important thing for a nomad? The first is greater mobility, the second is a quick home improvement, the third is protection from climatic factors, that is, to be warm and dry. It was carpets that fully met all the requirements that were necessary for the life of nomads. It is clear that those carpets were very different from what we see today. But, this is how carpet weaving was started.

Later, people realized that the carpet is not only protection from the wind, but also a way to stand out among their relatives. So they came to the fact that they began to weave beautiful and exquisite carpet products. Further, this led to the fact that the quantity, quality and beauty of carpets determined the level of wealth of a person. Each ruler of the Ancient East tried to surround himself with expensive and exquisite carpets, thus emphasizing his superiority over the others.

By the way, do you know how the quality of a product was checked in ancient times in Dagestan? I read somewhere that before the quality control of carpets took place in three stages: 1 - a herd of horses was let through a freshly woven carpet; 2 - after that, they kept the product under the scorching rays of the sun for several days; 3 - the last stage was that the carpets were lowered into the water and left there for some time. If after all these "tests" the carpet did not lose its properties, then it was believed that the master did a great job. That was technology!

Why are real Tabasaran carpets valued higher than Persian ones?

Is it even possible to compare Tabasaran carpets with Persian (Iranian) ones? In fact, it is possible and necessary. Although, there is no need to belittle the quality of work, talent and fame of Iranian craftsmen, but the facts remain facts. The average “lifespan” of a Persian carpet is 70-150 years, while Dagestan carpets will “live” for 300-400 years. This is the case if "exploit" for its intended purpose. Yes, I emphasize that all the above figures refer to handmade carpets.

In recent years, unfortunately, the quality of making Tabasaran carpets has begun to deteriorate due to the fact that people who want to profit from it have taken up this business. As we know, in such cases, no one thinks about the quality and level of service. Although, it should be noted that until now a huge number of craftsmen weave in exactly the ways and methods that their grandfathers and great-grandfathers taught. The process of making handmade carpets has not changed much.

“God has always loved carpet, ever since he made it. In paradise there was gold and crystal and all the finest things imaginable. Gurias sat on carpets and sang very beautiful songs. Then, after the expulsion of people from paradise, the first son of Adam - the prophet Shis - took the wool of a camel. I painted it with three plants. Maybe also an indigo stone, I don't know for sure. He made yarn and wove the first earthly carpet. After the flood, mankind was born again in the Caucasus Mountains, where the ark landed. And carpets start from here. So here they are the most diverse. In the patterns of ancient carpets there are very big secrets, confessions, instructions for future generations. We just don't understand them...

The round face of an elderly lezginka is thoughtful and solemn. An elegant armuda with pomegranate-colored tea freezes on the table, and she, without looking up, looks at the machine with a stretched carpet - either like a mother looking at a child, or like a believer at an icon. Soon someone will trample it with their feet, not thinking that all life is hidden in these intricacies of yarn - wealth and poverty, love and hate, joy and pain ...
Long before Kandinsky and Brueghel

The Dagestan village of Mezhgyul is lost among the mountains and hollows, so chaotic that it seems that some giant has crumpled the local land like a piece of paper. Just as crumpled, mixed here and time. In the tiny Soviet House of Culture, there is a list of tukhums (kindred groups) and a list of adats (pre-Islamic customs). Near the ancient tombstones, painted with elegant patterns, there is a modern house, a donkey is tied at the threshold, clothes are dried on the ropes.

A continuous stream of sheep flows with a bleating down the street, crushed by trucks. Refined swallows rush over the village. With a cheerful chirp, they fly into the windows of a local factory. Women sit on cushions there, five or six behind each machine. Convex glasses, sparse teeth - dentures, even metal ones, need money. With the synchronicity of a single bionic loom, they weave carpets, and only rare jokes in Tabasaran add variety to the monotonous work. Without looking at the “crib” lying at a distance, the weavers pull the threads from the multi-colored balls hanging from above and, deftly wielding a crochet hook, weave them into the warp. Mobile phones are piled in a heap, a simple rhythmic tune comes from one of them.

When the row is finished, it is nailed with a clang of rags - heavy toothed bars. The pile protruding above the surface of the carpet is cut off with special scissors - their prototypes were found even at the sites of the Bronze Age. A dozen palms, with the synchronicity of a centipede, push the ducks, and everything repeats again and again - until the very break, when the craftswomen briefly change factory work for homework, preparing dinner for the whole family.

One involuntarily recalls the words of one of the participants in the Caucasian War, officer Bessonov, who wrote about these places: “On the damp floor of the cave, covered only with fallen hay and dirty rags, six women sat in a row. Moisture seeped through the stone, wood lice moved in the cracks, the air, saturated with the smell of rotten wool, was unbearable to breathe. At the very entrance to the cave sat a little girl with a pale face and eyes red with strain; with her thin white fingers, she kept up with the others, weaving the carpet. And I thought: it won’t be long with such work and she will turn into the same old woman as everyone else. Women worked in semi-darkness, and I was amazed how they could create truly artistic works.

“We are all old women here,” says craftswoman Gulnaz Yuzbekova. She was the first to return from dinner and drinks tea while waiting for the others. In order to be in time for the beginning of the working day, Gulnaz gets up every day no later than five in the morning. I have to do all the household chores and feed the five children. I am 50 years old and wear glasses. Lots of work, little pay. In the summer, household chores, cows - then the machines are empty. They say it will close soon. Young people do not want to work, and they do not know how. We used to learn from our parents, but now no one weaves at home anymore. Factory only.

- Do you like this job?
Gulnaz shakes his head.
- There is no other in the village, but you need to eat ...

On the bustling Peter the Great Avenue in Makhachkala, visitors are beckoned by the Center of Ethnic Culture. There is everything here: Kubachi bracelets, and Gotsatlin daggers, and even costumes of mountain women from various parts of Dagestan. But most of all, the head of the center, Shakhnabat Alimagomedova, loves carpets. This modern business woman comes from Mezhgyul. She is a hereditary craftswoman. At the age of three she already tied knots, in the fourth grade she wove a carpet on her own. But in Soviet times, the picture was somewhat different.

- We have always rejoiced at the birth of daughters. For the work we received 250 rubles a month - twice as much as a teacher! There were seven girls in our family - a whole wealth! And the work was fun. The carpet is not some ordinary object, it is filled with meaning. In the mountains to this day they say: "The owner of ancient carpets has a rich library."

Shakhnabat leafs through the carpets stacked on top of each other, like the pages of a giant book full of amazing stories.

– There are medallions in the carpets, around which the ornament is grouped. In the oldest drawings, the Earth was depicted in the center, now the Sun. The border brings the pattern together so that the house has order. It almost always has a border depicting water or infinity.

One after another, carpets woven by different peoples, named after ancient villages and long-dead craftswomen, flash by. Avar davagins, Tabasaran kyumes, Kumyk thoughts and mats... A boat floats along the woolen pile - the same Noah's Ark. I would like to believe that two carpets traveled on it among the rescued creatures at once - with a male and female pattern. For ornaments, like living beings, have a gender. On the Chire carpets, as if on an abstract version of Brueghel's canvases, an extensive panorama of the surroundings of the village of the same name unfolds: a gorge, a valley, steep cliffs. A dragon lurks on the popular sumac, and the “Akhtynskaya Rose” pattern is most likely borrowed from Pavlovsky Posad shawls brought here in the 19th century by Russian soldiers. Sketchy plants and animals, crosses and solar signs flash by. They go deeper and deeper into the thickness of time, and now, in the middle of the ornament, a huge tree of life sprouts, over which stands a pagan mother goddess with two birds in her thin hands...

Lost old technology...

The history of Caucasian carpet weaving goes back to boundless antiquity. Local carpets were mentioned by Herodotus, their rich colors were praised by travelers of the 7th century. It is then that the Dagestanis and Azerbaijanis will argue to the point of hoarseness on whose territory this or that pattern appeared. In those days, both in the north and in the south, they were created by the same peoples who did not think about the future border. In the XII century, the great Nizami spoke in the poem "Khosrov and Shirin" about ancient lint-free carpets decorated with precious stones. Even part of the taxes here were levied not on silver, but on these luxury goods. Caspian carpets were often decorated with masterpieces of Renaissance artists. The Virgin Mary with a baby at the Dutch master Hans Memling sits on the "Mugan", and the ambassadors depicted by Holbein leaned imposingly on a Ganja-Kazakh carpet dotted with swastikas.

After the entry of Dagestan into Russia, the era of manufactories began. In the 19th century, tens of thousands of carpets were produced in the Caspian region. This was facilitated by the abundance of wool and natural dyes, especially madder.

In carpet weaving, the red color, personifying fire, has always been one of the dominant ones. It was obtained from worms and mollusks, but the most accessible source was madder, a modest plant with yellow flowers and a long crimson root. It grew so abundantly here, distinguished by such exquisite shades and brought such huge incomes that these roots even ended up on the coat of arms of Derbent.

Everything changed in 1869, when the German chemists Karl Grebe and Karl Liebermann discovered the synthesis of cheap artificial alizarin, the coloring matter of madder. It's time for aniline dyes. In vain did the Shah of Iran order the hand to be cut off of anyone who dyed yarn with newfangled chemicals. Progress was unstoppable. Natural dyes were finally buried by the Soviet government, which gathered handicraftsmen who worked in the old fashioned way into large factories. The directors cared about the scale and cheapness, not the sighs of grandmothers about the special, as if shining, shades of madder root. Ancient recipes were forgotten, and ancient carpets flowed abroad at the end of the 20th century, so now it is difficult to find them in Dagestan even in museums. Failed, unable to withstand competition with foreign goods, and economical aniline production.

Shakhnabat is sure that traditional carpet weaving can still be saved. It is necessary to create suitable conditions - and their daughters and granddaughters will come to replace the outgoing generation of intergul weavers. That's just the state funding of crafts seems to go into the sand, not reaching the addressees. Even the residents of the republic, famous for its flocks, have to buy sheep yarn in Moscow: local production has long gone bankrupt. But when officials shrug their shoulders, enthusiasts come to the rescue, who may not have big money, but have a love for their work.

…and found again

In the spacious office of the building of the Academy of Sciences, not far from the Center for Ethnic Culture, I am met by Honored Scientist of the Republic of Dagestan, Doctor of Historical Sciences Magomedkhan Magomedkhanov. Here he is in charge of the ethnography department. The brightest adventures of this unusual person - dense, with a sharp, as if chopped, stern face - are worthy of being woven on a carpet. After all, it was Professor Magomedkhanov who was the first who tried to revive Dagestan carpets in the form in which they were woven before the invention of aniline dyes. It was in 1993.

“My drawings have been stolen all over Dagestan, and I’m glad,” the creator of the Khan’s Carpets brand says weightily. – Carpet weaving is a huge world. There are international congresses, there is the World Association for Natural Dyes, of which I am a member of the executive committee. At a conference in South Korea, my yellow color won first place. Colleagues asked where I get it from, and I said - from rhododendron. But nothing came of them. It turned out that a special rhododendron grows in Dagestan, with different properties.

Many people claim to be the discoverers, but in fact, the return to natural carpet dyes was initiated in 1991 by the American George Evremovich, the grandson of the chairman of the Yugoslav Parliament, who was shot by Josip Broz Tito. There was also the German Harol Böhmer, who received huge grants in Turkey for the restoration of natural colors. I met Evremovich, but he did not reveal a single secret to me.

Fortunately, in 1984 I met an American, Josephine Powell, at a conference. Legendary woman! Back in the time of King Zahir Shah, she created the National Museum of Afghanistan. It was then bombed, but Josephine managed to save the entire archive and transfer it to Harvard. I complained to her, and she said: “They don’t understand anything about this matter. Harol, as he was a school chemistry teacher, remained so, and Evremovich is more interested in money than carpets. Are you in Istanbul for a long time? And in a week, right in my kitchen, she explained a lot to me.

I returned to my homeland, made a couple of carpets and showed Evremovich. He examined them for almost half an hour, then said that he would work with me.

I came to the factory in Khuchni - and there is only one administration. There is no production, no wages, broken glass, dirt, wind. When I offered the lease, they got scared. They decided that I was a mafia and was going to take the building. Don't want a contract? So everything will be illegal. Cash. This is my own money, why should I feed the head of the district? And so it worked. In the dashing nineties, there was a war here, and I supplied carpets to America. When the international airport was closed, he exported through Ichkeria, without any customs at all. Then September 11 boomed, demand dropped sharply in the US, and Evremovich started to have big problems. Now I almost do not make carpets.

These are not some Persian rugs for you.

“Any Pakistani carpet is inferior to that made in the Caucasus,” says Arif Suleymanov, former deputy dean of the Faculty of Law at Daggos University, and now almost the only entrepreneur in the republic who has managed to build a sustainable profitable business for the production of carpets. - Mass stamping is impossible, but it is quite possible to sell five thousand square meters of expensive products a year. Our sumacs have no analogue in the world. And although only one out of a thousand understands this, such a person will never buy an Iranian carpet instead of a Dagestan one.

We are sitting in the wide living room of Arif's house in Makhachkala. In the yard, two helpers arrange a bathing of the red carpet: before sending a newborn luxury item to the store, it must be washed and a good cut around the edges.

There is a dense smell of wet sheepskin. Arif, pulling a simple baseball cap over his forehead, pours tea. He is a Tabasaran, and his love for this drink is innate, as well as his love for the original craft of his fellow tribesmen - carpet weaving. Colleagues respectfully say about Suleymanov that he was born on a carpet. His mother was a well-known craftswoman, and the future lawyer himself knew how to weave colorful sumacs from childhood. In 1998, he returned to this craft, which gradually became the main business of his life.

“When I started, no one believed in success,” Arif smiles contentedly. - And I saw the importance of my occupation not only for our craft, but for all mankind. For ten years we almost did not make carpets, we were engaged exclusively in flowers. Reading old books, doing experiments. We shoveled about two hundred plants, tried many of their combinations. Now we use 18 primary colors. It is impossible to patent it, we just keep our secrets. For the master, their loss is tantamount to suicide.

However, secrets alone are not enough. We also need a fierce, uncompromising readiness to work. No wonder Arif jokingly says that in Dagestan only workaholics and embezzlers survive. Now he already has four factories, he is building new ones. Assistants are gaining experience, but all the same, Suleymanov always controls the dye house personally. The properties of plants are constantly changing, and therefore their concentration has to be adjusted “by eye”. Otherwise, those very original colors cannot be achieved.

Unlike Magomedkhan, he focuses on the domestic market. Most of his products are bought by Dagestanis who know a lot about high-quality carpets - from the head of the republic to emigrants who have long left their native places.

“They told me, ‘Why are you doing this? Carpet weaving is hard, slave labor for humiliatingly low wages. Our people have been doing it for centuries, but do you need it? And I also thought: will they really curse me? But then he asked the women themselves, and they were surprised: “Arif-khalu, what are you talking about!” Weavers know that as soon as they get up from the loom, others will immediately sit in their place. If many businessmen paid as much as I pay, it would be hard. But there are no jobs in the villages. People are left to their fate. So all that remains for them is to weave, as their grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. And just like them, create beauty. A good carpet is like a rainbow in the sky. Even better - you will not find such a wealth of shades even on the rainbow ...

The chubby lezginka weaves thousands of threads into the quivering warp, breaking them like an ancient goddess of fate. Each villus is unique, but only where they all merge into a single whole, you can see both the pattern and the meaning.

The ornament of the carpet is like a book that has been written for thousands of years. Any tiniest symbol of it matters, each stroke is born of the hard, painful work of many generations. But even in the terrible "Topancha" among the signs of war and blood, an experienced eye will discern the silhouettes of birds, the bright sun, the houses illuminated by it and the gardens of the Garden of Eden, the cherished homeland of people and carpets.

Dagestan is the center of carpet weaving in Russia. Distinctive features of Dagestan carpets are the richness of patterns combined with clear compositions and color schemes. All designs are impeccable and clearly woven, the main ornaments are large in size. In woven products, a combination of warm and cold colors is characteristic. We will talk about this type of carpets today.

Carpet weaving in Dagestan

The art of carpet weaving is traditionally passed down from generation to generation. Girls start watching their mothers at work. In Tabasaran families, women are the main breadwinners of the family, as they earn more money than men.

The best woolen carpets from Russia are woven in Tabasaran (a province in the south of Dagestan). It is here that handmade works are made, namely Tabasaran carpets, using techniques of centuries-old construction.

The inhabitants of Tabasaran, living in Dagestan, are the only ethnic group in Russia that continues the traditional art of carpet weaving.

At one time, carpets were not as common as they are now, and not enough was produced to decorate a room in any home. The nomadic peoples who inhabited the eastern countries first made them a practical object that helped keep houses warm, easily transported and remained untouched for many years.

Over time, carpets began to include patterns that became more complex and elegant. Their level of maintenance was a sign of their owner's status.

Nowadays, carpets are a must in every Dagestan home. In poor families, lint-free sumacs lie on the floor. Wealthier families cover the floors with heavy carpets.

Carpets are made here in almost every home. If they are not for sale, they are made for home use. Their prices are sometimes so high that after the sale, one family can live comfortably for more than six months. Such a carpet product is equivalent in value to a pair of horses or several heads of small cattle.

In order to make a carpet, you must first make a base. Dense cotton threads are tightly wrapped around parallel frames. Then several women get into the car and begin their main work.

Using a special hook, they tie a knot of colored yarn around each thread. These craftsmen work at a dizzying pace.

When one row is finished, they wring it out using a heavy comb. Rough ends are cut with large scissors. So they reach a certain depth of pile.

To make sure they didn't make a mistake in the pattern, the women check the pattern against the cheat sheet. However, more experienced weavers know the picture with their hearts.

The most valuable are wool carpets dyed using natural dyes. The skills of obtaining one or another color were passed down from generation to generation. Many different colors can be made using plants, minerals or insects.

After the women finish their work, the carpets are solemnly taken out into the yard. The carpet should now be sent to its owner. He or she will be able to enjoy the product for at least 300 years.

Tabasaran carpets are distinguished by incredible durability, the secret of which lies in a special technique for making high-quality yarn. To do this, use the wool of high-mountain sheep and dye it in different colors using natural dyes: walnut bark, wormwood, barberry.

In the past, every home had a weaving machine. When not in use, they were carefully taken apart and stored until needed. A young girl from Tabasaran always had two large carpets and one small carpet as her dowry.

Excursion into history

The art of carpet weaving as a traditional folk craft develops and goes back to ancient times, passing the secrets of craftsmanship from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, improving design and composition, introducing new ideas.

Carpet weaving is one of the most interesting occupations, which received the most favorable conditions for its development in the 20-30s of this century. Several houses of women artisans united more than ten artels in settlements and surrounding villages.

Tabasaran carpet has a very high wear resistance - the average life of carpets is about 250-300 years. Dagestan handmade carpets are of a national character and are highly valued as family heirlooms. They are hard, durable and have an inimitable color, composition and design. Carpets, as works of eternally young and unique art, have preserved the traditions and technologies of the old past for our days. They are widely used to decorate the interior of houses and public places, they harmonize well with any furniture.

The main design on Dagestan carpets consists of a geometric ornament, symbolizing the silhouette of animals, birds and vegetation of the surrounding life and nature, with a characteristic combination of warm and cold contour colors, giving expressiveness and sophistication to the design.

Nowadays, carpets are produced with various types of drawings, portraits, landscapes, monuments, historical figures. Tabasaran craftswomen produce lint-free carpets with embossed images. The unique character of carpets requires good skill, exquisite taste, individual craftsmanship, great patience and painstaking work and perseverance. Many experienced craftsmen can do their job without a technical design scheme, having it in mind. A good carpet weaver very quickly, barely touching the threads of yarn, can perform about 7-8 thousand knots a day, spending only 2 seconds for each.

Depending on the use, each carpet has its own structure, design and coloring. Dagestan carpets are exhibited in museums in New York, Paris, Montreal, Osaka, Milan, Tokyo, Izmir and many other places. In terms of quality, Dagestan carpets are not inferior to the best world samples. They were constantly exhibited at international and domestic fairs and exhibitions, were awarded certificates of honor and gold medals at the international exhibition in Brussels (Belgium, 1958), the Leipzig exhibition-fair (Germany, 1967). Carpets are included in the world catalog under the names "Tabasaran", "Derbent", "Akhty", "Mikrakh". From the end of August to the beginning of September 2000, the All-Russian Exhibition Center hosted the Russian festival of economic and cultural cooperation "Moscow and the regions of Russia 2000". In this festival, Dagestan handicraft carpets enchanted all Russian peoples with their splendor and beauty. And Dagestan carpets received a gold medal in the nomination "folk crafts and art goods" in the competition "The Best Goods of Russia".

Carpet Museum in Derbent

In 1982, the museum of carpet weaving was opened. It was placed in the premises of the Armenian church, which was built in 1870. Given the thousand-year history of carpets, the location of the exposition in the city center attracts many tourists. Many of them specially come to look at the real Tabasaran carpet. The price of the product starts from 10,000 rubles per square meter of carpet. And this is provided that artificial dyes are used. An original Tabasaran carpet made with natural dyes costs several times more. Today Tabasaran handmade carpets can be seen in the best museums in Paris, London, Tokyo. Houses and palaces of the first persons of various powers are decorated with woven products. At international exhibitions, carpet products constantly win gold medals.

Live, appreciate life and enjoy it - such wishes of the masters are conveyed by the patterns and painting of the carpet. You can peer into the picture for hours: someone will see trees and birds on it, someone will see the face of a stranger looking into the distance. The next viewer will look at the mountains rising up, and the plain at the foot, along which a man walks with a plow and plows the land. It seems that you have seen all the smallest details on the Tabasaran carpets, when suddenly a picture appears before your eyes that you did not notice before ... And again the picture changes.