Armenian Rugs
Armenian rugs tend to feature more curvilinear floral designs, with elaborate blossoms. They were traditionally created for the Russian markets, who tended to favor these types of designs.
Partridges (kakavik, pronounced gugku-veek) hold an important place in Armenian culture. They are featured often in Armenian poetry, and can be used for ceremonial purposes.
Multi-Cultural Caucasus
The Caucasus is home to a variety of ethnolinguistic groups. Nagorno-Karabakh is a deeply contested territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with conflicts over the area as recent as 1993. Although this rug was woven in Azerbaijan, the population of the Karabakh region is majority Armenian. Karabagh means “black garden”, so fittingly rugs from this region tend to have black fields, with floral borders and designs.
We sourced our information from Oriental Rugs by Murray L. Eiland Jr., Rugs of the Peasants and Nomads of Anatolia by W. Brüggemann, Hali Magazine, and consulted local Armenian friends and dealers.
