SHIRVAN RUG

floor covering handmade in the Shirvan region of the southeastern Caucasus (Azerbaijan). Shirvan rugs are difficult to distinguish from Dagestan rugs, produced directly north beyond the mountains, but are generally coarser, with somewhat longer pile. To the south, Shirvan rugs blend with Karabagh rugs. A vertical row of medallions, a row of stylized palmettes, or a series of elements copied from Kurdish harshang rugs may fill the field. Geometrically formed peacocks or pheasants may face each other across the surface, or there may be numbers of tiny, geometrically formed sheep, deer, or dogs. In one favourite border, the wine cup, a tiny figure, resembling a tuning fork between two jagged leaves, is repeated. Another mimics a Persian stripe of interlaced arabesques. Shirvan rugs are usually woven entirely of wool, but some show cotton weft. The Seichurs are a well-known subclass.