Caucasus, Azerbaijan & Anatolia
Shahsavan Allover Diamond Trellis
Soumak Rugs
2.2 m × 1.53 m
A Shahsavan-design soumak whose entire field is filled with a fine allover trellis of small serrated diamonds and hooked boxes, shimmering across muted tones of gold, sage, slate blue, ivory and madder. The tiny, tightly packed cells recall the dowry weavings of the Shahsavan nomads of the Caucasus and northwest Persia. Naturally dyed handspun wool is weft-wrapped in soumak flat-weave, and the soft, mosaic-like surface gives it a quiet, antique character. Approximately 2.2 m by 1.53 m.
The tradition
Caucasus, Azerbaijan & Anatolia
Soumak is one of the oldest flat-weaving techniques of the Caucasus and Central Asia, its name often linked to the town of Shamakhi in Azerbaijan. Unlike a knotted pile carpet, a soumak is built by wrapping the coloured weft yarns over and around the warp threads, producing a flat, hard-wearing surface with a distinctive herringbone-like texture on the front and loose floating threads on the back.
At Hunza Carpet the soumak loom carries both the classic vocabulary of the Caucasus — Shahsavan, Verneh and Shirvan designs — and original Hunza compositions drawn from the valley's own embroidery, so a single shelf can hold an Azerbaijani medallion piece beside an ibex design that belongs only to the Karakoram.
Motifs & meaning
Reading the design
Soumak designs are emblematic rather than pictorial: bold medallions, hooked diamonds and rows of stylised creatures, each carrying meaning passed down through generations of weavers.
Stepped medallion
Central authority and protection of the home.
Hooked diamond (latch-hook)
Warding off the evil eye and misfortune.
S-form / dragon
An ancient Caucasian guardian motif tied to water and fertility.
Running-dog border
Continuity and a protective boundary around the field.
Ibex (Hunza design)
The wild mountain goat of the Karakoram — strength and surefootedness.
Materials & technique
How it is made
Worked in naturally dyed, handspun wool on a wool foundation. The weft-wrapping technique gives a flat, reversible-feeling face that is dense and durable, prized for floors and equally at home on a wall.
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