Fine 19th-century antique Serapi carpet of Persia. Woven in the rugged mountains of Northwest Persia, Serapi rugs are a distinct Heriz region style, with finer knotting and more large-scale spaciously placed antique carpet designs than other rugs from this area. Persian carpets had to be taken by their weavers to Serab, 30 miles distant, to be marketed. “Serapi” is not a place or tribal name; rather it is a market term derived from “Serab-i,” meaning “of Serab”. The bold geometric designs are probably connected to the tribal Caucasian traditions across the Aras River to the north.
Fine 19th-century antique Serapi carpet of Persia. Woven in the rugged mountains of Northwest Persia, Serapi rugs are a distinct Heriz region style, with finer knotting and more large-scale spaciously placed antique carpet designs than other rugs from this area.
Persian carpets had to be taken by their weavers to Serab, 30 miles distant, to be marketed. “Serapi” is not a place or tribal name; rather it is a market term derived from “Serab-i,” meaning “of Serab”.
The bold geometric designs are probably connected to the tribal Caucasian traditions across the Aras River to the north.
The Beshirs produced their rugs in the Khanate of Bokhara. Unlike other Turkoman tribes, the Beshir pursued a distinct weaving style. Featuring bright colors , antique rugs from the Beshir tribe feature large motifs and stylized flowers. Placing an emphasis on floral patterns and all over designs, these antique rugs are heavily sought after because of their distinct style.
Beshir rugs are made by the Beshir tribe, one of several subdivisions of the Ersari group of Turkoman people, who inhabit the Amu Darya Valley in Turkmenistan and parts of Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
The standard designs used by the Tekke vary according to the nature of the weaving.
Main Carpets. The Tekke gul was used almost exclusively as the major gul in the field of main carpets. Minor guls usually are either the chemche or gurbaghe (also called the kurbage) gul.
On Tekke carpets which were made up to ner the end of the 19th century, the major border is on a red ground and contains rows of octagons, usually filled either with four small eight-pointed stars (occasionally one large star) or with a kotchak-cross ornament.
The district of Shirvan produced many highly decorative antique rugs that have complexity that is found in few rugs from the Caucasus. Shirvan, which is part of modern-day Azerbaijan, was populated by Azeri Turks and some Armenians, who were expert dyers and weavers.
Grand symbol-filled medallions with polychrome accents are featured prominently as are all-over Afshan patterns, which are a sort of angular arabesque filled with dramatic harshang palmettes. Stunning allover patterns featuring symbolic devices and a latticework of angular floral sprigs are also used.
A subtype of the Kuba rug, antique Seychour (also known as Seichur and Zeychour) rugs are made in the small town of Yukhari-Zeykhur in Azerbaijan in the Northeast Caucasus. Known for the detailed precision of their drawing and design as well as for their saturated colors, antique Seychour rugs popularly display designs such as cabbage rose, tulips and the Seychour cross. Differing from other Caucasian rugs, antique Seychour rugs do not share the same symmetry in their borders.
Antique Persian Heriz/Serapi, hailing from the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan and the encompassing Heriz region, hold a rich tapestry of history and craftsmanship. The village of Serab, nestled to the south of the Heriz region in North West Persia, is the venerable birthplace of these exquisite rugs.
Serapi, a term often reserved for the most exceptional antique rugs from the Heriz vicinity, has carved out a distinct niche in the world of rug connoisseurs.
