- Home
- Textiles, Carpets and Tapestries
- Carpets
- Early Turkoman Design Evolution
Early Turkoman Design Evolution
- By Allen, Jim
- Published 20 March 2008
- Carpets
- Unrated
Allen, Jim
Jim Allen has collected Turkomen weavings since the late 1970's along with other types of ethnographic art. He has been a guest of the Turkmanbashii, the supreme ruler of Turkmenistan, where he delivered a paper to the "Symposium on Cultural Affairs Concerning Classical Culture" in Askhabad, Turkmenistan, in October of 2000. Jim Allen published interesting articles in Hali and Ghereh magazines, Oriental Rug Studies V, and lectured at the International and the National Conferences on Oriental Rugs. He once played varsity football on full scholarship at Jacksonville State University, 1969-70 and graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1973. Mr. Allen became a popular poet at ABC NOREO, off Remsen Street, in the East Village of New York City. Later, with the help of Nobiko Kajitani and Kurt Munkcasi, he submitted a Turkoman weaving sample that was confidently dated to the mid 17th century by AJT Jull, via Carbon 14 analysis, at Arizona State University. This marked the beginning of a new era in Turkoman studies. Subsequently several others (Heckshure, Hoffmeister, Rageth, Munkcasi etc.) tested and identified classical era Turkoman weavings. Mr. Jim Allen is presently semi-retired living in pleasant Chattanooga, Tennessee.
www.a-bey.com
This paper describes a possible mechanism for early Turcoman design evolution and more specifically how a 13th century Turcoman border design evolved into the field design or gull of a later 14th century Turcoman Rug. The borders of all classic Turcoman weavings have been under analyzed versus field decorations, especially tribal gulls. The fragment pictured below, slide #1, is from a 13th century Turcoman fragment at the TIME, Istanbul. The TIME also has a complete similar carpet on exhibition and it is extremely large, at least four times the surface area of traditional Turcoman main carpets.
#1
In many classical Turcoman weavings important symbolic complexes, mainly gulls and border designs, were paired with one white/positive and the other red/positive. In some classical Turcoman weavings the red is replaced with a deep royal purple. Regarding any pair of associated red and white symbolic Turcoman designs, one finds they are often 'meaningful' regardless of the viewer's perspective. I believe the Turcoman associated white with purity, spirituality, and the past/future while associating red with blood, flesh, and the immediate present. In slides # 2 & #3 I've cropped the main repeat design from the border of slide #1 thereby isolating its main components in direct vertical opposition or 180 degrees of difference. One sees that looking from the field outward the design complex is white positive. Moving off the rug and looking back toward the field one sees that the border design is red positive.
#2
#3
By presenting this 13th century design complex two ways it is possible to see its white/red design complexes from two directions; without moving anything but the eyes. In the top border representation the major white positive image seems to represent two souls or "clan members" sitting at a table. Most traditionalists have interpreted these white dominant designs as representative of early Kufic script, but without much substantiation, reminding me that correlation does not mean causation. Looking from the white positive perspective the design's central or objective focus might well represent a skull with horns or a heart with wings though it is literally a diamond form surmounted by two half 'S' forms. Interestingly benches with rows of horns terminating in either a goddess figure or a skull with large horns has archeological roots going back to pre-Mithric times in Anatolia. If one 'sees' the central object of the white positive design as a heart with wings then it becomes very easy to see this heart being held up by the feet of the two white triangular headed souls or cult members.
Looking at this design complex from a 180 degree shift in perspective, notice how this design complex immediately shifts focus from a white positive image to a red positive one. I define a dominant or positive signifier as that image, relative to any design complex, which entertains an intuitive or objective interpretation supported by secondary object relationships. From the red dominant perspective I see a person wearing a red robe with upraised arms. A red triangular head or maybe a hat with flaps floats above the red body with upraised arms.
The 'eyes' of the upside down white triangular heads combine with the central focus of the white positive assemblage, that central perpendicular dark line, to reveal a spiritual presence or abstract anthropomorphic face or spirit. Viewed red positive what previously seemed to be a white skull surmounted by a rack of horns or a flying heart instantly morphs into a spectacular white necklace worn by the red or real time priest or shaman. Even today some animist shamen wear necklaces sporting large animal tusks or claws.
The association of the red dominant signifier with a living priest or shaman causes, by logical inversion, the casting of the opposing white dominant cult members, sitting at the 'table', as either ancestors or spirits. This makes sense to me for in the classical Turcoman world spirits were as real as any shaman was. In fact, relative to the true Turkmen's animist ideology, a red priest or shaman juxtaposed with white spirits would be reinforcing in a process constantly iterated from the past into the present. I am reminded of how the Dali Lama is selected and the system of naming ancestors found in the Torah or Old Testament. Genealogy was extremely important to any Turcoman during the classical period; with individuals often swearing oaths or giving testimony by emphasizing their heritage as proof of their veracity. O'Donovan made extensive mention of the Tekke's genealogical proclivities in his book, The Merv Oasis.
Traditionalists have usually termed the white positive objects in slide #1 as Kufic Keys or Kufic letters. The red positive aspect of this border design complex has been understudied or totally ignored. I wonder why the weavers of such a very large Khan's rug would have given "Kufic" letters or key's such prominent eyes? The spiritual presence generated by these minimalist white and red forms, reinforced or animated by secondary objects, is simply amazing. It is a Buddhist principle that only very simple forms or expressions can represent the most complex relationships and this philosophy seems to underlie the design aesthetic of this extremely old Turcoman border.
Extending the principles outlined above; I am tentatively identifying a rug in the collection of the Vakiflar Museum, Turkey, currently dated to the 15th century, as possibly a 14th century Turcoman main carpet. The rug is pictured below, slide #4, and exhibits a red positive border design along with two well known Turcoman minor borders. It also has a traditional Turcoman red field with traditional highly meaningful Turcoman negative space relationships.
#4
The innermost border of the Vakiflar's rug shows a well articulated "S" border closely associated with the later so called "S" group Salor weavings and Holbein rugs. This possibly raises a question about the origins of Holbein rug designs. I wonder if the later classic period Salor Turkmen were simply the same people as those earlier 13th century Ersari (Beysehiri's) who remained nomadic, leaving their 'brothers' to either become assimilated into the Turkish race or remain isolated in certain areas of Anatolia like Yahyali, Soma, Konya, or Lake Beyeshiri.
In the 14th century rug's main gulls, slide #4, I perceive a relationship between its gulls and the red positive design of the earlier Turcoman Khan rug's border complex, slide #3. The 14th century Vakiflar rug' s main gulls are complemented by minor gulls and the negative space emphasizing these minor gulls is recapitulated in the center of each major gull. The implied outline of the hidden or secondary gull is almost exactly reproduced in each main gull center. The central motif of each main gull is a six pointed star while the hidden gull centers are derived from the earlier 13th century Khan rug's octagonal gull centers. In Yetkin's book, Historical Turkish Carpets, she illustrates a number of Seljuk fragments with variations of the 13th century Khan's carpet border. In these peripheral or non Turcoman representations, the figure ground balance, seen in the original Turcoman border, becomes increasingly indistinct as the form de-evolves into designs with true Kufic resonance.
#1
In many classical Turcoman weavings important symbolic complexes, mainly gulls and border designs, were paired with one white/positive and the other red/positive. In some classical Turcoman weavings the red is replaced with a deep royal purple. Regarding any pair of associated red and white symbolic Turcoman designs, one finds they are often 'meaningful' regardless of the viewer's perspective. I believe the Turcoman associated white with purity, spirituality, and the past/future while associating red with blood, flesh, and the immediate present. In slides # 2 & #3 I've cropped the main repeat design from the border of slide #1 thereby isolating its main components in direct vertical opposition or 180 degrees of difference. One sees that looking from the field outward the design complex is white positive. Moving off the rug and looking back toward the field one sees that the border design is red positive.
#2
#3
By presenting this 13th century design complex two ways it is possible to see its white/red design complexes from two directions; without moving anything but the eyes. In the top border representation the major white positive image seems to represent two souls or "clan members" sitting at a table. Most traditionalists have interpreted these white dominant designs as representative of early Kufic script, but without much substantiation, reminding me that correlation does not mean causation. Looking from the white positive perspective the design's central or objective focus might well represent a skull with horns or a heart with wings though it is literally a diamond form surmounted by two half 'S' forms. Interestingly benches with rows of horns terminating in either a goddess figure or a skull with large horns has archeological roots going back to pre-Mithric times in Anatolia. If one 'sees' the central object of the white positive design as a heart with wings then it becomes very easy to see this heart being held up by the feet of the two white triangular headed souls or cult members.
Looking at this design complex from a 180 degree shift in perspective, notice how this design complex immediately shifts focus from a white positive image to a red positive one. I define a dominant or positive signifier as that image, relative to any design complex, which entertains an intuitive or objective interpretation supported by secondary object relationships. From the red dominant perspective I see a person wearing a red robe with upraised arms. A red triangular head or maybe a hat with flaps floats above the red body with upraised arms.
The 'eyes' of the upside down white triangular heads combine with the central focus of the white positive assemblage, that central perpendicular dark line, to reveal a spiritual presence or abstract anthropomorphic face or spirit. Viewed red positive what previously seemed to be a white skull surmounted by a rack of horns or a flying heart instantly morphs into a spectacular white necklace worn by the red or real time priest or shaman. Even today some animist shamen wear necklaces sporting large animal tusks or claws.
The association of the red dominant signifier with a living priest or shaman causes, by logical inversion, the casting of the opposing white dominant cult members, sitting at the 'table', as either ancestors or spirits. This makes sense to me for in the classical Turcoman world spirits were as real as any shaman was. In fact, relative to the true Turkmen's animist ideology, a red priest or shaman juxtaposed with white spirits would be reinforcing in a process constantly iterated from the past into the present. I am reminded of how the Dali Lama is selected and the system of naming ancestors found in the Torah or Old Testament. Genealogy was extremely important to any Turcoman during the classical period; with individuals often swearing oaths or giving testimony by emphasizing their heritage as proof of their veracity. O'Donovan made extensive mention of the Tekke's genealogical proclivities in his book, The Merv Oasis.
Traditionalists have usually termed the white positive objects in slide #1 as Kufic Keys or Kufic letters. The red positive aspect of this border design complex has been understudied or totally ignored. I wonder why the weavers of such a very large Khan's rug would have given "Kufic" letters or key's such prominent eyes? The spiritual presence generated by these minimalist white and red forms, reinforced or animated by secondary objects, is simply amazing. It is a Buddhist principle that only very simple forms or expressions can represent the most complex relationships and this philosophy seems to underlie the design aesthetic of this extremely old Turcoman border.
Extending the principles outlined above; I am tentatively identifying a rug in the collection of the Vakiflar Museum, Turkey, currently dated to the 15th century, as possibly a 14th century Turcoman main carpet. The rug is pictured below, slide #4, and exhibits a red positive border design along with two well known Turcoman minor borders. It also has a traditional Turcoman red field with traditional highly meaningful Turcoman negative space relationships.
#4
The innermost border of the Vakiflar's rug shows a well articulated "S" border closely associated with the later so called "S" group Salor weavings and Holbein rugs. This possibly raises a question about the origins of Holbein rug designs. I wonder if the later classic period Salor Turkmen were simply the same people as those earlier 13th century Ersari (Beysehiri's) who remained nomadic, leaving their 'brothers' to either become assimilated into the Turkish race or remain isolated in certain areas of Anatolia like Yahyali, Soma, Konya, or Lake Beyeshiri.
In the 14th century rug's main gulls, slide #4, I perceive a relationship between its gulls and the red positive design of the earlier Turcoman Khan rug's border complex, slide #3. The 14th century Vakiflar rug' s main gulls are complemented by minor gulls and the negative space emphasizing these minor gulls is recapitulated in the center of each major gull. The implied outline of the hidden or secondary gull is almost exactly reproduced in each main gull center. The central motif of each main gull is a six pointed star while the hidden gull centers are derived from the earlier 13th century Khan rug's octagonal gull centers. In Yetkin's book, Historical Turkish Carpets, she illustrates a number of Seljuk fragments with variations of the 13th century Khan's carpet border. In these peripheral or non Turcoman representations, the figure ground balance, seen in the original Turcoman border, becomes increasingly indistinct as the form de-evolves into designs with true Kufic resonance.
