Akstafa Kazak Rug

The source of the rug comes from the book Orient Star – A Carpet Collection, E. Heinrich Kirchheim, Hali Publications Ltd, 1993 nr.7. This rug is from the late 19th century, Kazak region, Caucasus area. The Akstafa design reminds the basic principles of Star Kazaks, with the birds flanking the stars in the cartouche positions, their long tails pointing diagonally to the star centers. All examples of this type are very similar in design, even down to identical borders which show a cartouche-derived form with hooked ends, and thus differences in execution and colors are particularly important. The shiny wool and soft clear pastel colors of this example may point to a possible origin closer to the Talish or Moghan regions. The name "Akstafa" is commonly given to a group of long rugs with characteristic design features of large fan-tailed birds, probably peacocks arranged down the length of the field above and below large stellar medallions. Although Akstafa is the name of a village in the Kazak weaving area, most examples of this design type have wool warps and cotton wefts, a structure not usually encountered on rugs attributed to the Kazak region, which have all-wool foundations. Unfortunately, there seem to be few dated examples that might aid us. One, illustrated in Albert Achdjian's The Rug, is dated 1334AH (1915-16), and has the typical look of an early 20th-century version of a traditional design; apparently, it also has an all-wool foundation. What little emerges from these facts suggests that this design was not confined to one small area. This example, which was probably made during the first quarter of the 20th century, has elements somewhat stiffly "drawn" compared to older versions, but the birds are still clearly recognizable. Note that the pairs of quartered squares, although found in early examples of this design group, can also be seen on several other design groups of rugs made in Shirvan, particularly in the Baku area. The design of the rug is interpreted by our designers, and the most appropriate colors to match the original is used for this rug.