Semi-Antique, Armenian Kazak; 63" x 93", Ex. Condition - Caucusus

Peso Priced Item; 
Semi-Antique, Armenian Kazak; 63" x 93", Ex. Condition.  5' 3" by 7' 9".  
From the Armenian villages of the Caucusus, this tribal rug shows all the characteristics of the great Kazaks; red wefts, natural wool warps and the color palette of Caucasia. 
The Armenian weavers are the christians of the region, while all other Kazaks are woven by muslims.
 
Armenians are the earliest known weavers of pile rugs. Ulrich Schurmann, a renowned expert on oriental rugs,
believes that the Pazyryk rug, the world’s oldest known rug (5th cent. B.C.), can be attributed to the late Urartians, or early Armenians, based on the rug’s structure, design, and motifs. Marco Polo and Herodotus are among the many observers and historians who recognized the beauty of Armenian rugs.  They noted the rugs’ vivid red color which was derived from a dye made from an insect called “vordan” (Arabic “kirmiz”), found in the Mount Ararat valley. The Armenian city of Artashat was famous for its “vordan” dye and
was referred to as “the city of the color red” by the Arab historian Yaqut.  After the Genocide, when Western Armenia was ethnically-cleansed of Armenians, with no one to defend their cultural heritage, the rugs that Armenians wove for a millennia suddenly
became “Turkish”. Today, due to the commitment of collectors, experts as well as the Armenian Rugs Society  https://www.armenianrugssociety.org , 
Armenians’ seminal place in rug history is being restored.