Shahsavan Kilims

(Now known as Ilsavan) The Ilsavan are a confederation of the most important of the Turkic tribes that are found on the north—west Persian border with the Caucasus. Some of the tribal groups are semi-nomadic, moving from the plains of Mughan to the summer pastures in the mountains west of Ardabil. Shahsavan means ‘lovers of the Shah’, indicating
their mercenary attachment to the Safavid rulers, and these Turkic tribes are descended from the Seljuk Turks of Central Asia. Members of this confederation include those Caucasian Turks who fled south from the Russians in the late nineteenth century. The Ilsavan are best known for their ceremonial horse blankets, woven in soumak technique and decorated with horses, deer and birds. Kilims from this area are similar in design and scale to the southern Caucasian production, differing only in the raw materials used, and in certain design details. llsavan kilims are woven with dark, dry and coarse wool, a contrast to the fabled soft, fine and ivory—coloured woollen yarn of the Caucasus. Persian
influences are evident in the random scattering of stylized birds, flowers and human figures in the field of the kilim.