Vintage Azerbaijani Talish Hand Made Rug. A subtle geometric border surrounds a thin middle field which appears to portray a battle or story, including symbolic figures and suggested buildings and animals. 

Condition: Minor rips in the edges. 

Size: 38 1/2 x 80 In. 

The Talish (Talysh) tribe dates back to at least the 13th Century in the Southern Caucasian mountain region now known as the Republic of Azerbaijan. At their height they controlled part of modern day Iran as well, with the Talish Khanate of Shia Muslims ruling from the middle 18th Century until the beginning of the 19th, when Persia was defeated in the Russo-Persian War and all of the Khanates were dissolved and forcibly added to the Russian Empire. Today more than half of their descendents have settled in major cities though many nomadic enclaves still exist, and a distinct difference has arisen in the styles of their woven carpets, with the city-dwellers adopting more Kazak and Shirvan forms and motifs and the nomads continuing to produce more pictorial pieces, often incorporating symbols of warfare and historical events into the otherwise heavily geometric textiles. Similar to the War Rugs of Afghanistan, these pieces (made of both cotton and wool) are highly sought by collectors for their hand-made uniqueness and place in the volatile history of the region. 

Minor rips in the edges. 

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