Bijo Rugs
Bijo (also Romanized as Bijov, Bidjov Bijoy, Bidzhov) is a village and municipality in the Aksu district (Agsu Rayon) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Agsu District is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The area belong traditionally to Shirvan province which is considered a big Caucasian weaving center. During the 19th century rug productions flourished in the former Khanate of Shirvan. Some of these pieces are considered the best of Caucasian antique rugs.
Technical aspects and the structure of Bijo Rugs
Antique Bijo rugs have an average knot density of 94 knots per square inch which is rather coarse in comparison to other antique Shirvan pieces. Knots are symmetrical (Turkish). Bijo foundation is completely woolen.
Dyeing and painting of Bijo Rugs
Midnight blue, ivory and madder red serve mostly as dominant colors. The ivory is normally undyed wool. Undyed black wool too may be used, replacing midnight blue in the fields. Yellow, camel, light blue, turquoise and olive are some secondary colors as well as madder rosy and pink.
Designs and patterns of the Bijo Rugs
Quchak or ram’ horns are popular motifs in Caucasia. Designs with vertical arrangements of long quchaks in the field are attributed Bijo. Bijo’s nested bracketing quchaks could also be interpreted as geometrized versions of the Eslimi patterns in Persian royal designs.
Prayer designs are common in Bijo as it is a proper design for small sizes. Fields of such pieces filled with lattices of stylized flowers and blossoms or long ram horns.
Another type of design attributed to Bijo is made of two or three box-shaped medallions with an eight-lobed star in the middle. Such medallions are normally surrounded by rows of hooked elements and tiny filling motifs. Two vertical rows of such medallions make another type of Bijo designs.
