Xizi (Khizi, Khyzy) Rugs
Xizi (Khizi, Khyzy) is a town and a district east of the Azerbaijan Republic. The town is located on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. The name is ancient, mentioned in historical texts, though with no certain meaning.
Pieces woven in Xizi villages during nineteenth-century may be categorized roughly under either Baku, Quba or Shirvan. Xizi district is a source for antique rugs and runners as well as flat-weaves, bags, hangings and covers.
Technical aspects and the structure of Xizi Rugs
Antique Xizi rugs have an average knot density of 115 knots per square inch. Knots are symmetrical (Turkish). Warps and Piles are woolen. Wefts may be either cotton or wool. Yarns are Z spun.
Xizi is famous for not only rugs and runners but also for other sorts of weave such as zili, mafrash, horse and camel cover, bags, etc.
Dyeing and painting of Xizi rugs
Red (obtained from madder’s root) and blue (obtained from indigo) are dominant on Xizi palette. Lawn and olive greens, yellow, madder pinks, are common. Undyed wool bring many hues on Xizi palette such as ivory, dark and medium brown, cinnamon, and rarely black. Golden camel may be of camel hair as well as browns.
Designs and patterns of the Xizi rugs
Stylized birds and animals are make Xizi designs lively. These are used chiefly on zilis. Rows of geometrized Boteh (buta) motifs make a type of Xizi designs. Fields are rather narrow and borders are wide relatively. Some borders may consist of multiple strips filled with rows of tiny motifs.
Afshan or Avshan (Persian for scattering) designs, too, are common in Xizi used for all types of weave such as long runners as well as square bags. These are all-over designs consisting of stylized calyxes on a stem surrounded by florets. Stepped medallions are also common appearing in double-medallion or pole medallion structures.
