Hashtrud Rugs
There, south of Azerbaijan Province, on the
Sahand Mountain’s eastern skirt lies
Hashtrud (also Romanized as Hashtroud).
The name literary means ‘eight rivers’ in
Persian, referring to eight actual rivers of the
area which flow towards Lake Urmia.
Sahand is a predominantly rural area with
agriculture and a village-based animal
husbandry. Nevertheless, semi nomadic
lifestyle is not completely absent in the area.
Hashtrud inhabitants are of both Turk and
Kurd origins. This is visible in weaving
tradition of the area. Hashtrud kilims (as well
as piled rugs) are gathered ultimately in
Tabriz bazar being also known there as
Shahsavan or Amroullah which are the
names of Hashtrudi former tribes. The later
refers to a Kurdish tribe and the first is the
most well-known tribal confederation of
Azerbaijan since the Safavid Era.
Bayazid Bastami Tomb in Hashtrud
Although piled rug weaving is not abandoned
in area but soumak and ordinary kilims shape
the mass production of Hashtrud.
Technical aspects and the structure of Hashtrud Rugs and Kilims
The bulk of Hashtrud production consists
mainly of flat-woven rugs and flat-woven
functional pieces such as saddlebags,
mafrash, and animal trappings.
Runners are favorite size here. Rug sizes, too,
tend to be elongated. Square-shaped kilims
are also available.
Hashtrud pieces mostly have woolen
foundation. Slit-weaving is the main
technique in Hashtrud. In slit-woven pieces
motifs could be shaped with additional
eccentric wefts and weft wrapping.
Dyeing and painting of Hashtrud Kilims
Shades of camel, yellow, amber, gold,
mustard and brown predominate in runners.
Hashtrud secondary palette includes various
colors such as azure, deep beige, dark jade,
apricot midnight blue.
Deep madder red of the area give a sober
appearance to striped pieces of Hashtrud.
Acid-moderating of the same madder root
leads to various shades of pink and rose.
Designs and patterns of Hashtrud Kilims
Shahsavan pieces of Hashtrud bear some
resemblance to all Shahsavan pieces, in
addition to its own features. Striped structure
predominate in Hashtrud. Nevertheless framed and medallioned structures are not
rare.
Triple-medallioned structure applied mostly
for runners. Kilims are designed with colorful
geometric patterns like eight-pointed stars or
hooked lozenges, stylized birds and animals
and rectilinear floral motifs.
