Plate Five
1 foot 8 inches x 1 foot 9 inches
51 cm. x 54 cm.

Another octagonal medallion and small inner medallion but, unlike the previous two examples, no stars are present. Instead there is a complex gul-like medallion with different vertical and horizontal extensions like that which are seen on the pile-carpets made in south-west Turkestan. Such a pattern's appearance on a soumak bag is very unusual and more than implies the common designiconography both groups of weavings once shared. Also note the four large, abstract animals placed in the corners of the central field. These archaic animals are very similar to those found on some of the earliest known Turkish pile-carpets, which are generally dated circa 1500 AD. These design similarities are evidence of the interaction between the indigenous weaving cultures of the Caucasus with those of neighboring Turkey and Central Asia.




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