A Kurdish-Iranian Tribal Carpet with Stylized Dragon MotifsIconographic Ambiguity and Cultural Transmission between the Caucasus and Western Iran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/r45ygg10Keywords:
Kurdish carpet; tribal weaving; dragon motif; vegetal symbolism; iconographic transmission; western IranAbstract
This paper examines a late nineteenth-century Kurdish-Iranian tribal carpet from western Iran, characterized by a Kharaghan-type border and a field composed of repeated highly abstract motifs traditionally interpreted as dragons. Through an integrated methodology combining structural analysis, microscopic examination, knot density measurement, and iconographic comparison, the study demonstrates that the carpet represents a hybrid product of cultural transmission rather than a typological anomaly.
The analysis identifies a symmetric (Ghiordes) knot, hand-spun wool pile, and a relatively low knot density consistent with tribal or semi-tribal production. Iconographically, the field motifs show clear structural affinities with Caucasian dragon imagery and the tradition of Caucasian dragon carpets; however, when considered in relation to weaving orientation and compositional logic, the same motifs may also be plausibly read as highly stylized vegetal forms, such as calices or inflorescences.
This semantic ambiguity, rather than weakening the interpretation, is understood as a meaningful feature of the symbolic continuum characteristic of Caucasian–Iranian and Kurdish tribal traditions, where zoomorphic and phytomorphic imagery often overlap. By situating the carpet within the Hamadan–Kurdistan cultural corridor (Fig. 7), the paper argues for a shift from rigid geographic attribution toward a model emphasizing iconographic transmission, transformation, and function.
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