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Keeping in mind that two
separate khorjin faces were generally worth more to a merchant than
a complete khorjin, it is unusual to find a complete piece like this
one. In fact, there are quite a few of these modified “Turkmen gül”
design, single sumakh khorjin faces1 in the market and in
private collections. But for the collector of nomad transport bags,
one with an interest in how nomads actually lived in northwest Iran
in the 19th century, it is rewarding to see a complete khorjin,
presumably like others of the same design and structure but not cut
apart, and to be able to speculate that double bags with a long
bridge and a slit for a pommel may have had a special function on a
relatively tall animal, like a horse.
Khorjin with shorter bridges were clearly meant for pack animals,
the short bridge serving to keep the weight balanced on the animal’s
back.
This khorjin has been opened up and had its sewn-on closure loops
removed. Its narrow-striped back and physical structure place it in
a group with other Azarbayjani nomad sumakh bags that all tend to be
finely woven with high quality wool, have sumakh wrapped in one
direction to make the surface smoother and probably to increase weft
count, and feature precisely worked out designs. Were they woven in
the summer camps, when the light would have been good and when more
dyestuff would have been available? Or were they made during the
winter in dark valley bottoms? Or, possibly, by sedentary weavers?
Were they made for use or show, or as stored capital for later sale?
Were they made for love? Who were the weavers? We can only guess.
RET
1) See Wertime, Sumak,
plates 73, 74
Note:
Rippon Boswell's Auction 61, lot 142 featured a similar complete
bag.
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