Merciful Dragon

This delicate piece is adorned with various dragon motifs, inspired by the esteemed “dragon” carpets of the Garabagh carpet school. These carpets, renowned for their beauty, boast a distinct structure and often illustrate mystical animals. Predominantly woven in Garabagh, Shirvan, and Guba between the 16th and 18th centuries, some textile fragments with dragon motifs have survived from the Ilkhanid period (13th – 14th centuries). In Azerbaijani decorative arts, the dragon symbolizes positive energy and may also represent water sources in folk literature. In ancient Turkic mythology, dragons like “Büke,” “Evren,” “Kök-luu,” and “Abyrga” represent might and power, with historical references to the “Dragon City” of the ancient Huns. In Kipchak culture, the “Begsha” dragon symbolized the family hearth. Several pile and flat-woven carpets from the Safavid period also feature dragon motifs.