Daghestani Appliqué

The Republic of Daghestan is located in Central Asia. It is the southernmost part of Russia. Most of Daghestan is mountainous, resulting in a difficult terrain to navigate and interconnect its population. It is one of Russia’s most linguistically and ethnically diverse areas.

Daghestan textiles refer to the  recently discovered group of the enigmatic and unique Kaitag embroideries, but there is another group of Daghestani textile to which this textile belong. This group seems to bear influence of neighboring cultures, particularly Shirdaks, the felt floor coverings of Kyrgyzstan and the appliquéd panels of Recht, Iran. They differ from the Shirdaks as they are not made of felt but rather spun wool, and they are too small and delicate to be used as rugs. Recht appliqués on the other hand are much finer.

This example features a blue field with geometrically arranged and highly abstracted floral motifs. They could be pomegranate blossoms or rosettes symbolizing fertility and prosperity. The spaces between them are filled with embroidered pinwheels symbolizing health and longevity. The field is framed by multiple borders, the most striking is a wide two-toned saffron border of meandering branches.