Kazak rugs were originally made in the Caucus during the 1800s. Now the Afghan Hazara people in Afghanistan are continuing to weave these hand knotted works of art. The new generation of weavers in Afghanistan have embraced the colours, patterns and workmanship of the traditional Kazak rug weavers from the Caucus.
The original Kazak rugs were a type of Armenian rug woven in the region between Tiflis and Erevan that lie south of Caucasus. The original weavers were mostly Turkic nomads who arrived in the region at the time of the great westward migration of Turks in the 11th century and later settled here.
Kazak rugs are not associated with any particular tribe. Instead, they are associated with the geographical areas in which they were woven. The Kazak rugs were generally made by the women of the communities using a hand-knotted technique that produced the very best quality.
Kazak rug weavers are faithful to colour and design. The original designs were predominantly bold and typical with large geometrical motifs and figures upon abrash fields of magnificent green or red. The construction technique that was used ensured that the designs and colours were capable of withstanding more than half a century of wear and exposure. Scattered throughout the field are detached figures that included parti-coloured squares, diamonds and circles, crosses, medallions and disproportionate representations of animals, birds, trees and human beings.
