SISTAN CARPETS
Lost Treasures
by Taher Sabai

Among the most original and least known types of Iranian rugs are those from the dry land of Sistan. Often, these rugs are classified under the generic name Baluchi, or else they are confused with the pile rugs of Afghanistan. Persian Sistan is only a part of the ancient land of Sistan, which comprised both today's Khorassan, stretching all the way to the borders of the central Asian steppes, and the eastern part of Persia right up to the borders of the desert of Kirman, the Dasht-e-Lut, and the banks of the Persian Gulf. To the east, in Afghan territory, Sistan touches the borders of the desert of Registan. Years ago, this wind-beaten and inhospitable land, traversed by the River Helmand, the largest river between the Euphrates and the River Indo, was fertile and densely populated. The River Helmand (1200 km) is formed by a number of rivers and torrents that cascade down from the Hindokush, finally to reach a large fresh-water lake, the Hamun-i-Helmand, which is no more than twenty metres deep. ...

Astghig Israelian is curator of the State Museum of Armenian History in Yerevan. She has written numerous publications on the subject and has a thorough knowledge of the textile tradition of the Armenian population.
On several occasions in the past, various authors have attributed the origin of Armenian carpets to the peoples of other countries. One reason for such a mistake is the fact that Armenian carpets can be found all over the world in various private collections, museums, castles, churches, temples and mosques.
The origin of Armenian carpets must be researched under an historic backdrop using archaeological. ...

For many years, Turkish kilims have captured the interest of most researchers and enthusiasts. Even if the origin and the interpretation of many motifs still remain uncertain, the artistic merit of Turkish kilims is deservedly admitted by all.
This paper would like to draw attention to a completely different type of kilim, which is of lesser fame in the West: namely, the floral Caucasian kilim. The purpose of this paper is not to present the entire repertory, but more modestly to analyse the beauty of a particular piece recently discovered.
The Caucasus is famous for its knotted rugs and for its kilims with geometric patterns, generally ascribed to the regions of Kuba and Shirvan. However, two areas in the Caucasus have produced, it seems, kilims with stylised floral motifs. One is in eastern Georgia, the other is Karabagh.
Concerning Georgia,