TEXTILES FROM PERSIA.
In Polish museums
Beata Biedrońska-Słota

IL TAUK NUSKA GUL.
An important Turkoman pattern
Siawosh U. Azadi

A rich collection of Oriental textiles is in the possession of the National Museum in Cracow. Among the carpets, Oriental kontush sashes, hangings and printed fabrics, an important place is occupied by Persian silk textiles. This very rich collection, consisting of a hundred items, was published by Beata Biedrońska-Słota in 2002. The majority of them have come to the Museum either as donations or purchases. ( ... )

The primary motif which the Turkmen call gol and/ or which is referred to as gol, is the ornamentation of the central field of Turkmen main carpets, decorated with medallions in vertical and horizontal lines; it was a separate ornament altogether and served as an emblem. However, this function ceased when a tribe lost a battle and consequently its independence. In this case, the defeated tribe had to adopt and weave the primary motif (gol) of the victorious tribe. Moshkova’s ground-breaking essay dealt with this phenomenon and the contents of gol. However, there were two gols which did not fit in; the tauk nuska and the Choval gol.
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Thus did Themistocles, an exile from Greece seeking asylum in Persia, answered the King who was asking him about the Greeks. Thanks to this conceit, the Greek intellectual succeeded in gaining the favour of the Persian elite and remain for a long period in the court as a royal counsellor.
Speaking of a man needs a quantity of time, as much as needed to speak of a carpet in its various forms, colours, symbols and origins; thus, like Themistocles I hope, through this brief historical and stylistic overview, I intend to convey what the rug means for those tribal groups, in terms of their ancestors and social cohesion through the use of articles such as knotted rugs and kilims, textiles and embroideries.
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