Felting, ancient Azerbaijani culture of handcraft

/By AzerNews/

By Laman Sadigova

The Azerbaijani people are proud of their historical monuments as well as their rich literature, art, and music.

Surrounded the beautiful nature, favorable climate, and natural wealth of the region has had a significant impact on the artistic thinking and creativity of the Azerbaijani people. Each type of art had a long and difficult path to development in Azerbaijan due to its long and tumultuous history.

The Ancient Azerbaijani folk arts of pottery, carpet and silk weaving, metallurgy, blacksmithing and craft areas, such as felting are widespread in the ancient city of Nakhchivan.

Felting, in particular, has a special place in ancient culture and history.

Felting has traditionally been a developed art in the villages of Shahbuz and Sherur. The felt, which has the ability to keep cool in the summers and protect from the cold in winter, has been widely used for covering roofs, the sides of huts and shacks, floors, decorating houses, making cloaks (yapinji), hats, boots, socks, cassocks (eba), , horse covers (chul) and others..

A senior fellow at the Archaeology and Ethnography Institute of Nakchivan, Asaf Orujov, said that it is important to note the role of livestock in the formation of the art of felting. Studies have shown that people in ancient times warmed themselves in cold weather with wool and leather. After a while, the wool would stick to each other, prompting people learn to make “keche,”a small national carpet.

Orujov also added that the people of Media (ancient country) wore the hats called the "tiara" made from “kecha.” It is most likely that other clothing elements were made from this material at that time.

Felting has become an area of significant artisanal craftsmanship and is more developed in the mountain and foothill areas. The material was also used to cover ancient huts in a certain historical period.