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Hello everybody, here a new find for 80 bucks. It is from a household clearance and has hung on the wall for at least the last 50 years. 184x94 cm, 4x6 knots per cm I guess. Thank you for any additional information about it. 
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Hi Marc,
I think your rug is most likely a commercial, Soviet era "Shirvan." The warps appear to be wool. Are the weft threads cotton or white wool? I suspect cotton.
Joseph -
I have no comments although it appears to be a stunning piece tastefully done. Nice catch!Joe LawrenceComment
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Akstafa around 1920Comment
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Hi, everyone. I agree with the Guest that an "Akstafa" attribution (a common trade name) is as good as any based on the design (i.e., the medallion form and the two peacocks(s) at the bottom of the rug). Early Soviet era (c1920s-30s) is a safe date. Such rugs are said to have been made in the Saliani district of south Shirvan. Possibly one of the earliest examples (from the Judith Alper-Smith collection) was exhibited online by the New England Rug Society.
Link to a similar "Akstafa" rug on an educational website devoted to the rugs of Azerbaijan: https://www.azerbaijanrugs.com/guide...iani_rug61.htm
Link to the prototypical NERS "Akstafa" rug: https://ne-rugsociety.org/xternal-ht...e-navframe.htm
In comparison with the earlier examples, one can see how the later ones became more generic, having lost much of their folk or ethnic flavor.
Joseph
PS: The Alper-Smith Akstafa rug is Catalogue-22 in the link I providedLast edited by Joseph R. Putnak; 12-08-2025, 12:53 PM.Comment
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I own an Akstafa prayer rug, which is probably from a later period. It still has a vibrant and appealing design, but synthetic dyes were used. Two photos show the front and back of the border. I folded the rug in half and placed the opposite borders side by side. You can see that the synthetic colors have faded. However, this could also mean that early synthetic dyes were used. In that case, the rug would date to the third quarter of the 19th century. Any thoughts on this?
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Heinz,
I see how some of the oranges and reds have faded. Therefore, synthetic dyes were most likely used here (esp. the bright orange), but another possibility is that a chemical wash was applied to the surface at some point to "mellow" the colors. In any case, the light reds/pinks after fading are even more attractive. I also see that your prayer rug still uses one of the earliest Akstafa main border designs. So, perhaps a late 19th c dating to be safe?
JosephComment
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Joseph,
Thanks for the tip. I'm glad that my rug is probably older than I thought when I bought it. I hadn't considered the border in detail before, apart from the dyes. I've now found other examples that, as you wrote, point to an earlier date of origin.
Heinz
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