Have you recognized Rustam and Sohrab on this narrative carpet preserved in the museum collection? 

 

Along with the ornamental carpets, the Karabakh weavers also weaved the narrative carpets. Rustam and Sohrab theme is widespread among the narrative carpets popularly woven in Khojaly. The plot is based on the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), an epic by Ferdowsi. Here, based on the events of the epic, the weaver depicts the father and the son face-to-face. The clothing and appearance of the father and the son are similar. The only difference is that Rustam has a longer and forked beard. The greatness and monumentality of the characters are completed by the schematic and elegant depiction of a tree in the center of the composition. 

 

Carpet Rustam and Sohrab. Karabakh, Azerbaijan. Early 20th century. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum collection