Description
The pattern is indeed very old, going back thousands of years and beyond Azerbaijan: it occurs in many Central Asian and Anatolian rugs. Carpet-makers of Ganja and Lankaran maintain that this pattern represents damgha (mark, seal) and its 12 hooks stand for 12 years. As in many other Oriental traditions, Turkic people, including Azerbaijanis, had 12-year calendar cycles. In the middle of the ‘old ornament’ one can see either an eightpointed star (a symbol of completeness or paradise) or a pattern called dordbuynuz (four horns) which is believed to embody four vital elements (earth, water, fire and air).
