Collection: Antique Shahsavan Caucasian Rugs and Mafrash Panels

The Shahsavan were a tribal confederation of the Caucasus and northern Iran, and their weavers are especially known for mafrash panels, the flat-woven storage bags used to pack bedding and household goods for seasonal migration, as well as pile rugs and jajim weavings. Collectors value Shahsavan work for its bold geometric patterning and dense, saturated wool, qualities that set it apart from other Caucasian tribal weaving groups.

This collection brings together antique Shahsavan pieces from 1900s Azerbaijan and the wider Caucasus, including hand-knotted wool mafrash panels with bold geometric designs, a jajim rug, and a soumak rug woven with natural wool. Several panels are described as cradlebag or cradleface pieces, a mafrash format worth noting for anyone comparing weave structure and motif placement. Buyers should look closely at the wool quality, the geometric patterning, and the panel construction, since these details are the clearest way to compare one Shahsavan piece against another.