Afghan Baluch rug, 2'3"x8'10", in runner configuration, done in mixed technique of knotted pile, weft float brocade (see below) and sumak flatweave construction (see below), c. 1950-60s. This piece, which Afghan dealers call berjiste, is a veritable sampler of Baluch weaving techniques. On the knotted pile field are concentric diamond medallions made up of smaller alternating red and blue diamonds centered by Maltese crosses. The minor borders and flatwoven end skirts display decoration executed in Sumak technique (see below). The border system is done in knotted pile (a dragon repeat, each dragon having swallowed the tail of the one before) and sumak technique.
In this rug's border system is a dragon repeat, the dragons' heads and tails juxtaposed to form kotchaks (rams' horns). On this piece the dragon repeat has become quite stylized. For a more explicit dragon repeat follow this link to an image of a border on a 19th c. Persian Hamadan.
Sumak is a flatweave technique wherein wefts wrap around several warps on the horizontal plane. Viewed from the back one can see the loose warp ends. The image above is a direct scan of sumak on both the face and the back of another rug.
