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TTCC's Blog
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© 1994-2011
Roman Trading Int. DBA The Turkish Carpet Company. All Rights Reserved.
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It is quite poignant at the moment for me to write about this specific subject, in a word "moving".
I was quite shocked to find out about a friend of mine moving out of my neighbourhood, well somewhat ! Of course, I wish my
friend well, she deserves that and a whole lot more. Articulating this, is, well some what difficile for me. Honestly, from
personal experience, its an epic of Hollywood proportions to even begin to chart my own cartwheeling around this globe.
So I will not belabour particularly my angst, just to bring some highlights ! How about this, the English Army in its
absolute stupidity, sent me from Cyprus to Germany and within 6 weeks turned me around and reposted me back to Cyprus. Enough
of the English Army, I have no respect, it is governed by imbeciles and its Officer Corps are basically incompetant nincompoops.
Now, back to moving, I have several times moved across Oceans. This many not be a lexicon, however in word it it is a
phraseology to live to move by. For instance, did you use this in the last 6 months, has it sat for years in your loft, is
it clogging your garage up, do you even know what this is ? Has it got cobwebbs on it ? In your freezer does it say "July
2005 ?" and more. All of the above suggests its time to repatriate those things to the "dump". Its a great
time to downsize. From a personal viewpoint, I lived for 2 years with only one seabag full of everything I needed, it
was all I possessed in my Ocean skippering travels, and salutory it was. I actually loved it, quite liberating. In order
for something new to be acquired, an unnecessary thing had to be disposed of, it was simple ergonomics, that was
the rule and it worked. But, In this life there is a drive to surround ourselves with things we really do not
need. Supposedly to make us happy and fulfilled. I purpose that they do not do that. Fundamentally and instead, I suggest,
focus on what you really have, not intangibles, or even perhaps others dreams. Live for number one today; its actually
OK, not having to live the vicarious media driven needs of others. And so, what is the point of this dialogue,
for me its this; only your heart has within it what is required to sustain you alone. All else is transitory and actually
nothing more than garbage to be consigned to the landfill of current human existance ....... Moving positively forward, having
a goal and being true to yourself, will sustain anyone. I guarantee it. I know because I have been all of the above. And,
as a final word, if you can't downsize, then you had better get a big U-Hawl Truck ....... because you will need
one for both physical and non-physical baggage !
Caucasian rugs have been imported into the United States for a very long time, perhaps as much as 150 years.
Principally brought by immigrant refugees from Amenian/Georgia/Azerbaijan/Dagestan, four countries/provinces which abutt
each other and which were and are prolific carpet weaving regions close to both the Black and Caspian seas. Certainly
borders are blended by the peoples who live throughout this region through intermingling, but there are defininate weaving
styles, characteristics and motifs which are readily identifiable even down to individual villages. This particular rug is
an antique from Daghestan, Russia, which is in extraordinary condition for its age, around 1890 or so. Walter E. Hawley's
treatise originally published in 1913 entitled Oriental Rugs Antique and Modern has a whole chapter dedicated to these
rugs, let me leave you with his opening comment; "In no part of Caucasia have better rugs been woven than in Daghestan".
Provenance of any rug is and can be somewhat problematic, in this case Hawley has more than adequately explained the attributes
of rugs such as this. He is not alone, another great writer and descriptor, Italian Fabio Formenton has a greatly descriptive
book, Oriental Rugs and Carpets, also with a chapter on Daghestan which is fascinating. All of these learned works are both
great teaching tools and captivating reading for us "rug heads", but all aside and inclusive of all I have learned
through the years of being fascinated by rugs, there is one overriding principle I live by and that is to not just buy a rug
because it is either valuable or an investment for the future, my number one criterion is you gotta love it first !