pair of Shahsavan sumak bags

This pair of sumak bags was most likely woven in the Karabagh region of the south Caucasus. A central medallion, composed of several active and colorful layers, is flanked on top and bottom by bands of colorful geometric motifs. Though most collectors and dealers ascribe sumaks such as these to the Shahsevan, there is some evidence that both the sedentary Azeri Turks, as well as the large Armenian population of this region, wove sumak saddle bags in the same local style.