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Rank: Newbie
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Joined: 1/2/2009(UTC)
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My mum bought this carpet back in the day, unfortunately she now has Alzheimer's and can't give me any more information about it. The design is very distinct and I have never seen anything like it. I am very fond of it too, so I'd be curious to know where it's from. I'm thinking North Africa maybe? I think something resembling it appeared in the film Out of Africa, but I could be wrong. Any help would be much appreciated! dardesar attached the following image(s):
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Rank: Administration  Groups: Administration, Dealers, Member Joined: 2/9/2008(UTC) Posts: 2,285 Points: 6,103 Location: New York
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Welcome to the forum. I am unfamiliar with this type, more along the lines of a textile. Hate to send you somewhere else, but I think this would be good for a submission to rugfanatics on yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rug-fanatics/ do you have any oriental rugs?
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Rank: Advanced Member  Groups: Dealers, Member Joined: 4/5/2008(UTC) Posts: 404 Points: 1,235 Location: Yonkers, NY
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I would say not North Africa at all, not at all. That's not carpet or city textile design and it certainly is not Bedu. I would say more central or East Africa or deep SubSahara. I just tried to pull up some images and couldn;'t find anything exactly like that but there is a vast variety of style among the different region. It's GREAT! I'd hang onto that and hang it with rustic wooden bars , and design a room around it.
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Rank: Member  Groups: Member
Joined: 7/25/2008(UTC) Posts: 5 Points: 40
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That is definitely from southern Iraq, made by so-called Marsh Arabs. Jehan Rajab in Kuwait refers to it as izar. See also my posting at http://al-qanaa.blogspot.com/2008/01/marsh-arabs.html
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Rank: Newbie
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Wow, mystery solved! And it's from the land of two rivers as well, that's just awesome. Thank you so much!
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Dealers, Member Joined: 4/5/2008(UTC) Posts: 404 Points: 1,235 Location: Yonkers, NY
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Thanks for that info and link Fahad, very good to know about. The Marsh Arabs' culture seems so uniquely developed along its own line. I am reading one of Thesiger's other books right now, funny coincidence. What kind of exportation do they have for such works?
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Rank: Member Groups: Member
Joined: 7/25/2008(UTC) Posts: 5 Points: 40
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I bought a couple of these very beautiful embroidered blankets when I was living in Kuwait. When the northern border to Iraq was opened after the military campaign in 2003 (sad to say, the war isn't over yet), plenty of them were seen in the souq and at the Friday market. So far, I have never seen them in the West. I am afraid that nobody is doing these izars anymore. So, they are really rare!
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Rank: Newbie
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It makes me very sad to hear that nobody is making these any longer, it is such a loss! They are indeed incredibly beautiful, the rich and warm colours are just fantastic. I do wonder where my mum found this since they are so rare and you say you haven't seen them in the West. I'm guessing she bought it sometime in the early 1970s and she has never been to the Gulf region so she must have got it here in Finland. But how did an embroidered blanket from the south of Iraq get to little Finland in the 70s? I cannot begin to imagine!
On another note, it is interesting how village women often make such special and beautiful things. Something in the spirit of this blanket reminds me of the Madhubani art from North India.
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