Yesterday's presentation by the Textile Museum Associates was on Baluch rugs, from the general area of Iran and what is now Afghanistan but wasn't back when these rugs were handmade.
I'll just show you a parade, without technical details, since the general impression is the point for those of us, such as me, who are not rug scholars.
I've tried to include the slide notes, where the captioning didn't cover them up. These are marvels of hand work, some of the knotted rugs with hundreds of knots to the square inch, handling like fine fabrics.
While I was in that part of the world, I checked on Haggard Hawks, the etymologist, on his current essay on robins, seasonal for Brits. Their robin is a different species from the burly north American one misnamed by European settlers who knew damn all about birds.
Their breasts aren't red, but more orange, but there's a history of how, before the fruit was introduced, along with its name, there wasn't really a word for the orange color, so red was the nearest.
Even Chaucer was stuck describing the fur of the fox as
Anyway the orange fruit with its name, traveled across from the far east bringing naranja from Arabic and further back then norange.
Eventually grammarians got on their pedants' hobbyhorse and said it wasn't a norange, it was an orange. And everyone went along for the sake of a peaceful life
But here's the bit that thrilled me to little apples (!) : After three ten minute lessons in Arabic, I can read the word for orange!
Reading right to left: Initial nun, medial alef, r sound I had to guess, medial alef, medial nun, final djim. Wheee.
It's entirely possible that you may be thinking it doesn't take much to get her going, she must be a noisy liability in a quiet library, well, guilty as charged.
In other seasonal excitement, Gary stopped by with the annual hand-dipped chocolate treats made by a mutual friend who's moved away and he saw her recently
And in total opposition to seasonal food, I really needed something plainer, so I made spaghetti with an ordinary red sauce, just diced tomatoes, turmeric, onions, garlic, parmesan rind, knob of butter, bunch of dried basil hanging in the kitchen for the purpose.
Parmesan on top with red peppers, pretty good, and more for today. It reheats well.
I'm hoping my delayed Misfits box arrives today, though I don't envy the driver, since we're about to have a rain and snow storm.
Happy day everyone, keep warm, or cool, dry and pleased with life if possible.
dominant colors...red, black, white, and blue in that order and not much blue. I wonder why those colors, no yellow or green. Maybe because it's a desert area.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the brits had no word for orange when they must have had orange flowers at least.
The rugs are dyed with natural materials, so it probably reflects what was available. Mineral reds, blacks etc. If they had no access to plants yielding blue or yellow, they had no access to green.
DeleteI don't know about the flowers, interesting suggestion.
Fascinating info about the problems in English before a word for "orange" arrived from Arabic and saved the day! And so cool that you can read it in its original language!
ReplyDeleteArabic was about halfway through the journey from Indo-European and older Chinese and Indian names. But I was very happy to realize I could read a word!
DeleteI bought a handwoven Persian rug in the 80s. It was not old. I also bought a couple of handwoven Chinese carpets when trade was opened with China sometime in the late 70s? These rugs have been through packs of dogs, cats scratching them and decades of feet walking across them. They look new. I can completely understand how long these beautiful rugs can last. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI want those candies. I like a simple, quick and light tomato sauce. Yours looks quite good. I have not used turmeric in tomato sauce, now I must try it.
Yes to well made rugs in natural fibers lasting. I shove turmeric in all over where the flavors and color can handle it, not for either but because it's a great anti inflammatory.
DeleteThose rugs are amazing. I can't imagine making something so complex by hand.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea "naranj" (and hence "naranja" in Spanish and "orange" in English") was from Arabic. In Morocco they use a different word -- I think it's "litsheen" if I remember right. Or maybe that's Berber and the Arabs use "limon." One thing you'll learn about Arabic (you may know it already) is that the dialects vary widely from place to place. Moroccan Arabic is very different from Egyptian, which is very different from Saudi.
Yes about Arabic varying all over! I used to have an assistant who spoke several languages, the Arabic at home being a different one from the Arabic she studied in grad school. Just for starters.
DeleteThe UK also has widely varying dialect words and accents. My native North Yorkshire speech had to be stifled as soon as I got into grammar school at age eleven. Teachers, mostly southern and midlanders were baffled by us and we adapted. But our language was derived much more from Norse than their Southern English.
I should talk more about this, thanks for the idea.
Well done with the Arabic! You are making excellent progress!
ReplyDeleteIt's largely due to well planned teaching, which provided useful information right off.
DeleteYou cover so much every day. In Greece Naranjes were the sour oranges that grew on the municipal street trees (great for marmalade but you'd never eat them fresh/raw). Interestingly their word for the sweet edible version and the colour are also the same (portokali) but it clearly originates somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably derived from Portugal. Number of names for oranges work that way. I'm guessing Portugal is the country of origin, but I'd have to check.
DeleteI just checked and doh, the orange originated in India and China snd other far Eastern countries. It was Portuguese traders who introduced it westward, hence the name.
DeleteIn the book I'm reading- 1491- the subject of ancient American textiles come up. And I saw a short video about a display of Mayan art at the Met, which talked about the importance of fine textiles in Mayan culture and how they were an important part of a woman's economic role in society. The finest ones were a sign of wealth. I was surprised to see an ancient carving of a Mayan woman wearing a huipil, very much like the women in Mexico wear today. You have opened my eyes to textiles, Liz, and the women who have historically made them and who still do today. Another thing to thank you for.
ReplyDeleteHope your misfits box came!
I'm glad you enjoy the textile story. It's so significant, and often overlooked in history. The misfits arrived, a day late but in good condition anyway, not a problem.
DeleteBeautiful rugs, it is mind boggling to think of that many knots in an inch! The designs are a nice change frim the rugs I'm use to seeing. The geometrics are stunning.
ReplyDeleteThose lozenge shapes are very interesting and suggest design ideas. There are also animals worked in the borders of some of them.
DeleteSo much to devour in your post today….along with interesting comments full of others observations. I tend to refer to oranges by their variety name - Navel, Seville, Valencia plus Tangerine and Mandarin.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to look at the variety names for origins.
DeleteThey’re beautiful rugs. And oh so much work. It’s no wonder they cost so much.
ReplyDeleteA simple pasta sounds like a great idea. I might have to follow suit and cook some up. Once again. It’s raining here.
Raining here, too, snow a little further north.
DeleteThe rugs are lovely. The amount of work that went into them boggles the mind. I cannot imagine anyone doing that today even with all our time saving technology. We are always busy being busy but not really achieving anything. At least nothing of long lasting beauty like those rugs.
ReplyDeleteApparently a lot of words started with n but the n was dropped and they started with the vowel. And of course my mind has gone blank. As child I used to ask for a boiled negg.
They still make these rugs today. But more often the dyes are synthetic. I've seen footage of the lightning speed with which the makers do the kno, amazing to see.
DeleteKnottting. Half the word fell off when I hit publish.
DeleteCaught up on your last three posts, Liz. How interesting that you're learning the Arabic alphabet. Funny how when I've contemplated languages that are read from right to left, I never considered that one had to write from right to left as well. Silly, I know. I wonder if it's at all like writing with one's non-dominate hand? I'm sure not quite as awkward, but trying it just now I find it is a strange sensation.
ReplyDeleteWe're so used to one direction it's hard to change. I kept on starting my practice at the left, then having to start again at the right. And I watched carefully as she wrote out the letters, to grasp how she did it. There's a lot of retraining needed.
DeleteNow I have been made aware that I haven’t really had seasonal goodies yet. Well, maybe I could count the peppermint patties. They have an orange filling rather than peppermint, and I don’t like that so much.
ReplyDeleteYou need a chocolate Santa right away.
DeleteThose rugs are amazing and I have to say that were I ever able to own one there is no way that I would ever walk on it. They're art and should be hung on a wall.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of that curious robin made me smile - a bright spot on a cold day.
And those chocolates - mmmmm.....
Yes, a lot of these are rugs for soft sandy desert floors, walked on only barefoot. Some are prayer rugs, never stood on, some are wall hangings. So yes, not your department store buy.
DeleteI do love that you cook and eat so well. And what a nice gift.
ReplyDelete