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The Kuba-Khachmaz region holds in Azerbaijan a leadership in carpet manufacturing. Nowhere else carpet weaving tradition is as popular, as here. Carpets styles of this region form a separate classification group ("Kuba carpets"), known for variety of compositions, richness of decorations, great range of patterns.

This group includes over 30 traditional compositions of different ornamental and color designs, and they form 3 sections inside this single style group: the Kuba carpets themselves, the Davachi carpets and the Qonaqkand carpets.

Among carpets of the Kuba section the most famous are products manufactured in the Chichi area - in the village of Chichi and in the village of Sirt Chichi (Upper Chichi). Local carpet weavers are authors of such carpets as "Khyrdagyul Chichi" (Small Flower Chichi), "Alchagyul Chichi" (Cherry-plum Flower Chichi), "Qollu Chichi" (Chichi with Hands).

A "Khyrdagyul Chichi" carpet type has received its title from its main design - it is decorated with images of small flowers. Numerous "flowers" are well organized inside the carpet field, being subordinated to a general rhythm. These strongly stylized elements show broad variety of ornamentation forms. Still vegetative ornament is a dominant motive. The carpet is designed in soft, but bright and open color range, including blue, cyan, very bright brown and red tones.

Fragment of the "Zeyva" carpet

An "Alchagyul Chichi" carpet presents more "ascetic" colors - cyan, yellowish-brown, dark blue and brown. Main elements of composition are colored with three or four colors, which are combined as a chess-desk, thus receiving a typical color rhythm interchange. These elements look like geometrical medallions with turned linear extensions. Composition of the "Sirt Chichi" carpet consists of the ornamental motives of the both of described above carpet types, while their combination produces a new decorative ensemble.

A "Qollu Chichi" carpet presents a strongly different composition. Placed on carpet's vertical axis "Hands" (Qols), being combined with some additional details become figures, which replace traditional central medallions. The rest of the field if filled with geometrical elements of various forms. Most often "Hands" are woven from white wool, while other elements are red, yellowish-brown, cyan and blue.

Among carpets of the Davachi section most popular is a "Pirabadil" carpet from the village of the same title. It has a more rich decorative content than "Chichi" carpets. Its ornaments include geometrical images of "Horns" and "Scissors", stylized vegetative motives (wine-tree leaves), figures of animals and birds. They all were initially taken from the nature, but while being "transferred" into the carpet element had strongly changed and even received a different name. In general, a "Pirabadil" carpet belongs to carpets, which have a surface, filled with mixture of various decorative motives. Empty space is wrong for this carpet; its surface is filled with numerous main and additional elements.

In the Pirabadil village they use to produce also a "Gerat Pirabadil (Urusi)" carpet. Its design shows a local interpretation of the "Gerat" carpet from Afghanistan. Pirabadil version of this carpet is smaller in size and thus looks very different. Weaving this carpet they prefer to use reddish-yellow, rose and gray colors.

Local carpet weaving tradition had generally experienced an influence of other carpet traditions, especially from neighboring areas. It was continuously enriched with new forms and still managed to keep its own originality. In this meaning carpets of the third section - the Qonaqkand carpets - are very revealing.

	Central element of the "Kohna Kuba" carpet

Most impressive among the Qonaqkand carpets is a "Qyryz" carpet from the village of the same name, where live ethnic Qyryz population. Decoration elements of the ancient times are used in this carpet as its basic artistic motives. Carpet-weavers of the Qyryz village fill their carpets with certain idea and deep symbolic meaning. The same obvious topic is always expressed in this carpet - a wedding ceremony. Decoration details show stylized images of various traditional wedding attributes: silky shawls "Gyullyu Yayliq", which are typical namely for wedding; traditional big plates "Tabaq", filled with sweets and gifts; women's jewelry like "Syrgha" (an earring), "Aypara" (a crescent); elegant candlesticks "Chiraq" etc. A wedding theme of this carpet is confirmed also by presence of several lines of stylized ram horns - necessary attributes of a wedding ceremony in this area.

Aiming to combine all decoration elements into a harmonic composition, weaver-women used such stylizations, where all ornamental details come subordinated to a general rhythm. Due to this artistic trick, elements surrounding the middle field support the composition unity.

In "Qyryz" carpets they mainly use green, yellow, red and blue colors, while its background is darker than its border.

Old tradition of carpet weaving still is flourishing in the Kuba-Khachmaz region and local carpet masters successfully continue its further development. Their artwork products always give a plentiful material for researchers as well as for creative adaptation and usage in various related branches of culture.