Woven Jewels from the Black Tents: Baluchi, Aimaq and Related Tribal Weavings of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, an exhibition of weavings from the tribes that populate the region known as Baluchistan, are on view at the Georgia Museum of Art through July 30.
The women of the nomadic and settled Baluchi tribes of eastern Iran, western Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan have long produced distinctively beautiful weavings, largely for their own use but also for the outside market. Baluchi rugs are known for the velvety quality of their pile and the silky sheen of the fine wool used. The geometric designs employed are often intricate and always pleasing.
This will be the first comprehensive exhibition of the whole range of Baluchi and related weavings, including flatwoven kilims and pile rugs. To bring the Baluchi weaving scene up to date, a number of rugs produced during the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s will be featured.
