
Soumak (also spelled soumakh, sumak, sumac, or soumac) is a
tapestry
Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...
technique of weaving sturdy, decorative fabrics used for carpets,
rugs, domestic bags and bedding, with soumak fabrics used for bedding known as soumak mafrash.
Soumak is a type of flat weave, somewhat resembling
kilim
A kilim ( ; ; ) is a flat tapestry-weaving, woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran and Turkey, but also in the Balkans and the Turkic countries.
Kilims can be purely decorative ...
, but with a stronger and thicker weave, a smooth front face and a ragged back, where kilim is smooth on both sides. Soumak lacks the slits characteristic of kilim, as it is usually woven with supplementary
weft
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
threads as continuous supports.
The technique involves wrapping coloured weft threads over and under the warp threads, adding strength and
embroidery
Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...
-like pattern.
Etymology
The name 'soumak' may plausibly derive from the old town of in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
, once a major trading centre in the Eastern Caucasus. Other theories include an etymology from Turkish , 'to skip up and down', meaning the process of weaving; or from any of about 35 species of flowering plant in the
Anacardiaceae
The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...
or
sumac
Sumac or sumach ( , )—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is '' Rhus coriaria ...
family, such as
dyer's sumach (''Cotinus coggygria''), used to make dyestuffs.
If this last is the source of the name, then it is derived from the Arabic and
Syriac word , meaning 'red'.
Technique

The technique of making a soumak involves wrapping
weft
In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
s over a certain number of
warps (usually 4) before drawing them back under the last two warps. The process is repeated from
selvedge
A selvage (US English) or selvedge (British English) is a "self-finished" edge of a piece of fabric which keeps it from unraveling and fraying. The term "self-finished" means that the edge does not require additional finishing work, such as hem ...
to selvedge. The wefts are discontinuous; the weaver selects coloured threads in turn, and wraps each within the area which is to have that particular colour. Unlike kilim, the back is left ragged, with all the loose ends of the differently-coloured weft threads visible, sometimes several inches long, providing extra thickness and warmth. Also unlike kilim, there are no slits where colours meet, as there is a supplementary or structural weft which supports the coloured pattern weft. Some late Soumaks made by the Kurds are however "weftless", lacking the structural weft support, and the stitches naturally overlap.
Soumaks tend to be finely woven, and although not as durable as
piled carpets, they are stronger than
kilim
A kilim ( ; ; ) is a flat tapestry-weaving, woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran and Turkey, but also in the Balkans and the Turkic countries.
Kilims can be purely decorative ...
s. The soumak wrapping often covers the whole surface of a bag or rug, but it can equally be applied in decorative strips, contrasting with the plainer and thinner flatweave areas.
For example, camel bags from
Malatya
Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...
in Eastern Turkey could be woven in simple flatweave stripes of red and blue, with broad strips of soumak weft-wrapping with
motifs for fertility and protection.
Bags were sometimes woven with a face of soumak, with a
tapestry
Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...
-woven kilim-like top creating slits between blocks of colour: a rope was threaded in and out of the series of slits to fasten and close the bag.
Sizes vary, from carpet format through bags for bedding or for use on
pack animal
A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is a working animal used to transport goods or materials by carrying them, usually on its back.
Domestic animals of many species are used in this way, among them alpacas, Bact ...
s, to tiny tribal domestic bags.
The following images show the appearance and construction of just such a soumak
saddle bag, woven in
Luristan
Lorestan province () is one of the Provinces of Iran, 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Khorramabad.
Lorestan is in the Western Iran, western part of the country in the Zagros Mountains and covers an area of 28,392 km2. In ...
at the end of the 20th century. The Lurs sometimes, as here, combine soumak and knotted carpet piling to adorn a single piece. To form the motifs, the weaver may push the weft threads about to form curves or slanting shapes as desired.
saddle bag, Luristan
Lorestan province () is one of the Provinces of Iran, 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Khorramabad.
Lorestan is in the Western Iran, western part of the country in the Zagros Mountains and covers an area of 28,392 km2. In ...
, late 20th century">
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag front.JPG, Front
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag rear detail of handle.JPG, Detail of woollen handle
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag rear.jpg, Simple red and blue striped rear, without weft wrapping
File:Luristan Soumak detail of weft wrapping.JPG, Detail of weft wrapping: "weft yarns .. can be pushed about as the weaver wishes"
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag detail of motif.JPG, Detail of motif on front
File:Soumak saddle bag border with slits for rope.JPG, Detail of decorative border, with slits for rope to close and secure bag
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag open.JPG, Saddle bag shown open one side
File:Luristan Soumak bag detail of pile carpet edge.JPG, Detail of edge with narrow strip of pile carpet (right)
File:Luristan Soumak saddle bag detail of reverse, threads ragged.jpg, Detail of reverse showing ragged ends of weft threads of different colours
Regions
Soumak products are made in the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
(especially the
Shirvan region), Southern and Western
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
including
Luristan
Lorestan province () is one of the Provinces of Iran, 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Khorramabad.
Lorestan is in the Western Iran, western part of the country in the Zagros Mountains and covers an area of 28,392 km2. In ...
, Turkish
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, by the
Shahsavan
Shahsavan (, also Romanized as Shāhsavan) is a village in Hojr Rural District, in the Central District of Sahneh County, Kermanshah Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a cou ...
tribe and the
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
in north-western Persia, and by the
Baloch people
The Baloch ( ) or Baluch ( ; , plural ) are a nomadic, Pastoralism, pastoral, ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranian, Western Iranic Balochi language and is native to the Balochistan region of South Asia, South and Western Asia, encompas ...
on the
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
–
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
border.
References
{{Authority control
Textile arts
Rugs and carpets