Antique Aimaq Baluch bag or chanteh from Afghanistan. 63x61 cms

Chanteh represents any small knapsack that is smaller than a saddle-bag. It is not usually a pair but a single independent item whether with a neck pendant band or, like a saddle bag, with a “lock and key”, and a “band and band-loops”. Tribal women weaved Chateh to provide a kind of wallet, knapsack or bag for their husbands and children. In the Chanteh they put money and provisions for the road, Chopogh (pipe with a long stem) and tobacco, cartridge and gunpowder poach, and other personal supplies and instruments…or things like scisors, needle, thimble etc. The coins, a small mirror and documents were also put in the chanteh.

Because of the special texture and personal use, the small chantehs follow almost no common rules and regulations; the weaving scheme, design and method vary as much as the dimensions and sizes. Also, due to the limitation of design space, the medallion and corner motifs, which is the principal motif for most rugs, it is very rare in most chanteh. The main motif is limited to one single pattern.

The Aimaq (Persian: ایماق, romanized: Aimāq) or Chahar Aimaq (چهار ایماق), also transliterated as Aimagh, Aimak and Aymaq, are a collection of Sunni and mostly Persian-speaking nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.They live mostly in the central and western highlands of Afghanistan, especially in Ghor, Badghis. Aimaqs were originally known as chahar (“four”) Aymaqs: the Taymani (the main element in the population of Ghor), the Firozkohi (mostly in Badghis), the Jamshidi and the Timuri.Other sources state that the Aimaq Hazara are one of the Chahar, with the Timuri instead being of the “lesser Aimaqs” or Aimaq-e digar (“other Aimaqs”).

The Aimaq speak several subdialects of the Aimaq dialect of the Persian language, but some southern groups of Taymani, Firozkohi, and northeastern Timuri Aimaqs have adopted the Pashto language.

This large chantah bag is finelly woven with natural dyes.

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool

Size: 63×61 cms

Origin: Aimaq Baluch tribe, Afghanistan

Date of weaving: 1930s