Buta (butə, puta) – a bud; an almond-shaped ornamental motif. One of the most widespread decorative elements of Azerbaijani ornamental art.
Buta (butə, puta) is a bud — an almond-shaped ornamental motif and one of the most widespread decorative elements of Azerbaijani ornamental art. Buta is believed to be a decorative form dating back to the Zoroastrian (fire-worshipping) era. It has been widely used in the carpets of Baku, Ganja, Ardabil, Tabriz, Nakhchivan, Salyan and Mughan, in the interior decoration of buildings and in other works of art. Buta is also widespread in the decorative and applied arts of Central Asia and the Middle East — in the termeh shawls of India, in Iranian textiles and metalwork, and elsewhere.
Carpet schools where buta is widely usedOver time, butas carrying symbolic meaning were gradually enriched with motifs of diverse content and form.
Reflecting the national character of the Azerbaijani people, buta entered oral and written literature and art as a concept and a symbol expressing the mythological worldview of the Turkic peoples.
Buta is an important element not only of our fine arts but also of our folklore and oral literature. In her book “Nakhchivan Legends”, researcher Mahsati Ismayil offers interesting insights into the place of buta in our folklore:
In folklore, buta carries the cosmogonic worldview of our ancient ancestors. In the minds of ancient people, water, plants, mountains and other beings were held sacred and regarded as the primal source of life. In this sense, buta is a symbol of the continuation of the lineage and of growth. In Azerbaijani dastans, buta serves as an imaginary bond between the lover and the beloved. In love dastans, as a token of an unprecedented, sublime and divine love, it also bestows the gift of the ashug's art and poetic talent upon the chosen hero-lover. In our dastans and tales, the “giving of buta” begins when a wise old man — Khidr — makes the lover drink a potion of love. Two young people who have never seen each other, separately, in a dream or a vision, drink the potion given to them: the girl glimpses the boy and the boy glimpses the girl for a single moment, and they fall into an extraordinary love. Overall, the study of folklore shows that buta is not given to everyone. The giving of buta belongs only to the chosen. Through buta, the chosen also acquire several distinctive qualities that belong to no one else. The lover's long and arduous trials finally end in the divine union of the beloveds. Buta is the means by which the laws of the world are fulfilled in a different and higher form. In love dastans, when mythical figures — a dervish, a wise old man, a saint (pir) and others — momentarily show the girl to the boy, or at times make him drink the potion of love, this is called “he received buta” or “buta was given”.
In many Azerbaijani folklore texts there are also plot lines connected with dreams in which buta is not named. Following a dream, seeing one's beloved in a dream, seeing one's future in a dream and similar events should, in our view, be interpreted in parallel with the “giving of buta”. The giving of buta to the lover in love dastans, or making him drink a potion of love from a full cup, and the hero of a tale who follows his dream and attains happiness — all of these come together in the abstract concept of buta. Thus, the giving of buta is general and abstract. It is precisely this abstraction that has made buta a bearer of national identity. Since buta is given and received in a dream, dream and buta form a single whole. Kamil Valiyev noted the great importance the Turks attached to dreams, calling the dream and its interpretation a sign of the hidden world unfolding in the depths of the human spirit, and humanity's first myth.
The structure and foundation of Azerbaijani love dastans are also built on buta. The complex development and purpose of the events unfolding on this foundation become clear only at the end. The path of love that begins with buta passes through hardship and suffering. On the surface, receiving or being given buta seems simple and ordinary.
Rasul was asleep, and in his dream he saw a garden like paradise in the city of Tiflis, and above it a girl as beautiful as a gazelle... Beside the girl stood a dervish. Holding out the girl's hand to Rasul, the dervish said: “Rasul, this girl is Shahsanam, daughter of Khaja Sanan of Tiflis. I give her to you as your buta. Before long you will find each other” — and withdrew.
Gurbani's eyes were closed, but his heart was open. Into his dream came Pari khanim, daughter of Ziyad Khan of the city of Ganja. Placing Pari khanim's hand in Gurbani's hand, they made them each other's buta.
When they could not wake Abbas, some said he had fainted, others that he had died. An old woman took his pulse and said: “Nothing is wrong with him — he has fallen into the sleep of love. At this very moment he is being given Pari khanim, sister of Batman Gilinj Mahammad bey of Tabriz, as his buta.”
As Mahmud and his brother Gambar slept at the shrine of Eynal Yagut, in the night Eynal Yagut gave Mahmud a cup of wine. Mahmud drank and gave what was left at the bottom of the cup to Gambar, and so both of them became poets; and Mahmud was given Nigar khanim, daughter of Jafar Pasha of the city of Misir (Egypt), as his buta.
Forming the core composition of love dastans, buta plays an important role in the art of the dastan. As we can see, in love dastans buta and the dream are complementary key elements. The drink, the cup that kindles the flame of love, is also one of the essential elements of buta. According to the love dastans, a lover who has received buta is also distinguished by his bravery and honesty.
From the young comes error, from the elder — grace,
A true brave man keeps the word he has given,
The King of kings has granted me buta —
My purpose: it is for Pari I have come.
Kiçiklərdən xəta, böyükdən əta,
Mərd iyid odu ki, dediyin tuta,
Şahlar şahı mənə veribdi buta,
Mətləbimdi, Pəri üçün gəlmişəm.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes buta as an element of Indo-Mughal art. In fact, this refers to the Turkic Baburid state, founded in India in 1526 by Babur Shah, a descendant of Timur (Tamerlane), which existed until 1858. Buta was brought to India by the Baburids. Unfortunately, many sources today attribute buta, a motif of Turkic origin, to India.
The Taj Mahal, known today as the wonder of India, is also an example of Turkic architecture and art. Craftsmen from various Turkic lands, including Azerbaijan, took an active part in the construction of this mausoleum, which the fifth Baburid ruler, Shah Jahan, dedicated to the memory of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
In the mid-19th century, buta-patterned goods were brought from India to the town of Paisley in Scotland, and from there they spread around the world. This is why buta is known in the Western world today as “paisley”.
Wikipedia records this as follows:
“Resembling a large comma or twisted teardrop, the kidney-shaped paisley is Indian and Persian in origin, but its western name derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland.”
The following passage on Wikipedia, meanwhile, clearly points to the true origin of paisley — that is, of buta:
“Some design scholars call the distinct shape boteh and believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity. A floral motif called buta, which originated in the Safavid Dynasty of Persia (from 1501 to 1736), was a major textile pattern in Iran also during the Qajar Dynasty. In these periods, the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population.”
The origins of the Safavids and the Qajars, for their part, have never been a matter of dispute in history.
Buta is a value and a beauty that belongs to us. It has always been the crown of our art and our literature. It carries the gentle touch of our grandmothers and the imprint of our history. Sadly, few people in the world know that this beauty, this delightful pattern, is of Azerbaijani-Turkic origin. To embrace our culture and promote it in the finest way is our civic duty!