ABSTRACT
I first got permission to visit Daghestan to study the unique flat-woven rugs. In addition I had another interest. In a book on Daghestani decorative arts, I had found a tantalising photograph of a silk embroidery which was unlike anything I had seen during 15 years study. Mter I
arrived there I came across three more such laid-and-couched stitch embroideries in the museums and during the next four years, another ten which were patched and carefully preserved in people's homes - a sign that they had been cherished and reused. In the Eastern Museum stores in Moscow I saw 14 more. They were small enough to cover a cot, which suggested their probable use and would also explain their most exciting feature - a protective set of archaic designs, some of which were different from anything else which I had seen. It was like finding a Rosetta Stone.
