Nəsimi in three minutes
Imadaddin Nəsimi, poet, c. 1369 to the early 15th century.
The poet
Nəsimi lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He is counted among the founders of Azerbaijani poetry, and he wrote in Azerbaijani and in Persian.
The letters
He followed Hurufism, a mystical teaching in which letters carry meaning. In that teaching the 32 letters of the Persian alphabet hold a special place. Drop 01 has 32 pieces, one for each letter. We use letters only as shapes and marks. We do not print sacred texts or names of God.
The road
After the execution of Fazlallah Astarabadi, his teacher and the founder of Hurufism, Nəsimi left Azerbaijan to spread the teaching in Anatolia and later in Aleppo. His ideas met strong resistance there, and he was executed in Aleppo.
A verse
Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam.
Two worlds fit inside me. I do not fit inside this one.
Verse attributed to Nəsimi. English rendering by Santino Archive.
Why him
Because a garment can be small and still carry something large. The carpet, the letters and the numbers are our way of making a few things with attention, and giving them a name worth carrying.
The carpet in this drop is from the collection of the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. Its design is simplified into patches for the hoodie.
See the pieces