Iranian Carpet: Combining Artistic Design and Hard Labor

Summary: The ancient art of carpet weaving in Iran dates back to more than 2500 years ago. From antiquity to the present day, Iranian carpets have enjoyed incomparable fame due to their fine quality and unique designs. This article briefly discusses the history, beautiful patterns and designs of the Iranian carpets.

Since ancient times, the art of carpet weaving in Iran has enjoyed great fame and popularity due to it's fine quality and unique design.

This traditional art has for centuries symbolized Iranian handicraft industries. Today, besides the importance it has as a source of employment, it is Iran's second largest export item after oil. It is indeed a true indicator of the artistic talents and creative endeavors of Iranian artists. The largest number of artisans employed in the Iranian handicraft industries are the carpet weavers.

Foreign exchange earnings of this industry is also noteworthy. If the present export problems are solved, Iranian carpet exports can reach US$ 2 billion in value.

In Persian, two words are currently used meaning "carpet": farsh and ghali. The former is Arabic in origin, meaning "to spread". The latter is adopted from the Turkish word ghalin which means a carpet with piles, woven with yarns and wool in different colors.

Research and studies on the subject show that, having mastered the arts of basket and textile weaving during matriarchal eras, women acquired the art of carpet weaving while men were busy hunting or fighting with enemy tribes. In other words, women were the world's first carpet weavers and to this day, most of the carpet weavers are women. Since bygone days, the art of weaving carpets and rugs was popular and common among nomadic tribes and villagers whose main occupation was cattle breeding and husbandry. At first, the surplus wool was used by the women of each family for weaving small rugs. These elementary rugs which had basic designs and motifs, were produced for personal use only. At times, carpet weavers sold their extra carpets, thus obtaining an additional source of income. Consequently, the art of carpet weaving gradually expanded and flourished as an artistic handicraft in rural areas. However, seldom was it considered a serious trade.

As yet, we do not know how exactly carpet weaving entered urban life. However, as rural and urban areas were constantly engaged in trade, it can be presumed that the art of carpet weaving gradually penetrated urban homes.

Experts claim that carpet weaving dates back to six centuries before Christ. However, identifying the first carpet weaving region has not been possible.

Archaeological findings prove that since centuries ago, carpet weaving has been commonplace in Iran. According to historical remains and findings, this art is at least 2500 years old in Iran.

The oldest knotted carpet in the world is the Pasyryk Rug. This rug (2m X 1.84m), preserved by ice in the Pasyryk Valley, near the Mongolian border was discovered in 1949 by the Russian archaeologist S. I. Rudenko. Scientific research shows that this rug was woven in Iran during the Achaemenid period. Today it is a part of the collection of The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg (Leningrad). The Pasyryk Rug indicates at least 25 centuries of carpet weaving art in Iran.

Archaeological findings in connection with the motifs and designs of North African carpets prove that the art of carpet weaving went from Iran to North Africa. Carpet weaving in Egypt and Tunisia commenced during the Ottoman era and the designs and patterns used in these areas were adopted from Azarbaijani carpets (Western Iran).

In Iran, carpet weaving is considered primarily a traditional and home industry. As most of the Iranian carpets are woven in the nomadic and tribal areas, some of the Iranian hand knot carpets are called "Ilyati" (tribal). These carpets are woven in the homes or tribal tents of the nomads by a single individual or family. In the tribal regions of Fars and Kohgiloyeh-va-Boyer-Ahmad, such carpets are woven with their weft and warp both of pure wool.

Statistics show that in 1976 about 2 million people were engaged in the Iran's carpet weaving industry. In 1980 more than one million people in tribal and rural areas, and about 200,000 people in urban areas were carpet weavers. Studies show that about 20% of the Iranian population live on carpet production, distribution or trade. In other words, about 11 million Iranians depend either directly or indirectly on the carpet industry for their livelihood.

The traditional method of carpet production has been well preserved by tribal and rural weavers. Recently, a tendency towards weaving silk carpets with embossed motifs has increased.

To this day, the historic art of carpet weaving in Iran, enriched with thousands of years of experience, remains unsurpassed. In the course of time, it has gone through great difficulties, but maintaining it's unique position, it continues to conquer world markets.

The Unique Designs of Iranian Carpets and Rugs

The value of Iranian carpets are determined to a large extent by their designs and motifs. Today, in spite of rapid progress in the carpet weaving industry, many carpet weavers in the tribal and rural areas still tend to weave carpets without using any kind of pattern template. They use memorized patterns which have been passed on from one generation to another. All the same, carpet designers are capable of producing beautiful and interesting designs which reflect the colorful nature of life.

During the long history of hand knot carpet weaving, talented designers have used motifs of animals, flowers and trees to beautify their carpets. The passage of time is reflected in the gradual development of such patterns. Over the years, designing carpets has become more and more complex. In general, Iranian carpets have either of two distinct styles. First is the geometrical type, which is very simple but older in age. The second type is characterized by arabesque designs called Tarhe Gardaan. The creation of intricate and delicate patterns observed in this group require a tremendous amount of patience as well as hard and fine work which is not always easy to find.

In the older days, Iranian carpets were called Tale' and Mogharnass or Eslimi. With the passage of time, carpet designers and artists created novel patterns and motifs, using nature as a never ending source of inspiration. The advent of Islam and it's expansion in Iran gave rise to a new generation of designs. The most important of which are: Mehrab, Gonbad and Goldasteh. In general, these carpets are called Ghaliyeh-Sajjadeh-i or prayer rugs.

The remaining miniature paintings of the Timurid era depict carpets with sophisticated designs, which clearly prove the progress and flourishing of carpet weaving in that period. The Mongol invasion was a blow to all artistic activities in Iran; the art of carpet weaving being no exception. Carpet weaving suffered an eclipse at this time but recovered during the reign of the Safavid dynasty. With the Safavid's, carpet weaving flourished and reached peaks of splendor. Most of the valuable and aged carpets which adorn world museums today belong to the Safavid period. The Safavid dynasty was succeeded by the Qajars. It was during the reign of the Qajar dynasty that Western culture influenced traditional Iranian designs. This influence was so great that later on "The American Pattern" was born. In 1930, Madresse-ye-Sanaye-Ghadeem (School of Old Industries) was founded by Taherzadeh Behzad. This move, a logical return to traditional artistic values, simultaneously eliminated the influence of Western culture. In Iran, the art of carpet weaving has deep historical roots in the Irano-Islamic culture. In the course of centuries, traditional Iranian designs have managed to survive the ups-and-downs of history, passing on the artistic achievements of one generation to an other. Among the numerous patterns and designs of the Iranian carpet, Tarhe-Goldani or the vase pattern is observed more than ever before.

Trees are significant elements of Iranian carpet designs. As one of the dominant patterns, trees designed in various forms reflect Iranian taste and way of thinking through the ages. At different carpet weaving centers, tree forms are used for designing and adorning carpets according to the heritage of that region. The variety of trees also reflect and introduce the art and culture of each region. Fars, Kerman, Tabriz and North Khorasan have all used and still use trees in different forms and great variety.

Another important pattern is the famous Botteh which is usually used in three forms: Hendessi (Shekasteh) or geometrical, Gardaan (Monhani) or curved, and Goldaar or floral. Experts differ on what the Botteh represents; a pine, a palm, a cluster of leaves or the sacred flame of Zoroast. Whatever this motif might symbolize, it serves as an important element in determining the original location of a carpet or rug. This is due to the fact that many places have used this pattern in a manner particular to their town or village. Noteworthy is the fact that until the seventeenth century, the Botteh design was not used as an independent carpet design. But later on, it was commonly adopted as a popular motif. Today, more that 60 different types of this pattern are woven in different regions of Iran. The Goldani or vase motif has been widely used all over Iran, and also in India and China in a variety of forms since the Safavid era. In the cities of Tabriz and Kashan as well as the Bakhtiari and Afshar tribal regions, this pattern is observed more than others.

Throughout history, Iranian carpet weavers have used nature as a source of inspiration. Together with their feelings and beliefs, they have turned the simplest natural forms into spectacular patterns and designs in their works of art. The study of these designs and motifs is a key to understanding the symbolic language of Iranian art and literature. Another important motif in the art of Iranian carpet weaving is the bird. Iranian artists have used birds to decorate their carpets and woven textiles as well as miniatures and other forms of art. The bird pattern is frequently used in carpets of Kerman, Esfahan and the tribal areas of Fars, Azarbaijan and Lorestan.

Problems of the Iranian Carpet Industry

Today, Iranian hand knot carpets woven in the traditional style enjoy a unique position in world markets. This is due to Iran's rich heritage in the art of carpet weaving, backed by thousands of years of experience and enriched with the artistic creativity, talents and love of millions of weavers, designers, artists and dyers. They have over the years, selflessly dedicated themselves to this ancient art. It is the responsibility of each and every Iranian to safeguard this national art by taking effective steps aimed at removing the existing difficulties and hurdles which hinder it's development.

Iranian carpets are considered artistic items of great value. All over the world, especially in Europe, people tend to spend significant parts of their savings on purchasing Iranian carpets and rugs. It is true that following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, carpet exports declined and countries like Pakistan, China and India tried to conquer carpet markets in Europe, but once again Iran is the leading exporter of hand knot carpets. If the existing problems are solved and due attention is paid to the production of carpets, Iran's carpet exports are capable of further growth.

At present, the main problems of the Iranian carpet Industry are as follows: lack of good quality raw materials, use of synthetic dyes instead of natural dyes, absence of competent managers, absence of sufficient educational facilities, lack of research centers, weak marketing and advertising, absence of data banks, and others. Removing any one of these problems is a step toward increasing production and export. Besides, expanding and providing wool washing facilities, expanding the silk industry, producing weft and warp of pure cotton, setting up dying workshops, encouraging designers by giving awards, insuring carpet weavers, meeting the needs of the carpet weavers through bank loans, etc., are different means of developing and expanding the art of Iranian carpet weaving throughout the world.

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