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A
brief history of Persian Rug and its patterns
The history of Persian Rug-a culmination
of artistic magnificence - dates back to 2,500 years ago. The Iranians
were among the pioneer Rug weavers of the ancient civilizations,
having achieved a superlative degree of perfection through centuries of
creativity and ingenuity. The skill of Rug weaving has been handed
down by fathers to their sons, who built upon those skills and in turn
handed them down to their offspring as a closely guarded family secret.
To trace the history of Persian Rug is to follow a path of cultural
growth of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen.
From being simple articles of need, floor and entrance coverings to
protect the nomadic tribesmen from the cold and damp, the increasing
beauty of the Rugs found them new owners - kings and noblemen, who
looked upon them as signs of wealth, prestige and distinction.
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Pazyryk Rug, 5th century BCE
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Russian archaeologists Rudenko and
Griaznov in 1949 discovered the oldest known "knotted" Rug in the Pazyryk valley, about 5000 feet up on the Altai Mountains in
Siberia. Dating back to the fifth century BCE The Pazyryk Rug is of
rare beauty and woven with great technical skill. It was found preserved
in the frozen tombs of Scythian chiefs, which were 2400 to 2500 years
old, it is now kept in the Hermitage Museum of Leningrad. Another rug
found in the same area, dates back to the first century BCE.
When Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he was
struck by its splendour, and it was probably he who introduced the art
of Rug making into Persia. However, historical records show that
magnificent Rugs adorned the court of Cyrus the Great, who founded
the Persian Empire over 2,500 years ago. It is also said that the tomb
of Cyrus, who was buried at Pasargadae near Persepolis, was covered with
precious Rugs. Even before his time, it is very likely that Persian
nomads knew about the use of Knotted Rugs. Their herds of sheep and
goats provided them with high quality and durable wool for this purpose.
The first documented evidence on the existence of Rugs came from
Chinese texts dating back to the Sassanid Dynasty (224 -
641 CE). In 628 CE, the Emperor Heraclius brought back a variety of Rugs from the conquest of Ctesiphon, the Sassanian capital. The Arabs
also conquered Ctesiphon in 637 CE, and among the spoils brought back
were said to be many Rugs, one of which was the famous garden Rug,
the "Spring time of Khosro". This Rug has passed into
history as the most precious of all time. Made during the reign of
Khosro I (531 - 579 CE) the Rug was 90 Feet square. The Arab
historians' description is as follows: "The border was a
magnificent flower bed of blue, red, white, yellow and green stones; in
the background the colour of the earth was imitated with gold; clear
stones like crystals gave the illusion of water; the plants were in silk
and the fruits were formed by colour stones" However, the Arabs cut
this magnificent Rug into many pieces, which were then sold
separately.
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Turkish
Knot
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After the period of domination by the Arab
Caliphates, a Turkish tribe, named after their founder, Seljok conquered
Persia. Their domination (1038 - 1194 CE) was of great importance in the
history of Persian Rugs. The Seljuk women were skilful Rug makers
using Turkish knots. In the provinces of Azerbaijan and Hamadan where
Seljuk influence was strongest and longest lasting, the Turkish knot is
used to this day.
In the Turkish (or Ghiordes) knot the yarn is taken twice around two
adjacent warp threads and the ends are drawn out between these two
threads.
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Sinneh
Knot
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In the Persian (or Sinneh) Knot, the wool
thread forms a single turn about the warp thread. One end comes out over
this thread and the other over the next warp thread.
The Mongol conquest and control of Persia (1220 - 1449) was initially
brutal. However, they soon came under the influence of the Persians. The
palace of Tabriz, belonging to the Ilkhan leader, Ghazan Khan (1295 -
1304) had paved floors covered with precious Rugs. The Monghol ruler
Shah Rokh (1409 - 1446) contributed to the reconstruction of much that
was destroyed by the Mongols and encouraged all the artistic activities
of the region. However, the Rugs in this period were decorated with
simple motifs, which were mainly geometric in style.
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Esfahan Rug
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The Persian Rug reached its zenith
during the reign of the Safavid Dynasty in the 16th
century. Indeed the first concrete proofs of this craft date back to
this period. Approximately 1500 examples are preserved in various
museums and in private collections worldwide. During the reign of Shah
Abbas (1587 - 1629), commerce and crafts prospered in Persia. Shah Abbas
encouraged contacts and trade with Europe and transformed his new
capital Esfahan, into one of the most glorious cities of
Persia. He also created a court workshop for Rugs where skilled
designers and craftsmen set to work to create splendid specimens. Most
of these Rugs were made of silk, with gold and silver threads adding
even more embellishment. Two of the best know Rugs of the Safavid
period; dated 1539 come from the mosque of Ardebil. Many experts believe
that these Rugs represent the culmination of achievement in Rug design. The larger of the two
Rugs in now kept in London's Victoria
and Albert Museum while the other is displayed at the Los
Angeles County Museum.
The court period of the Persian Rug ended with the Afghan invasion in
1722. The Afghans destroyed Esfahan, yet their domination lasted for
only a short period and in 1736, a young Chieftain from Khorasan, Nader
Khan became the Shah of Persia. Through the whole course of his reign,
all the country's forces were utilised in campaigns against the Afghans,
the Turks, and the Russians. During this period, and for several
turbulent years after his death in 1747, no Rugs of any great value
were made, and solely nomads, and craftsmen in small villages continued
the tradition of this craft.
In the last quarter of the 19th Century and during the reign of the Qajar
rulers trade and craftsmanship regained their importance. Rug making
flourished once more with Tabriz merchants exporting Rugs to Europe
through Istanbul. At the end of the 19th Century some European and
American companies even set up businesses in Persia and organised craft
production destined for western markets.
Today, Rug weaving is by far the most widespread handicraft in Iran.
Persian Rugs are renowned for their richness of colour, variety of
spectacular artistic patterns and quality of design. In palaces, famous
buildings, mansions and museums the world over, a Persian Rug is
amongst the most treasured possession.
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Kashan Rug
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Major Weaving Centers:
Arak, Ardebil, Bijar, Hamadan, Esfahan, Kashan, Kerman, Mashhad, Nain,
Qom, Sanandaj, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan.
Other Centers:
Abadeh, Afshar, Ghotloo, Ahar, Amol, AnjelasAradkan, Baft, Bakhtiar,
Balouch, Bam, Bandar Turkman, Behbahan, Bidgol, Borcheloo, Broujerd,
Chenar, Darab, Darjezin, Farahan, Firouzabad, Garavan, Ghotlog, Golkhar,
Golpayegan, Gonbad, Haris, Hosseinabad, Jourqan, Kaboudar, Ahang,
Kashmar, Koliai Khamseh, Khoie, Khosrowabad, Lorestan, Mahallat, Makou,
Malayer, Mahabad, Moshkabad, Moghan, Mianeh, Najafabad, Natanz, Nahavand,
Neiriz, Neishabour, Qashqaie, Qazvin, qouchan, Rafsanjan, Ravar, Roudbar,
Saman, Sarmilaq, Sarouk, Semnan, Senneh, Sirjan, Shahre Kord, Shahreza,
Shahr Babak, Shahroud, Shahsavan, Tabas, Torbat Heidarieh, Tousirkan,
Tajabad, Tafresh, Turkaman Sahra, Varamin, Viss, Yasouj, Zarand.
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