CARPETS
The term soumak is used to refer to a specific type of brocading which is defined as a technique in which the sequence of the progressive wrapping of warp by weft is consistently forward over and back under. Some of our soumak pieces are constructed in a form known as ‘countered soumak’ where the direction of the wrapping changes from row to row giving the top surface its chevron effect. There are also ‘reverse soumak’ which is rare where the pattern is fully distinguishable on the back of the rug. These finishes can only be woven by weavers of the highest skill. They have also used vegetable dyes in the yarns to give these pieces their authentic look and feel. These Afghan Soumaks are exceptionally fine with a mix of knotted pile also woven in, which is very skilful.
Ardebil - Meshkin
When during the Second World War, the supply of Shirvans and other Russian Caucasian types dwindled to practically nothing, the weavers of Ardebil and Meshkin near the Caspian Sea in Persian Azerbaijan stepped in to fill the void created. The designs are nearly always geometric as per their Caucasian cousins. Meshkins of late have retained a pleasant rustic quality as found previously in the Caucus, no longer evident in new Russian production which is factory based and almost too uniform and perfect for hand-made rugs. The most popular pattern employed is the all-over herati motif (diamond shaped leaf and flower) similar to that found from Bidjar and Tabriz. Heriz medallion styles are also prevalent with silk often being used.
Bachtiar
These are rugs and carpets made by the Armenians, Kurds, Luri and other tribes that have settled in the province of Chahar Mahal va Bachtiari southwest of Isphahan. They are usually very well made and represent excellent value as they are usually medium fine. The colours are very suitable for Canada as they are often soft and muted in design. Bachtiari is famous for it’s Persian panel or garden design from Chahar Shotur. Shalamzar is also well known for it’s tree of life pattern. Floral designs have always been popular in Persia. The landscape is so barren, and the climate harsh, so that it is hard to grow beautiful plants for much of the year. Hence they developed garden design carpets which could remind them of spring and summer days in the sun. A sentiment echoed here in Canada!
Husseinabad
The Herati design (Herati is a floral motif encapsulated within a diamond of leaves) is used in a large number of villages around Hamadan, the market town with a bazaar in which these village rugs are sold. Because these Herati are small and close together the design is called ‘Mahi’ meaning fish as the curled leaves look somewhat fish-like. The rugs, runners and large carpets from Husseinabad are very well constructed of good quality wool with a great sheen and are very hard-wearing.
Kashan
The town of Kashan which lies between Qum and Isphahan on the old caravan route which skirts the Great Desert has been famous for its outstanding handicrafts for almost 800 years. In the late 1530’s Kashan’s fame as a textile centre led to the commissioning by Shah Tahmasp of one of the greatest all-time Persian carpets - the Ardebil, now in the V & A museum London. The standards set by the weavers of Kashan between 1900 and 1950, the balance they achieved between all the elements of structure, colour and design - that ideal unity of form and content - have established Kashan in many people’s minds as the home of the very best in carpet weaving. Kashans being floral must be of necessity a finer weave as only closely woven rugs can be made in curvilinear patterns.
Kerman - Yezd
The City of Kerman is in South central Iran is famous for its variety of famous floral designs especially those combining them with plain grounds. The motifs used were originally Khorani in origin. I.e. they were copies of the elaborate designs found on the bookbinding’s of the Muslim Holy Book called the Koran. These floral carpets became the most popular carpets found in the great houses and palaces of Europe in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Embargoes placed by successive Persian Shahs forced the French to create their own hand-made copies in the specially opened Aubusson and Savonnerie factories. Yezd on the road to Nain from Kerman is a relatively new weaving centre started in the early 20th Century producing well made Kerman patterned rugs.
Kolyai – Rudbar _ Tajabad – Tuiserkan – Hamadan – Khamesh – Songhor
The bold angular medallions of the rugs, associated with the Kurdish weavers in Persia as well as with tribes like the Shahsavan, are seen in abundance in the examples of village productions of the Kolyai tribe around Sonqur in western Iran. They are the biggest rug producers amongst the Kurds. The weave is good, the pile dense and the price moderate, making them very popular with western buyers. These rugs are often classified as Hamadan from the market town where they are sold in the bazaar.
Lilihan - Armenibaff
South of Arak in southern Iran (Persia) there is a small area called the Kemereh, of which the main town is Lilihan, which is Armenian. Often the rugs from this area are lumped in with Hamadan village goods even though Hamadan is a long way from Lilihan. The rugs belong in style and weave to the Saruk group of villages, usually woven with the Persian knot. The design used again is very recognisable being a semi-geometric floral spray. Gorgeous madder reds faded to rose predominate though occasionally dark blue or ivory grounds are found. The quality is good, with quite a fine weave and a thick pile. These rugs are sometimes called Armenibaff, ‘baff’ meaning ‘woven’ and ‘Armeni’ meaning ‘by Armenians’.
Luri – Aliabad
The Luris are one of the oldest tribal groups to be found in Iran. From Shiraz the Luri tribes are spread out to the northwest throughout the Zagros mountains and right up into the Kurdish area southwest of Hamadan. The Lurs like most tribes have a wide range of traditional designs which are constantly being reinterpreted by individual weavers in countless variant forms. However, one particular design idea - the use of repeating diamond shapes combined with a latch hook motif predominates. In recent times the Luri have adapted their weaving to fine Gabbeh styles using the finest wools and modern designs. Their rugs are amongst the most striking pieces made anywhere in the carpet weaving world today.
Malayer - Tuiserkan - Vordoveh - Djosan
(Also Alamdar, Mahabad)
Malayer is a region containing many villages that sell their goods in the bazaar of Hamadan in western Persia. These villages all produce there own version of the herati pattern (a floral motif encapsulated within a diamond of leaves). They are wll constructed and very good value and long lasting.
Tuiserkan is another village in this area weaving above average quality for a Hamadan area piece. They always have an elongated medallion and saw-toth edging. The weavers of this village are very adept at dyeing producing colourful and well balanced rugs. The village of Vordoveh produce similar, though more simple in design pieces.
Maschad - Sabsewar
A city in northeastern Iran (Persia) in the the province of Khorassan. Carpet production started in Maschad in the late nineteenth century. It is the market town for a number of the surrounding villages and has a large carpet bazaar. Deep cochineal red predominates in the carpets of this bustling city renowned also for its wonderful fruit and vegetables. Carpets woven usually have central medallions. The weave is usually medium fine and they are an inexpensive and robust type of carpet. The demonination ‘Turkbaff’ means woven by someone of Turkic origin.
Mir Serabend or Saruk Mir
Serabend rugs and carpets are instantly recognisable from their all-over boteh design (known as Paisley in Canada). The botehs are usually small between one or two centimeters high. It is a region of Persia high above sea-level between Arak and Borujird. The name Serabend means ‘cold place’. They occasionally have a central medallion made up of it’s famous geometric border motif called ‘shekeri’. Mir Serabend is a finer version of the Serabend. They are made in all sizes including carpets. They are woven predominantly in red, though cream and navy are not uncommon. The large pieces make excellent dining room carpets as there is usually no central motif to cover with the table. Saruk Mir is the same pattern but woven in the southwest town and district of Saruk.
Nahavand - Biganeh
A very distinctive, heavy and well made rug from the Hamadan region of Persia. They nearly always have a central medallion surrounded by a field of stylised flowers. A particularly noteworthy feature is the border in which the flower groups break through into the ground of the rug - a rarely used and instantly recognisable feature. Another important feature is the size. They are nearly always in a dozar (do means two and zar means zaronim i.e. two times the size of a zaronim piece) which is approximately 4 square metres. They are often made in blue or dark colour but we have found a good selection of muted soft colours.
Nain
Nain is a city in central Iran, east of Isphahan on the edge of the great desert between Isphahan and Yezd. It was a town famous for its fine textiles until their decline in the 1920’s. Rug production has taken over as the main industry since then. It has rapidly become famous for its fine rugs which are nearly always either very pale beige in colouring or dark blue. Red, green and peach colours are also found more recently. The designs are nearly always outlined in silk and the islimi pattern (floral intertwining vines) predominate. These patterns are religious in origin having been used to decorate some of the grander mosques in the area such as the Shah mosque in Isphahan. They are one of the few sources of pale rugs from Iran.
Saruk-Mehreban-Borchalu
Saruk is the name of a Persian village on the edge of the Ferahan region south of Hamadan which has given its name to the products of the whole area, where the goods are sold. The weave is quite fine, hence their ability to produce floral patterns. Boteh patterns, (boteh is a repeating pine cone or paisley pattern) are also woven but now they mostly produce an instantly recognisable floral spray design that was specifically made for the North American market from about 100 years ago. Usually woven in soft terracotta’s, though red, blue and ivory are also found. Mehreban is the northernmost village of the Saruk weaving area and produces very similar floral designs as the Saruk. Mahal means palace and is a reference to carpets made for the larger homes in this district.
Senneh
Senneh (properly known as Sanandaj) is the principal city of Kurdish Persia and is in the west of Iran. It is one of the main market towns where there is a bazaar for dealers to buy Senneh and Bidjar rugs woven in the surrounding villages. The weavers of Senneh make a very distinctive and finely woven design based on the boteh. Some people believe the boteh to be a representation of a pine cone, which is the forerunner of the famous paisley design that was woven in Scotland on shawls and other textiles. The weavers of Senneh also weave designs based on the Herati pattern which is like a flower or palmette surrounded by leaves. They are always in an all-over pattern, often with several stepped grounds in different colours. Rugs from Senneh tend to be more on the square size for shape.
Shahsavan - Taleghan
The Shahsavan tribes live primarily south and west of the Caspian Sea, both in and near the northwestern Iranian province of Azerbaijan. Like the Qashqa’i, the Shahsavan are a confederation of ethnically mixed tribes, rather than a homogenous people, hence the multitude of designs that they produce. The literal meaning of the name Shahsavan is ‘those who love the Shah’. They were officially granted this name by Shah Abbas (1589-1629) the great patron of Persian art. They are a truly nomadic people living in yurts (circular tents) and their rich geometric rug patterns reveal no urban design influences. The appeal of these rugs lie in the splendid natural dyestuffs used and the mystery of the composition of their designs which are features common amongst tribal goods.
Tabriz
The city of Tabriz, huddled on the edge of the Caucasus mountains in the far northwest of Iran, undoubtedly has by far the biggest range of designs and qualities of any manufacturing town in the whole of the Orient. The master weavers here are the best copiers of any Oriental design in Persia and it can be difficult sometimes to distinguish Tabriz production from other areas in Iran. The knot used in this city is predominantly the Turkish one which gives a squareness and regularity to the pattern. One must remember that Tabriz carpets can be made in many qualities ranging from around 50 knots per square inch up to those exceeding 400 knots per square inch. These differences in quality mean that Tabriz can run from inexpensive to extremely costly!!
Wiss
The village of Wiss is in the south of the Arak area is around 100 miles south east of Hamadan in Iran. Here the carpets are of medium fineness usually with a thick high pile of durable wool yarn. Although quite close to Sarough it is really the only village in this area still weaving a geometric design, usually in a very distictive triple medallion pattern. There are also hooked motifs found at each end of the rugs as well as around the medallions and steep hooked pyramids reaching from the sides towards the centre.
A Persian tribe of nomads and settled villagers numbering some 400,000 people mostly found in southwest Iran in Fars province. Most Qashqa’i of which the Bownat are an Arabic branch, are still shepherds which give them access to a strong, high quality wool. Their weavings are finer than most other tribal weavers in Iran and they tend to use more natural vegetable dyestuffs for colouration. Their wanderings take them through the area where Persepolis is located - the ancient capital of Persia. The ruins found in this vast archaeological site are often depicted in the rugs such as the columns with the horses heads on, which were the pillars at the gateway to the city. Nomadic pieces tend to be more geometric than those woven by the settled tribes. Rare are rugs over 3 x 2 m because they would be too bulky to carry with them on their nomadic wanderings. Shiraz is the market town from where we buy all these tribal pieces.
