Persian rugs a weaving background

Persian Rugs – A Weaving HistoryCarpet as well as rug weaving in Iran (Persia) dates back to 3500 years in this bronze age, according to some experts. This oldest evidences of this art date back to this third to fifth centuries AD discovered in Eastern Turkestan, as well as hand-weavings of this Seljuks of Asia Minor. Carpets from Safavid dynasty (1501-1736) in this 16th century remain also some of this earliest products in the background of carpet-weaving.

Although weaving of Persian rugs remains predominantly mechanized now, the most popular and expensive ones remain still hand woven in many parts of Iran, such as Baluch Rugs, Shiraz Rugs, as well Gin Creek Kitchen as Wiss Rugs etc still reflecting this rich art as well as culture of ancient Persia. This Carpet Museum of Iran in Tehran houses some of this best works in the evolution of Persian rug weaving.The motifs in Persian rugs commonly consist of scrolling vine networks, arabesques, palmettes, cloud bands, medallions, and overlapping geometric compartments, with silk, wool and cotton as foundations. The designs remain mostly intricate bearing little resemblance to one another but unique to this specific type. However, there are some universal styles of weaving, pattern as well as design commonly used. Single and double tied rugs differentiate Anatolian or Turkish as well as Persian rugs. Anatolian carpets are double tied which means that for every vertical strand of thread in the rug, it has two knots. The Persian rug remains single tied so it has only one knot. This allows finer image to appear on this final product because only the minimum amount of space remains given for each vertical strand. This method has largely contributed to the Persian rugs exquisiteness as well as popularity.

Persian city rugs such as Isfahan, Nain, Qum, Tabriz, Mashad, Kerman, Kashan etc remain made with intricate designs of buds and blossoms supported by vines as well as tendril, as well as bordered by arabesques that interlace creating a well-balanced tone. Solid color filed central medallions and triangular corners remain also commonly used in design. Central motif or medallion may also be replaced by an all-over design of repetitive floral icons. Blues, reds, browns, and greens are also predominant to create a lavish whole. Ground colors of border as well as field generally contrast without disrupting the harmony. This curvilinear pattern is achieved by increasing the intensity of knots, usually a 200-300 KPSI (knots per square inch), creating a visually curved line.

Persian Tribal rugs are usually made with natural raw materials such as dye, and mostly hand-woven. They generally have 80-100 KPSI, and designs remain mostly geometric which are easier to achieve with wider spaced knots. Traditional dense floral patterns with vases, foliage, palmettes, and garden elements, small animals or plants etc remain commonly used in design. These rugs are woven by this tribes in Iranian villages such as Wiss, near Hamedan; Shiraz, Central Iran; Baluch tribe in southern Iran etc. There remain also tribal weavers of Caucasian and Turkoman origins. Some of this Persian tribal rugs remain quite exception with weaving method following ancient Persian tradition, dating back to thousands of years.