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Sheba Iranian Carpets 2009 all rights reserved top
The Zoroastrian Period and the Pazyryk Carpet
The Pazyryk carpet is considered the oldest carpet in the world. In a unique archaeological excavation
in 1949, the exceptional Pazyryk carpet was discovered among the ices of Pazyryk Valley in the Altai
Mountains in Siberia. The carpet was found in the grave of a Scythian prince. Radiocarbon testing
indicated that the Pazyryk carpet was woven in the 5th century BC. This carpet is 283 by 200 cm
(approximately 9.3 by 6.5 ft) and has 232 symmetrical knots per square inch. The advanced weaving
technique used in the Pazyryk carpet indicates a long history of evolution and experience in this art. Its
central field is a deep red color and it has two wide borders, one depicting deer and the other Persian
horseman.
However, it is believed that the carpet from Pazyryk is not likely a nomadic product, but a product of the
Achaemenid period. Historical records show that the Achaemenian court of Cyrus the Great at Pasargade
was decked with magnificent carpets. This was over 2,500 years ago, while Persia was still in a weak
alliance with Alexander the Great, who would later betray her. Alexander II of Macedonia is said to have
been dazzled by the carpets in the tomb area of Cyrus the Great at Pasargade.
By the sixth century, Persian carpets of wool or silk were renowned in court circles throughout the region.
The Bahârestân (spring) carpet of Khosrow I was made for the main audience hall of the Sassanid imperial
Palace at Ctesiphon in the Sassanid province of Khvârvarân (in present-day Iraq). It was 450 feet (140 m)
long and 90 feet (27 m) wide and depicted a formal garden. With the occupation of the Sassanid capital,
Tuspawn, in the 7th century CE, the Baharestan carpet was taken by the Arabs, cut into small fragments
and divided among the victorious soldiers as booty.
According to historians, the famous Tāqdis throne was covered with 30 special carpets representing 30
days of a month and four other carpets representing the four seasons of a year.
Origin of Persian carpets
Persian carpets are usually made of wool. The most sought after wool is called "Kush". It is long, soft and
silky, and is sheared in the spring from the bellies of sheep and goats. In the Hamadan and Kurdistan
region, camel hair is sometimes used. Silk is frequently employed to make very finely knotted carpets.
The dyes used to colour the wool are of the greatest importance in completing the effect and lengthening
the life of Persian carpets. Innumerable raw materials have been used in the past for dying wool and dyers
have always been greatly respected. Most of the traditional raw materials were of vegetable origin: roots,
flowers, barks, and leaves. However, some animal products and various insects were also used. The
popular belief that vegetable dyes in contrast to chemical dyes, do not fade, is unfounded. Yet, when
vegetable dyes fade, they become softer and more attractive. In 1900, the government even forbade the
use and import of chemical dyes; however, this law has never been strictly enforced.
Persian carpets are hand-knotted. The knots used are normally Persian ( Senneh); although in areas such
as Azerbaijan and Hamadan, the Turkish (Ghiordes) knot is also used.
Persian knot Turkish knot
In the Persian 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.
In the Turkish knot the yarn is taken twice around two adjacent warp threads and the ends are drawn out
between these two threads.
Professionals in the towns usually make finely knotted Persian carpets, while nomads make coarsely
knotted ones. Carpets come in all sizes.
The most common Persian motifs are those with flowers, linked by tendrils, and designs including animals
and people; partly geometric motifs are also common. In some regions, more attention is paid to the
pattern and in others to the colouring. The more distinct the pattern on the underside of the carpet, the
better the quality.
Islamic Period
The earliest surviving of the Persian carpets from this period is of a Safavid (1501–1736) carpet known as
the Ardabil Carpet, currently in V&A Museum in London. This most famous of Persian carpets has been
the subject of endless copies ranging in size from small carpets to full scale carpets. There is an 'Ardabil'
at 10 Downing Street and even Hitler had an 'Ardabil' in his office in Berlin. The carpets are woven in 1539-
40 according to the dated inscriptions. The foundation is of silk and the pile of wool with a knot density of
300-350 knots per square inch ( 465-542 thousand knots per square meters). The size of the carpets are
34½ feet by 17½ feet.
There is much variety among classical Persian carpets of the 16th and 17th century. There are numerous
sub-regions that contribute distinctive designs to Persian carpets of this period such as Tabriz and Lavar
Kerman. Common motifs include scrolling vine networks, arabesques, palmettos, cloud bands, medallions,
and overlapping geometric compartments rather than animals and humans. Figural designs are
particularly popular in the Iranian market and are not nearly as common in carpets exported to the west.
To give one example, the "Carpet of Wonder" in the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat in the
Sultanate of Oman measures 4,343 square meters. Its construction required four years of labor by 600
workers, resulting in 12 million man hours of work.
Flat weaves: Kilims
Not only pile carpets were produced in ancient times, but also kilims.
As kilims are much less durable than rugs that have a pile to protect the warp and weft, it is not surprising
that few of great age remain. The oldest piece of which we have any knowledge is a fragment obtained by
M. A. Stein, the archaeological explorer, from the ruins near Khotan, in Eastern Turkestan, of an ancient
settlement, which was buried by sand drifts about the fourth or fifth century CE. The weave is almost
identical with that of modern kilims, and has about fourteen threads of warp and sixteen threads of weft to
the inch. The pattern consists of narrow stripes of blue, green, brownish yellow, and red, containing very
small geometric designs. With this one exception, so peculiarly preserved, there are probably very few
over a century old."
Weaving technique
Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat
surface with no pile. Most kilim weaves are "weft-facing", i.e., the horizontal weft strands are pulled tightly
downward so that they hide the vertical warp strands. When the end of a color boundary is reached, the
weft yarn is wound back from the boundary point. Thus, if the boundary of a field is a straight vertical line,
a vertical slit forms between the two different color areas where they meet. For this reason, most kilims can
be classed as "slit woven" textiles. The slits are beloved by collectors, as they produce very sharp-etched
designs, emphasizing the geometry of the weave. Weaving strategies for avoiding slit formation, such as
interlocking, produce a more blurred design image.
The weft strands, which carry the visible design and color, are almost always wool, whereas the hidden
warp strands can be either wool or cotton. The warp strands are only visible at the ends, where they
emerge as the fringe. This fringe is usually tied in bunches, to ensure against loosening or unraveling of
the weave.
Rug history
Pazyryk carpet pictured above
