Persian Rugs: A Matter of Culture

Many theorists agree that the origin of the handmade rugbegan in the nomadic tribes of Central Asia. According to restoration-experts.com, the theory states that the nomads were unwilling to kill valuable livestock in order to cover their floors; instead, they used sheep, goat or camel hair to create textiles . The earliest physical evidence of the history of rug making is the Pazyryk carpet, which was discovered in 1949 in a royal tomb in Siberia. The rug had been frozen due to frost, which as a result allowed it to survive to this very day. The Pazyryk rug is remarkable for its age and its craftsmanship, since it was made in a specific style of knotting still used today.

According to the historical information provided by the Persian Carpet House, another remarkable rug of antiquity is the Spring Carpet of Chosroes, which according to legend, when the Persian King Chosroes I defeated the Romans in the conquest of southern Arabia this rug was woven in commemoration of the event. The rug was described as "weighing several tons and measuring 400 feet by 100 feet. Inlaid with precious gems and gold thread, the design was interlaced with road-like paths that the king would use to stroll along as he admired the scenes". With the advent of Islam in the 7^th century carpet weaving had been developing for over two thousand years.

Farsinet.com states that under Islamic rule rug-weaving continued to flourish and branch out into ever evolving styles and artistic expressions. As the lands under Muslim rule expanded, the unified Islamic people fostered an environment of peace and prosperity where the arts and literacy would also thrive. Rug-weaving reached perhaps its "highest form during the reign of the Safavid dynasty in Persia during the 16^th an 17th centuries. According to Farsinet.com, one of the most famous of all Persian carpets is the Ardebil dating from this era". The Ardebil was one of a pair, which came to England in 1893; however, the poor condition of the rug was remedied by using the one rug to repair the other.

Based on statistics from the Persian Carpet House, today, most carpet production - about 94% - is tufted carpet, which is produced fifteen times faster than woven carpet. From being simply articles of need, the increasing beauty of the carpets found them new owners -kings and nobleman.

Many people in Iran have invested their "whole wealth in Persian carpets, which is often referred to as an Iranian's stocks and shares. In addition, for many centuries the Persian carpet has received international acknowledgment for its artistic splendor" (IranYellowPages.net ). In "palaces, renowned buildings, rich homes and museums throughout the world a Persian carpet is among the most treasured possessions" (IranYellowPages.net ). Thus at present, Iran produces more carpets than all the other carpet making centers of the world (Persian Carpets).

According to an interview with Sima Soleymani, a former weaver, Persian rugs in the old days were made by Persian "middle-aged women though and some of the best weavers were the oldest women in the village". As for today, both men and women weave. It began as a way of surviving in the harsh cold days, where floors were all cemented and where the villagers had no other way of keeping themselves warm . As the Persian rugs became a norm to be used as a heating mechanism, and was seen in most homes, people not only began to appreciate the heat it provided in the cold days, but also its beautiful art. The rich though did not need the rugs to provide them with heat, the beauty of the rugs attracted them immensely to the extent that they thought it as a must have. They therefore began to make offers to buy the rugs, which in turn made the Iranian women make more and more. With the Iranian women making more and more rugs, this led to a country where the rug began to symbolize and represent many different things.

Mothers began to teach their daughters how to weave a rug in preparation for marriage. The carpet in a new marriage became the symbol of establishing a new home which is why when girls would get married they would take their woven carpets with them. In Persian homes, these rugs represented happiness and "enchantment" and was thought that a home without one was "bare" and "soulless". This in turn made the Persian rugs be a symbol of "pride" in the family, which they used for everything . According to Soleymani, the Persian rugs were used to sit on, to be eaten off of, and as a display both on the floor and walls, which were still used as a means of keeping warm in the cold cemented homes. The rugs being a common object and theme in the Persian home soon became a way of establishing status. No family went without one, for a family not to have a Persian rug meant that they were of low status. The way it was established whether or not one was of high status in relation to the rug, was the age of the rug, the symbols on it, and its size. It was and still is believed that the older the rug, the finer the quality. Therefore, those who had older Persian rugs in their possession, and laid them on the floor and or on the wall were considered to be of high status and wealth. Same concept was applied to the symbols and length of the rugs, where more symbols and longer rugs was considered to be of higher quality. Today this tradition is still as strong as ever and the tradition continues with the joy of representing and "reproducing the honored designs of their [Persian] ancestors".

The tradition though continues in a different time period, the methods in which the rugs are woven and the material used to make them, have not been drastically altered. In the old days Persian rugs were made of wool, cotton, silk, and vegetable dyes. Bukhara-carpets.com describes the materials used to make the rugs. Wool, which was from sheep, camel or goat hair, was considered to be the most important material for knotting carpets. The high quality of the carpet depended on the quality of the wool. The second most important material in making the Persian rug was cotton. Cotton being hygroscopic, it was used to strengthen and protect the carpets from rotting. Silk contribution to the Persian rugs was evident in its shine, denseness, and was also used for fine knotting . As for vegetable dyes, which are the only alteration in making Persian rugs today, they have been partly substituted by chemical ones . Though the change may seem small, it was of big controversy in Iran. With the perception that vegetable dyes do not fade, but chemical ones do, the government outlawed the import of chemical dyes, but with little enforcement, the weavers were and are still left to their choice of vegetable or chemical dye. The dyes, used for giving color to the wool, and lengthening the life of Persian rugs, have a great role in the overall quality and appearance of the rugs, which make it clear why it was such a controversy for the government to get involved. Like the materials used have not changed greatly, the techniques for making the rugs have not either.

According to Bukhara-carpets.com, Persian rugs are made in three different ways: giordes knots, asymmetric knots, and senneh knots, which is named after the Persian City Senneh, which today is known as Sanandadje. First carpets have to be sketched. When they are sketched and the end result looks good and satisfying they are placed on a "bullet". A bullet is a long board in which the strings are put through to make the knots and the weaving. When the process of making the rug is complete, the rugs are named and are classified in relation to the origin or tribe where it is made. Though there are many tribes and cities that make Persian rugs, no two are the same.

The Persian Carpet House states that there are no two hand-made Persian rugs that are identical. This adds to the unique character of the rug, and acts as a source of pride for the families who own or make them. Because the Persian rugs are hand-made, attention is drawn to the "quality first and design second". A high number of knot count indicates a high quality rug. Naturally, hand-made pieces are usually not symmetric or have consistent coloring. Even though imperfections are noted, they do not degrade the rug. In fact, as Persian Carpet House states "a fine Persian rug will almost always include intentional imperfections" as "imperfections...give [the] rugs their character and authenticity".

There are different designs a weaver may choose from, ranging from geometric designs to floral designs, and each design is unique by the weaver. The different symbols act as a representation "to a particular tribe or place of origin". Such as a trademark, "every city, village, or tribe has their own design that they incorporate into their rugs". The most widely used motif is a large central medallion, which may be used to symbolize the religious nature of the weavers. Along with the unique nature of each Persian rugs, the medallions are all different from each other, even if the designs are the same.

Persian Carpet House states that geometric designs are "decorated with linear elements composed of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines or formed by a repetition of the same motifs". Because of the warp and woof tools, the patterns are limited to rectilinear designs. Later on, as weavers become more experienced and learn different tricks, curves and circles are developed. The ancient Egyptians accidentally discovered that "by skipping some threads of the warp in running in the woof, an irregular diagonal effect would result...".

Also, Persian Carpet House states that floral designs have been inspired from "Persian's close affinity with nature and pure love of patterns as works of art". For artists to express themselves fully, they begin to integrate designs of trees, flowers, birds and clouds into their rugs. However, because it requires high skills from a weaver, pictorial designs of Persian rugs are the rarest. Because they are rare, there is no standard outline for the designs, and each pictorial rug is unique. The advance expertise of the weavers allows the Persians to be very proud of their history and culture (Persian Rugs). A couple floral designs are simple, but profound. For instance, a lily may be isolated in the central position linked only by delicate tendrils. Pine, leaf patterns, and a very peaceful stem may be used as they are, once again, inspired by nature.

What started as a means of getting by, today has become an artwork where not only the country that makes it realizes its beauty and appreciates its true worth, but also everyone around the world. The rugs, though during the hardest days were made perhaps as a last resort, today they are everything but that. Today, reflecting back to their Iranian past and history, the Persian rugs are made with pride and honor. As said by Sima Soleymani "They are a reminder of how far Iranians have come [...]