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Abadeh
Abadeh is a town of perhaps 50'000 inhabitants in the
northern part of the province of Fars, roughly midway between
Shiraz and Isfahan. It has no monuments of importance, but its
situation, on the northern flanks of the Zagros Mountains and
close to caravan routes and nomadic migration routes has left
its inhabitants receptive to outside influences.
This is
reflected in the rugs produced in the town. The most famous
Abadeh design is derived from the rugs of the Qashquai tribes: a
stylized flower motif repeated in the center of the rug and in
each corner. Other designs, nowadays less frequently seen,
include the Zil-e-Sultan design of flower, vases and pairs of
birds, and a design of narrow bands running the length of the
carpet. The principal colours are red, dark blue and white. The
pile is invariably wool, the warps and wefts cotton. Sizes are
Pushti, Zaronim, Dozar, runner and 6 square meters carpets.
Afghan Bokhara
A city of southern Uzbekistan west of Samarqand. It is one of
the oldest cultural and trade centres of Asia and was capital of
the former emirate of Bokhara (Bukhara)
from the 16th to the 19th century.
Herat, in the Western
part of Afghanistan, has a history of over two thousand five
hundred years and was once occupied by Alexander the Great, and
subsequently invaded by Mongols led by Genghis Khan and then
Tamerlan in the 13th century. Herat was considered part of the
Persian Empire, and the Persian influence in carpet making in
Herat is still seen.
Afghan Khan Mohammadi
Khan Mohammad rugs are originally made in Northern
Afghanistan. They usually are a shade of rust in colour and have
geometric patterns. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979
caused perhaps 3 million Afghans to flee to Pakistan, and with
the refugees came a flood of rugs. After the Russians left there
was a long period of warlord vs. warlord chaos, followed finally
by the coming of the Taliban. There is still unrest in the
country in the wake of the ouster of the Taliban by U.S. forces.
Afghans are returning to their villages and cities in
substantial numbers now, but many Afghans still prefer the
relative safety of the border areas of north-western Pakistan to
their homes in Afghanistan. There are still goods to select in
the rug bazaars of Peshawar, but there is risk for American rug
buyers in the border areas.
Afghan Khunduz
A city of southern Uzbekistan west of Samarqand. It is one of
the oldest cultural and trade centres of Asia and was capital of
the former emirate of Bokhara (Bukhara)
from the 16th to the 19th century.
Herat, in the Western
part of Afghanistan, has a history of over two thousand five
hundred years and was once occupied by Alexander the Great, and
subsequently invaded by Mongols led by Genghis Khan and then
Tamerlan in the 13th century. Herat was considered part of the
Persian Empire, and the Persian influence in carpet making in
Herat is still seen.
Aubusson
The old story, handed down from generation to generation,
has it that the textile art were introduced into the valley
of the Creuse by the Sarrazinois who, it would seem, settled
down to live there after the battle of Poitiers in 732. It
seems more likely that the first looms were set up by
Flemish weavers about the beginning of the 14th century, at
the time when the country of La Marche (of which Aubusson &
Felletin were dependencies) belonged to Louis de Bourbon,
husband of Marie de Hainaut. However that may be, it is
known that from the second half of the 15th century or the
very beginning of the 16th century, the workshops of La
Marche were in full operation and flourishing. Certain
historians claim that it was in a workshop of this region
that the famous arras, the Lady and the Unicorn (Cluny
Museum in Paris) was woven.
Tradition has it that the art of tapestry weaving,
practised in antiquity by classical Greeks and their Roman
successors, was introduced to France during the 8th century.
Only the workshops in Aubusson, and in the neighbouring town
of Felletin, appear to have survived through the Middle
Ages. Aubusson itself nestles in the crook of the river
Creuse whose water was peculiarly suitable for the
production of this type of weave. Because of this the
colours of work produced on its looms were sensibly superior
to those of its neighbour and rival, whose activities were
eventually eclipsed.
Afshar
The Afshars are one of the greatest of the nomadic tribes
of Iran. Their most famous member was Nadir Shah, the
eighteenth-century king who defeated an Afghan insurrection.
He went on to capture Delhi and carry the peacock throne and
other spoils back to Iran. Nowadays, the Afshars have a
lower profile: they are famous chiefly for their rugs. These
are classified by the names of the towns where they are
sold; the most important of these are Shahr-e-Babak and
Sirjan, lying west and southwest of Kerman, in south-eastern
Iran. Sirjan was a city of great importance in the tenth
century, and some ruins can still be seen.
All Afshar rugs have a woollen pile; the wraps and wefts
are generally cotton. Sirjan rugs are of medium density;
they are rigid and tightly woven. Patterns have a simple
design or have large hexagonal medallions or three
lozenge-shaped medallions down a central axis. Deep blue and
red colours are prominent. Most Sirjan rugs are of a large
Dozar size. Shahr-e-Babak rugs are finer and suppler. The
Designs are also geometric, but highly inventive, and often
decorated with animals and birds. A wide range of colours is
used. Most Shahr-e-Babbak rugs are made in smaller sizes:
Dozar, Zaronim and Pushti. Other weaving centres which come
within the general category of Afshar are Dahaj, Sirjan and
Pusht-e-Kuhi.
Ardebil
Ardebil and Meshkin (or Meshkinshahr) are in the province of
eastern Azerbajian east of Tabriz. Of the two towns, Ardebil is the
larger and more significant in terms of the rugs produced in this region;
it was the native town of the Safavaids, who became kings of Iran in the 16th
century and the Safavid complex of mosque and mausoleum lies at the centre of
the town. The pair of carpets known as the 'Ardebil Carpets' now divided between
London and California, dated 1542, were originally kept in the mosque.
The rugs produced today in Ardebil and Meshkin are strongly influenced
by those produced in other parts of Azerbaijan: by the village carpets with
their geometrical all-over designs, and by the carpets of Tabriz, particularly
the simpler designs with medallions on Herati grounds. Wool or cotton is used for
the warps and wefts. The pile is generally wool, even though there is a size production
in mixed silk/wool pile. All sizes between Pushti 8 sqm carpets are produced.
The rugs always have geometrical designs, but often have quite delicate patterning.
A wide palette of strong colours is generally found. Other weaving centres which come
within the general category of Ardebil are Meshkin.
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