History of Persian Carpets

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=65 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04a658f1egerdp.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com"><U><IMG SRC="00cfc1b0.jpg" border=0 width="252" height="27" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="/id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id4.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04464140.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="/id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id8.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04564140.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="/id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id9.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04654140.jpg" border=0 width="84" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="/id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id25.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04764140.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="/id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id5.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04864140.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="/id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rugsandtextiles.com/id6.htm"><U><IMG SRC="04964140.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Home Page</div> <div> <A HREF="full_glossary_of_terms_most_offten_used_in_oriental_carpet_studies_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Glossary"><U>Glossary</U></A>   |   <B>History of Persian Carpets</B>   |   <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ancient Story"><U>Ancient Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map of Iran"><U>Map of Iran</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pazyryk Carpet"><U>Pazyryk Carpet</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ardebil Carpet"><U>Ardebil Carpet</U></A> </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=391 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <I>History of Persian Carpets</I></div> <bR> <div> Exactly when Persian knotted rugs came into existence is not known. Ancient records mention carpets at the time of Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BC. There is no doubt that by the sixth century AD real masterpieces were being made. We can find mention of this in the literature of the time. For example, Khosro, the Persian Emperor had commissioned a carpet to show a garden with trees, flowers and running water, all depicted in gold and silver thread, silk and precious stones, so that during the Winter months he could believe that it was still Spring inside his palace. Whether we believe that this particular carpet is a fact or fiction is not of consequence, since most probably the description given here has evolved from other carpets present at that time. Unfortunately none of the carpets of this era have survived.</div> <bR> <div> The <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pazyryk Carpet"><U><U>oldest carpet</U></U></A> in existence was discovered during and expedition in 1949 in the Pazyryk valley, in the Altai mountains of Southern Siberia, dating to the 5th Century BCE.. This piece currently at the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, is in a remarkable state of preservation. The piece is 6'.6" X 6'.0" and of fairly fine knotting (240 knots to a square inch), and by virtue of its design has been attributed to Persia.</div> <bR> <div> To understand Persian Carpets we have to also understand the history of the country. For the evolution of the carpets is intimately tied into the events of day. In about 500 BCE the Persian empire stretched from the Indus in the east to the Aegean in the West. The designs & carpets produced within the borders of the empire are collectively referred to as Persian carpets, regardless of the modern day geographical borders.</div> <bR> <div> By the 11th and 12th centuries craftsmen with the support of the rulers had refined the art of carpet weaving. The Mongol invasion in 1221, brought a swift downfall of the Persian empire and the carpet industry. With the county overrun and the assistance of the Persian rulers withdrawn, the standards of the carpet weavers fell, and during the middle ages Persian carpets became crude works, mainly consisting of identical gaily colored stripes.</div> <bR> <div> By the fourteenth, & fifteenth century the weavers were experimenting & producing fine specimens. These master pieces unfortunately have not survived. However, Persian miniatures of the 15th century European painters also have captured many of these rugs in their paintings, hence giving us many information on their styles, patterns, and in some cases their fine knotting techniques.</div> <bR> <div> The 16th and early 17th centuries is truly the golden age of carpets and the credit for such masterpieces goes to Persia. It is during this time that the weavers once again received royal patronage, and flourished. Shah Tahmaseb and Shah Abbas both equally deserve credit for breathing life into an industry at the brink of extinction. The patterns used at this time became much more intricate, and complex, requiring the attention of master weavers. The best known example of this era is the <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ardebil Carpet"><U><U>Ardabil carpet</U></U></A><A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ardebil Carpet"><U> </U></A>in the Victoria and Albert Museum, in London which has the date 1539 woven into one end. There is little dispute that this magnificent piece is Persian, however there is little agreement as to where it was actually woven. The name Ardabil was given to its since the carpet was found in a mosque in Ardabil.</div> <bR> <div> Interestingly both rulers lived in Isfahan, then the capital of Persia. Although traditionally most weaving was done in the villages and tribal areas, Shah Abbas created his own carpet factory in the Capital. The carpets made by his weavers are still considered excellent examples of superb craftsmanship and ingenious color combinations. Gold, silver, the finest silk and softest wool went into his carpets.</div> <bR> <div> About 2000 carpets were made during the ruling of these two kings. Each one a master piece in its own right. Unfortunately not all have survived and the few in existence are acknowledged by experts to be superb works of art. This enormous appreciation by these two influential kings created an atmosphere in which each weaver was competing with other weavers of his time to create finer and finer pieces, and to improve techniques and styles of the time.</div> <bR> <div> With the death of Shah Abbas and the invasion of Afghans at the end of the 17th century, carpet weaving once again fell into decline, and did not resurge until 200 years later. In the early 19th century the industry was revived again, but this time with the patronage of the rich merchants of Tehran, Kerman, & Tabriz.</div> <bR> <div> Unfortunately today the carpet industry has become very commercial oriented. Country's from all over the world are producing early Persian carpet reproductions. These prints lack not only history but also the sophistication, art and uniqueness of the originals.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=24 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Page Links: <A HREF="full_glossary_of_terms_most_offten_used_in_oriental_carpet_studies_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Glossary"><U>Glossary</U></A> /<A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="History of Persian Carpets"><U> History</U></A> / <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ancient Story"><U>Ancient Story</U></A> / <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map of Iran"><U>Map Of Iran </U></A>                                                                                                               </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>