History Of Persian carpets

Persian rugs have always intrigued art connoisseurs world over since centuries. With designs & styles present in innumerable numbers, their history is quite vast which has survived the many cultural upheavals & has smoothly molded as per the changing culture & tradition. The tradition, people, events all had a culminative effect on its rich & vibrant history. The varied dynasties helped define the rug history in a much more refined way.

History
Carpet weaving in the pre-Seljuk period (13th & 14th centuries AD) do not throw much light on the enormous Persian carpet weaving history simply because of the lack of evidences. Still archaeologists were lucky enough to discover some real masterpieces which were found in Eastern Turkestan (from 3rd to 5th centuries AD) & some hand-weaving of the Seljuks of Asia Minor. Highly treasured, these speak volumes about the rich Persian carpet weaving art.


In 1949, historians came across an invaluable Pazyryk carpet discovered among the ices of Pazyryk Valley, in Altai Mountains in Siberia. As per the Radiocarbon testing, it proved that the carpet was woven in the 5th century BC & is about 1.83×2 meters with 36 symmetrical knots per cm², thus, highlighting on the advanced weaving technique. It also helps in revealing that the carpet weaving art in Iran at least 3500 years old.

The Iranian weavers used dyes for creating a vibrant look to their masterpieces. These were made mostly from plants, roots & other natural substances. The carpets were traditionally known for their tremendous variety in design, color, size & weave & were unique.

Hand woven in nature, Pazyryk carpet is one unique piece of art which represents the most vital historical evidence about Oriental carpets. Its discovery has led to the belief that carpet making during the 16th century Imperial period was in its brilliant phase making use of supreme technique & decorative value.

With Persia considered as the epicenter of carpet-making craft, it is clear that the Persian history is closely associated with the carpet development & fortunes. When compared to the carpet craft of other centers during the Middle Ages onwards, archaeologists found them to be manifestations of isolated artists' work which were somewhere linked to the Persian rulers history. As the ancient Caucasian carpets like the so-called Armenian ones figure as the first group while the second group features the Turkish court period, i.e the Seljuks dynasty of Persia.

Dynasties
Persia was ruled by numerous dynasties within the various periods of the rich Persian history. All of them contributed a lot towards the changing facet of the Persian carpet making craft which till today has an impelling effect on the art lovers world over. The following dynasties would help us in understanding a lot about the vibrant carpet making industry.

Cyrus & the Achaemenian Dynasty
Persian nomads had a good idea about the use of the knotted carpet before the Cyrus could know, albeit the function of the carpet was more practical than artistic. The Achaemenian culture was at its dawn during the time of Sardis (546 BC) & Babylon (539 BC) conquest. Cyrus was struck by the Babylon splendor & introduced the rich carpet making art to Persia. Even at the death of Cyrus in 529 BC, it wsa made sure to bury him with precious carpets at Pasargade.


Sassanid Dynasty (224 A.D – 641 AD)
The Sassanid dynasty too throws light on the extensive carpet making culture. Chinese text gives a fair info on the Persian carpet production. It is believed that Emperor Heradius (628 AD) brought a variety of carpets from the the Sassanian capital, Ctesiphone. 'The Spring time of Chosroes', a magnificent garden carpet made during the reign of Sassanid king, Chosroes 1 (531 AD – 578) was found when the Arabs conquered Ctesiphone in (636 AD). The carpet beautifully exhibited a garden in springtime using dynamic shades.

Persia under Baghdad Caliph (661 - 861 AD)
Caliphs of Baghdad ruled for a long time over Persia. Not very high quality carpets were made during this period, although, as per the Arab historians, carpets of some real artistic value was crafted. The period immensely influenced the future craftsmanship which is very prominent in the integrated Persian & Islamic cultures during the Safavid rulers.

Persia under Seljuk Turks (1037 – l194 AD)
During the domination of the Seljuk Turks, the carpet making art reached its heights since the rulers were quite sensitive to all arts. With womenfolk functioning as skilled carpet makers making use of Turkish knots, the art flourished in Azerbaijan & Hamdan provinces.

Mongols (1220-1449 AD)
Mongolians took over the Persian land after the Seljuk power with the invasion of Genghis Khan in 1219. It was the nomadic tribes who carried out the carpet making craft since the savage Mongolians had no sense about the art. However, with the conversion of Mongolians in Islam, that the palace floors of the last Mongol leader was paved with carpets.


Safavid Dynasty (1499 -1722 AD)
Safavid dynasty (1502-1722) especially under the reign of Shah Tahmasp (1524-76) & Shah Abbas I (1588-1629) had a very big impact & a big role to play in the booming of the rug industry. The royal weaving workshops were established during the rule of Safavid Shahs (rulers) in the cities of Kashan, Kerman, Esfahan, Joshaqan, Tabriz, Yazd, Shiraz, Herat (all in Afghanistan). Rugs produced inthis region were designed by famous artists & was given a complete transformation right from a nomadic craft to a sophisticated art version mainly using geometric & curvilinear patterns.

From Afghan Invasion to the Pahlevi Dynasty
The Afghan domination lasted for ten years which ended with the victory of Nadir Gholi who became Shah of Persia in 1736. Nader Shah ruled for ten years followed by Karim Khan Zand rule, a prince of the Luri tribe & who helped in establishing his capital at Shiraz. However, no great carpets were made during his reign. After his death, Agha Mohammed Khan Qajar (1786) took power & founded the Qajar dynasty transferring the capital into Tehran.

During the last quarter of the 19th century, carpet trade & craftsmanship regained their importance because of the Tabriz merchants entering into export trade with Europe through Istanbul. The Pahlevi dynasty was formed with the takeover of Reza Shah in 1925 & encouraged a lot carpet craft, thus, creating Imperial workshops. A lot of masterpieces were made during this time. With the end of the dynasty 1979 by the Islamic Revolution in Iran, that the present day Iranian government is still trying its level best to keep this tradition going on by organizing annual seminars on carpets & inviting the curators from world famous museums to participate in the seminars.