Handmade carpet and its types

Iranian handmade carpets have long had a special place in all parts of the world, and are a kind of symbol of Iranian art. Enthusiasts all over the world admit that the best handmade carpets in the world belong to Iran.

Ever since man knew himself and felt the need for life’s necessities, he thought of having textiles to protect him from the cold and harshness of the earth. Animal’s wool and hair were the first human findings to fulfill this need, and subsequently, these animals’ hide was their first substrate, or in other words, their carpet.

Following the evolution, humans learned that by mixing and pressing wool fibers, they can prepare a thicker and warmer substrate called felt, and through spinning techniques, they produced wool threads. And for the first time, by merging the horizontal and vertical strands of wool threads, they wove carpets, and this was the beginning of the invention of the knotted or tufted carpet, a more advanced art and technique.

In 1328, the first knotted carpets were used as horse covers or in desert dwellers’ tents, and then many improvements were made in the production of this product. Researchers believe that carpet weaving art flourished first in Iran back in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Iranian carpets have been famous and used for a long time as Greek historian Xenophon wrote in his biography of Cyrus between 430 and 345 BC: “Iranians spread carpets under their beds so that their beds are soft.”

Variation in the production method, size, material, color, and differences in appearance and structure have all given Iranian handmade carpets different types, each of which has a specific name.

Types of handmade carpets in terms of size

The most common sizes of Iranian handmade carpets are 6 meters, 9 meters, 12 meters and 24 meters, which are chosen according to the space The size of the carpet is 2 x 3 meters, 2.5 x 3.5 meters, 4 x 3 meters, and 4 x 6 meters.

Geography

Handmade carpets are divided into three types: urban, rural and nomadic
- Urban carpet is the carpet woven in cities. This carpet is delicate and has a high number and a special plan and design.
- Rural carpet is the carpet woven in simple and primitive workshops and houses in villages mostly imaginatively without a prior graphic plan.
- Nomadic and tribal carpets also known as ili are simple and primitive like rural carpets, with motifs originating from the nature and tribal people’s lives. Ili carpet is available in small sizes in rough and coarse weave. The side of the Ili carpet has a complex texture often with short woolen tassels attached to it at certain intervals.
Types of Iranian handmade carpets in terms of design

Carpets woven by made in Isfahan, Kerman and Tabriz, among other cities, have always been famous:
- Kashan handmade carpet: Kashan handmade carpet is one of the most popular carpets among Iranians. This carpet is known in Iran and in the world sold in various designs and colors. The immense beauty and unique quality have given Kashan handmade carpets unparalleled popularity.
- Tabriz handmade carpet: Another famous city in Iran known for producing handmade carpets with countless fans is the beautiful city of Tabriz. The weaving house of this city weaves carpets in special designs and colors. Since long Tabriz has been the cradle of the production and distribution of all kinds of handmade carpets in various designs and models.
- Isfahan handmade carpet: There are many artists and weavers in this city who weave carpets with delicate and beautiful designs.
- Qom handmade carpet: Qomi handmade carpets have special colors with various designs.
- Nayin handmade carpet: Another city skilled in handmade carpet weaving is Nayin. The art of carpet weaving in this city takes place in a professional and special way, just like in Isfahan and Tabriz.
Materials

According to the materials used, handmade carpets can be classified into 5 groups:
- Wool: A carpet whose warp and weft is made of cotton and whose pile is wool is called woolen carpet. It should be noted that wool is used instead of cotton among the tribes and nomads.
- All silk: carpets whose piles are made of silk are called all silk.
- Silk flower: In these types of carpets, silk is used instead of wool pile in the patterns and around the borders, and usually the pile of such carpets is made of silk.
- Souf: Souf carpet is a type whose background is made of thick and thin fabric and fluffy flowers and bushes patterns.
Designs
- Ancient works on Islamic buildings: this group includes all designs that are taken from the motifs and decorative shapes of Islamic buildings and their tiling.
- Shah Abbasi designs: The basis of all Shah Abbasi designs is based on the use of Shah Abbasi’s famous flower in this design. Shah Abbasi flowers, along with Khatai bands and sometimes combined with Eslimi, create different types of carpet motifs.
- Eslimi designs: The main form of these designs is based on regular circulation and motifs. Eslimi designs have different types and shapes classified by themselves.
- Frame designs: the carpet is gridded with geometric shapes, squares and rhombuses, and inside each of these houses motifs such as flower pots, flowers, branches, trees such as cypress and willow, birds, etc. are drawn.
- Adapted designs: Most of the designs of this group are very similar to the carpet designs of the border areas of Iran and neighboring countries, Iranians have made changes in it using their intelligence and ingenuity. For this reason, they are known as adaptation designs.
- Afshan designs: the shapes and components of most of the designs are drawn continuously and without interruption, while in the Afshan design, the components of the design are scattered. In this design, all the strings, flowers and leaves in the carpet text are separated and none of the flowers and leaves have similarities.
- Nomadic designs: These designs are generally woven by Iranian nomads, and most of the designs and decorations are taken from the minds of carpet weavers.
- Combined plans: these plans have been created over time and by merging different plans. Some combined designs are very attractive due to the beautiful and correct combination of different motifs.
- Connected designs: Sometimes small part of the design in the carpet design is repeated in the longitudinal and transverse directions and connected to each other by a clip.
- Turkmen designs: Turkmen designs are in the group of geometric motifs and are woven imaginatively.
- Tree design: The shapes of trees, foliage and bushes are the main elements of this design.
- Hunting designs: These plans show hunting scenes and hunting grounds.
- Vase designs: The shape of a vase with flower branches is the main and dominant element of the design. Large and small sizes with parallel rows cover the entire carpet.
- Tangled fish design: It is an original and beautiful design. Its constituent element reminds of the role of fish.
- Flower designs: all the designs of this group are based on multi-colored flowers, flower pots and natural flowers, especially roses with very bright colors such as yellow, blue and red.
- Mehrab designs: The main design in this group is based on the Mehrab, the place in mosques where the imam prays.
- Geometric designs: All the designs are geometric in shape and made using angled lines.
Carpets also have different types according to their applications. By getting to know the material and types of carpets best, we can make the best choice.

Handmade carpet price

Handmade carpets abroad

The boundless beauty of Iranian carpets has given this product a major interest also abroad, as seen in many luxurious foreign houses decorated by Iranian handmade carpets. Iranian carpets are exported to about 80 to 100 countries in the world, with the most important export market being the UAE, Lebanon, Italy, Pakistan, Germany and France.

European and Asian countries have a large share of Iranian handmade carpets. This is despite the fact that due to the major production of raw materials for handmade carpets inside the country, there is no problem in supplying these materials despite the sanctions and the export of this product continues to other countries of the world.

Buying handmade carpets

Today, one of the most important things for people, especially housewives, is the beauty and elegance of the interior design of the house. However, buying traditional equipment can help people a lot in this field. In the meantime, buying an Iranian handmade carpet is what many people have paid for to decorate their homes. In order to make a good and correct purchase, you can consult experts and only then proceed to purchase this product, because these people can help and guide you to choose its design and model due to the exp[erience they have in the field of buying and selling all kinds of carpets, especially the handmade type.

The price of handmade carpet

One of the most important points that arise for customers when buying an Iranian handmade carpet is the price of this product. Note that despite the unique variety naturally every carpet has a different price and the better the quality and density of the carpet, the higher the price. Also the way to buy handmade carpets is important, so that if the customer buys handmade carpets directly from its producers, he will be able to get a quality product. Buy at a reasonable price. One may buy directly from virtual stores, because this way middlemen and brokers have no say and the product reaches the customer directly.

Aghai

October 23, 2023

Handmade carpet