A Bidganeh rug, Circa 1950s, No. 172379-199x133, Wool on a cotton base
Many village weavers are influenced by their mothers' and grandmothers' rich legacy, faithfully adhering to the family’s or village’s established patterns and colours. Marvels happen when a weaver decides to go her way and conceive "her own" style and design. That is when traditions, folklore, myths, the weaver's wishes, and dreams start dancing to the tune of her mind, materializing in the form of the most intriguing and beautiful carpets, like this gorgeous Bidganneh rug.
This rug offers an unusual form of the "Tree of Life" design, a motif with a history that goes back over 3,000 years. Zoroastrian sources mention the tree as "The Tree of All Seeds," while the great Persian philosopher of the 12th century, Sohravardi, calls it "Tuba," and both believe it to be the mother of all vegetation in the world.
20271-226x156, Turn of the 20th century Rahimlu Qashqai.
The great Turkic migrations commenced in the 6th century and persisted until the 11th century. Throughout this period, numerous tribes, coming down from the steppes of Mongolia and formal East Turkistan (now Xinjiang province of China), established themselves across various regions of Eurasia.
It marked an era where two cultures, one from the West and one from the East, converged and mutually influenced each other. The rugged tribes from the East, acting as conquerors, encountered the splendour of the Persian and Roman empires. It took decades for these two cultures to amalgamate and give rise to distinct groups rooted in the ancient traditions and culture of their past and the areas they settled.
One such group was the Qashqais, originating from the East, who initially settled in Northwestern Iran before relocating to the Fars province in the 11th century.
Their carpets are beautiful reflections of the culture and personality of the weavers, who are generally old and young ladies. These weavers reflect their sentiments, culture, dreams and lifestyles through colours, symbols and motifs, most of which have risen from the weavers' subconscious as they weave their rugs spontaneously and from memory.
This exceptional Qashqai piece is a testament to their weaving skills, employing hand-spun yarn sourced from their own sheep and dyed with natural substances collected during their migrations in their continuous quest for fresh pastures.
1940, somewhere on the edge of the desert of Lut. Life is tough, the land is rugged, and the weather is harsh. Everything in life is a challenge.
Far from the influence of industrialism fever and struggles for modernism and glamour of city artists, the weaver sits behind a loom.
Her family works hard on the farm and herds their camels and sheep. She has the yarn that she has spun with the help of her daughters from the wool of camels and sheep. The thread from the camel is soft and blonde. She loves the colour, and she loves the feel. The wool from sheep is courser, and she needs yarn in colour. She prepares the fire, puts the water in her pots to boil with the indigo and madder she has collected over the past few months, and dyes the yarn.
Colours are her delight, her happiness, but she doesn't need too many as she has learnt minimalism from dessert, from the single flower amidst the endless sand, which seems like hope, like a hint of a happier life.
She is a lover, a mother and an artist by nature. She starts knotting, and her feelings flow through her fingers into the rug. A couple hundred knots into the weaving, she dreams of the bird she was, flying high with open wings, and her hands keep dancing...
2023, I can't admire her enough for her creativity, perfectionism and amazing taste, and I wonder how high she could fly in a different environment...
And by the way, do you see the bids?
A Kordi nomadic rug circa early 20th century, 260x153cm, Wool on a wool foundation.
Life is like a carpet, and we are the weavers of its pattern. Some follow common motifs, traditions, and norms, crafting their own predictable and ordinary designs, perhaps elegant and refined in their own way.
For others, weaving becomes an act of rebellion—a personal adventure, fearlessly moving against the currents, defining their own unique patterns, and living life on their terms. Much like the weaver of this Kordi rug, who created her patterns—bold, distinct, and reflective of her journey.
This tribal rug is the work of a nomadic Kordi girl, whose ancestors were relocated to Khorassan province in the late 16th century. Centuries of coexistence with their Turkoman and Baluch neighbours have profoundly influenced the Kordi weaving style, resulting in designs that differ greatly from those of their cousins in ancestral Kurdistan.
Woven circa 1920s, this rug incorporates cotton as part of the material for the pile. The use of cotton was a rare and expensive choice for the tribe, often practiced when the weaver sought to display her wealth and highlight the premium quality of her creation.
150608-150x97 - A Zanjan rug
Imagine the girl, as they are mostly weavers of such rugs. She is sitting behind her loom, her hands flying with energy, passion, and skill, tying one knot after another. A few minutes into her weaving, she sets her mind free to fly. She enters a stage in her dream where it is as beautiful as the flowers on the rug. She weaves the rug of her dream from what she feels—sometimes utopia, sometimes melancholy, and many other feelings that her subconscious sees. The result is not just a rug but a reflection of her feelings—a beautiful creation into which she has poured all her emotions. There is so much passion and exuberance intertwined in the warps and wefts of the rug.
This amazing piece is woven by a weaver of Shahsavan descent in the province of Zanjan in Northern Iran.
Circa 1930s.
The rich Persian literature has inspired many tribal weavers to create some of the most astonishing rugs, such as this charming Ferdows Baluch (circa mid 19th century). The weaver, most probably a young Baluch girl, has tastefully depicted a love story that Persian poet; Nezami Ganjavi, versified in the 12th century AD.
The poem is about a tragic love triangle involving Sassanid King Khossrow II, The Armenian princess Shirin, and Farhad, a poor mason.
The story is a popular and fascinating tale that elders often recite to their grandchildren. In the era that this rug was created and even now, the story resonates with the real lives of many young girls whose lives were/are entangled in long tentacles of old traditions and dogmas.
162360 134 x 215
A Lori tribal rug, circa 1930s, No. 172381 – 197 x 130 cm, Wool on goat hair base,
Regardless of our opinions, it is always fascinating to observe the remedies and protections that primitive societies developed for the evil eye, and how people in modern times continue to utilize them.
One of the most intriguing outcomes of ancient superstition is the creation of amulets. The oldest anti-evil eye charms discovered, dating back to 3500 BC, were found in Tell Barak, Syria. Since then, countless other talismans and artifacts have been crafted to combat the "eye."
While Persians were not an exception in their belief in the power of charms and amulets, what sets them apart is the artistic incorporation of a wide range of protective motifs into their rugs—such as this old Lori nomadic rug (circa 1920s).
One wonders how beautiful and fortunate the girl who wove this rug must have been, as she carefully integrated so many protective symbols to shield her life from the evil eye.
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The epic of Shahname ( The book of kings) is one of the most popular among Persians. For centuries, the stories of the book have inspired artists, including ethnic weavers who know the epics through bards who go around and recite the stories in the most exciting manners.
One of the most well-known of such stories is that of the tragic battle of Rustom and Sohrab. Before Sohrab's fatal clash with Rustam, he met fierce resistance from "Gordafarid", the lady warrior of ancient Iran. Gordfarid is one of the most famous icons of Shahnameh and referred to as a lioness and a symbol of strong women and resistance against evil forces.
Sistan was the kingdom of Rustam, according to Ferdowsi (940-1020AD), the author of the historical epic.
The legend has influenced many weavers of the area who create their rugs spontaneously and entirely by heart. The carpet here is an excellent example of such rugs from Sistan. It is depicting Gordafarid on horseback and standing tall in different dresses that are all decorated by a stylized form of "Farvahar" among trees of life. Circa 1940s.
An opened Lori grain sack.
Weavers from The village of Aghja Ghaya in Zanjam province.
Old blood runs deep within the people of this land where the history goes back thousands of years. The fertile crescent and western Macetonemia were where the agricultural societies started cultivating lands and built their villages over 7000 years.
A lot has changed since then, but these people continue their dwellings with care. They work hard from dawn to dusk to earn an honest living. They respect nature by giving and taking without exploiting and polluting.
While at home and not having the farm work, especially during the harsh winters, they spend their time in front of their looms to translate their thoughts, stories and dreams into colourful motifs of their rugs.
134398 123 x 191 . An old Zanjan rug Circa 1940s .
This lovely Persian rug belongs to a group of weavings known commonly as "Musel" carpets. Such rugs are the work of weavers who create them spontaneously following their interpretations of traditional designs inherited from their ancestors and engraved into their subconscious.
This particular rug is the work of an experienced weaver from the village of "Hopa" who has put her heart and soul into making what she believed would be her long-lasting legacy. The use of handspun wool and natural dyes, along with good structure and knots, has made this a rug that has stood the test of time and has aged well to become even more stunning.
Wool on cotton foundation.
Circa 1940s
A Baluch rug in tree of life design. No. 172383 173x90, Wool on a wool base
The Baluchi tribes of eastern Iran are remarkable for their mastery in creating rugs using a minimal palette and simple, yet deeply meaningful designs. This skill is perhaps an art inherited from their ancestors, who have lived in the area since the Palaeolithic era.
This elegant piece represents a "tree of all seeds" design (tree of life), with a highly stylised Simorgh (phoenix) sitting at its helm, accompanied by other birds perched on the lower parts of the tree. The tree and the phoenix are elements of ancient myths, engraved in the subconscious of the people and woven into Baluchi rugs.
This carpet was woven in the early 20th century using camel wool, with the field made from raw, un-dyed yarn. The pattern was created using hand-dyed yarn, coloured through ancient, traditional methods that have been passed down for generations.
147967-346x267 . An old Suma (Heriz area) . Circa 1940s
59023-442x327 - A Yalameh carpet
Significant transformations occur in the weavings of nomads when they settle in villages. Among the most conspicuous changes is the size of their carpets, which often become considerably larger and more conventional compared to nomadic rugs.
This transformation can be attributed to their looms. Nomads typically use small, portable, rudimentary looms consisting of two wooden poles firmly positioned horizontally on the ground, supported by stones and spikes where weavers sit to create their rugs. In contrast, when settling in villages, they adopt larger and more complex looms permanently placed within their homes.
The rug here is one such rug, which is the creation of the Yalameh tribes, now settlers in northern Fars province's villages.
They reflect their ancestral symbols, with archetypical significance in their larger and far more orderly designs than those of their nomadic sisters.
These people use a fantastic quality of wool that they acquire from their nomadic relatives who roam the area during spring and summer, contributing to their carpets' amazing texture and lustre.
An antique Seysan rug, circa early 1900, wool on cotton, No. 71689-137x90
Seysan was once a village near Tabriz, but it no longer exists. Its residents, primarily of the Bahá'í faith since the late 19th century, faced unfavourable policies from local governments and prejudice from neighbouring villages. Over time, these conditions led to migrations, gradually leaving the village deserted decades ago.
The villagers of Seysan were known for producing carpets like the example here, which were far superior in workmanship and colour compared to those from other villages in the area. The patterns of these rugs often featured stylised, archetypal motifs, such as the mother goddess design seen in this particular piece.
The yarn used in these carpets was of outstanding quality, a result of the altitude and rich grazing land where the sheep, whose wool was used, lived. The yarn was dyed using purely natural materials, including madder root, indigo, prangos, and walnut skins.
Rugs from Seysan are extremely rare and highly collectible. This particular piece is even more desirable to connoisseurs due to its highly unusual size, making it a true treasure for collectors.
19412 209x130, A Bakhtiar Persian rug
This rug is remarkable due to the weaver's exceptional skills in portraying a traditional design and even more so for its incredibly creative colour combination. It is a piece that can endure for decades, growing more beautiful with age and use.
Crafted by villagers at the base of Mount Zagros, this rug carries a nomadic legacy as ancient as the civilization of western Mesopotamia.
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Are these the final thirty?
Did the weaver of this rug know the legend of the "Conference Of The Birds" (منطق الطیر) by the Sheikh Farid al-Din Attar Nishaburi? The story in which thousands of birds set on a journey in a quest for the supreme being (Simorgh). After much suffering, only thirty of them (the number of the birds on the rug) reach destiny and discover the truth. Is this a reinterpretation of the story by the weaver?
Regardless of the answer, many weavers of the Persian rugs have woven their rugs based on a rich culture and fascinating wealth of folklore and literature. That is a fundamental reason for how these rugs appear so far more elegant, mysterious and superior. To appreciate the beauty of a Persian carpet, one ought to look beyond their surface and know the ancient culture and people who have created them.
There in the Simorgh's radiant face they saw
Themselves, the Simorgh of the world – with awe
They gazed, and dared at last to comprehend
They were the Simorgh and the journey's end.
The rug is a Qashghai tribal rug. Circa 1950s
For further study on the story, you may refer to "The Conference of the Birds" by Attar and translated by Sholeh Wolpé.
160460 342 x 250
71700 103x138cm
5003 122x190
