The History of Persian Rugs

The history of Persian rugs has its beginnings in a time so ancient that the event of this art form cannot be identified. It has been estimated that the first rug was woven by Persians during the Aryan Dynasty, thousands of
years ago.

"My interest and my work over the years has provided me with the opportunity to gain considerable knowledge and appreciation of this art. It would be my great pleasure if you will allow me to share some of this with you." Dariush Tarighi

In Persia, the rugs are named after the city or region where they were made. Most of these rugs are made by families who take great pride in the art. The appreciation and skill has passed from many previous generations and no doubt the tradition will be continued for generations to come.

The making of a nice hand made rug engages the talents of the entire
family and entails making the various natural dyes from indigenous vegetation, producing the yarn, spinning the wool, and working at the loom. Each family member has specific duties. The looming starts at dawn and continues until dark. The process is very time consuming and by nature the supply is limited. The time it takes to finish a standard size rug is in direct proportion to the
size of the family. All family members not otherwise engaged in the process
sit at the loom and weave.

Each city or region has its own design and style and is strongly influenced
by a number of factors, ranging from societal norms, politics, natural surroundings and even the conditions of the climate and weather. The design of the rugs is reflective of the times, or historical events. They might portray the simple and peaceful minds of the artists, or a peaceful era. They can indicate artistic thoughtfulness, and can depict events. But in all cases the art form is complicated by the artists natural surroundings. Persian rug weavers access and incorporate both the natural and social environment to provide windows into the times. Discord or harmony can be seen reflected in the designs of the immediate supply of plants and vegetables available during the rug's creation. It can further be noticed that pastel colors are used
during periods of warmth while warm, more vibrant colors dominate periods
of cold weather.

The master weaver with a skillful hand draws the design on a "carton" for the weavers to read while knotting the yarn. Some families have no need for a design on the carton. The design, formed of different colors, was memorized by ancient ancestors and passed through generations to the present day.

Some of the designs, as you can imagine, are symbolic of important elements, such as ideas, custom, lifestyle as was experienced, observed and felt by
the artist. The rugs themselves tell us their own stories, from whence they came and what wanted to be told.

To further illustrate how all the components of rug making and design come
together and influences the final result, let me focus on the regions of
Mashad and Mahal for discussion.

Mashad is located in the northeast corner of Persia. The climate is cold for most of the year and is covered with snow for three of those months. The region surrounding Mashad includes the city of Birjand, a holy town to Muslim people, therefore the rugs created in this area reflect the attitude with
which the designers and weavers approach their religion. A considerable thought goes into the careful design with much attention to the harmony between design and color. As a result, rugs with Birjand design occupy the most prestigious museums of the world, including The Albert Museum in London, England.

It is very unfortunate that several of the designs that were the exclusive trade of the families for generations, in the Mashad region, have been lost or stolen. However, the exquisite "flowers of Mashad", customarily called heaven flower, are shown in the rugs of Birjand. Attempts have been made to copy the Birjand rugs and some of these typically commercial copies have
saturated the world market. These copies cannot duplicate nor compare to the Birjand rugs from Mashad. The Birjand rug is easily recognizable by the much smaller, more tightly woven flowers and the quality of workmanship acquired over generations which cannot be duplicated. Birjand rugs remain
the most selective and unique among all in this region's rugs.

The Mahal region, located in western Persia, is comprised of one hundred
small and remote villages with differing climates throughout the year. Each village reflects its own unique character in the designs and color of its rugs.

As already mentioned, Persian rugs are named after the region, town or the area in which they are made. The Mahal area accounts for the vast majority of the rug weaving in the western hemisphere of Persia and includes the
cities of Soltanabad, Sarough and Ziglar. The Ziglar design was named after the famous European Designer of the 19th century.

Until recently, the Mahal area, had been isolated from Persia's major cities causing the weavers to be strictly limited to plant and vegetable supplies indigenous to their own countryside making the natural dye colors
and hand woven wool consistent and distinctive to the various tribal area.
And as is usual, the rug making is completed by the entire family, from creating the design and preparing colors to turns at looming on the horizontal loom from sunrise to sunset. Each step of the process is very time consuming and labor intensive which is why these rugs are unique and do not lend themselves to duplication.