Tribal Rugs

Despite Embargo Iran Carpet Exports Strong

2011-11-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

11/15/11

Iran carpet exports at $279M for first seven months

Source: Islamic Republic News Agency, Tehran
Iran exported $279 million worth of hand-woven carpets in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (started March 21), announced deputy head of National Iranian Carpet Center.

Speaking in the inauguration ceremony of Isfahan's 14th Specialized Exhibition of Handmade Carpet, Mehdi Kateb put the country's commitment for carpet export at about 600 in the current year.
He said National Iranian Carpet Center is ready to cooperate with Isfahan province to invest in hand-woven carpet.
He noted over 90 percent of hand-made carpet industry pertains to the private sector.
There is a favorable cooperation between state sector and private sector in this area, he noted.
Kateb put the international market share of Iran's carpet at 40 percent.
Isfahan representative in Parliament (Majlis), Hamidreza Fouladgar also said last year, carpet exports reached more than $500 million.
He recalled that handicrafts industry especially carpet industry can increase non-oil exports.
Fouladgar underlined that Iran's share in the global market should increase and this is only possible by supporting the industries, especially carpet industry.
Earlier in August, head of Iran's National Carpet Center said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the main importer of Iranian hand-woven carpets.
After the UAE, Germany, Italy, Japan and Lebanon are respectively the biggest markets for Iranian hand-woven carpets, noted Feisal Mardasi.
The official further said Malaysia, China and South Africa are among the new markets.
Referring to Lebanon as among the markets for the product, he added preliminary steps have been taken to establish a union of Iranian hand-woven carpet in the country which will officially become operational in a few months.
According to official figures, Iran's overall export of carpets reached almost $450 million in value and nearly 7,000 tons in weight in 2010.
Iran exports carpets to over 100 countries and hand-woven rugs are one of its main non-oil export products.
Experts attribute the increasingly lucrative market for Persian carpets worldwide to the quality of the rugs as well as their color and design.

TURKMEN CARPETS: THE HOFFMEISTER COLLECTION

2011-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

TURKMEN CARPETS: MASTERPIECES OF STEPPE ART, FROM 16TH TO 19TH CENTURIES, THE HOFFMEISTER COLLECTION (Arnoldsche, $95). Peter Hoffmeister, a rug scholar and collector in Germany, has spent 40 years researching how Turkmen tribes designed, wove, used and repaired their tent hangings and floor coverings. “Turkmen Carpets,” by the Russian textiles historian Elena Tsareva, analyzes 168 weavings. Mr. Hoffmeister has subjected them to carbon dating, and individual knots of goat and camel hair have been counted.

Ms. Tsareva has determined which tribes favored different shades of red madder dye, ranging from salmon pink to purplish brown. The zigzagging rug patterns represent pomegranates, wheels, vines, birds, trees and serpents. The pile textures are subtly ridged because makers intentionally dropped stitches here and there. A single textile could take years to produce.

Ms. Tsareva writes that weavers would hunch over gossamer strands on outdoor looms “only during the hottest summer period, primarily in mountain pastures where the dry air helped to prevent the warps sticking together.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/arts/design/books-on-antiques-gold-silver-voodoo-gems-and-textiles.html?_r=1

The best Antique Antique Tabriz

2011-05-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the best Antique Antique Tabriz Rugs that we have added to my Rug Notes

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Carpets

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Carpets

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Carpet

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antque Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Silk and Wool Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Atique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Silk Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Haj Jalili Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Carpet

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Silk Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Tabriz Persian Rug

Antique Silk Tabriz Persian Rug

Top NYC Antique Rug Gallery Launches Online Exhibition Of Vintage Carpets By The Great Masters

Antique Baluch Rugs

2011-02-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

Baluch Rugs: Two Piece Aimaq Belouch Rug Lot 55 ex Thompson Sale

Here is a list of my Baluch Rugs guides. Here are a few of the various guide pages I have written. The rugs of the Baluh are so varied that one simple guide does not do it

Guide to Baluch Rugs - Persian Carpet Guide

Baluch Rugs: Guide to the Baluch Balisht and Pushti

Persian Rugs: Baluch Prayer Rugs

Guide to Baluch and Baluch Group Prayer Rugs

Baluch Rugs: Guideto Baluch Type Rugs of Zabol Iran

Guide to Arab Baluch Rugs

The REVIEW of the Tom Cole Jerry Anderson Interview HALI 76 - MUST READING FOR BALUCH RUG COLLECTORS

Persian Rugs: Baluch - Persian Rug Guide

Persian Rugs: Baluch-Squidoo

Ardebil Nomadic Culture on Display

2008-06-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Nomadic Culture on Display

Head of Ardebil’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said nomadic tribes of Iran, especially Moghan, have always been remarkable.
According to CHN, Masoud Alavian-Sadr was addressing the second Festival of Nomadic Tribes’ Migration in Jafarabad, Moghan.
He went on to add, “Nomadic tribes tolerate the problems of migrating to prove that life is dynamic and stagnation runs people down. They also want to prove that their lives are intertwined with nature.“
He recalled that the festival aims at safeguarding the traditions of nomadic tribes and their role in promoting tourism.
“We have tried to encourage the people, especially youth, to establish links with this stratum of Ardebil society and understand their traditions and rituals,“ he commented.
Alavian-Sadr said that paying attention to agricultural tourism is also one of the objectives of the festival.
“The beautiful plain of Moghan, diligent nomadic tribes and the hospitable people of the region are among important tourism attractions. We hope that tourists become familiar with these features and we need the assistance of mass media to fully meet our target,“ he said.
The official concluded by saying that promoting handicrafts of nomadic tribes is another reason for holding the festival.

Kilim Weaving

2008-06-27T05:17:00.001-07:00

Kilim Weaving

Kilim is a flat rug woven without any pile or knotted fluff: a coarse, thin handmade carpet. It is known by different names in different languages. For instance in Afghanistan it is called “Kilim“, in Ukraine “Palas“, in Caucasia “Liat“, in Syria and Lebanon it is called “Chilim“ and in Iran “Gelim“.
According to Caroun website, “flat weave“ is another name used in the past for kilim. The difficulty of seasonal migration or pastoral life has made no impact on the process of making them.

The incomparable culture of kilim weaving is an answer to the basic needs of farmers and migrants who look for dry and carpeted tent and warm bedding.
Weaving has continuously developed in various regions and times. The weaving of kilims is mentioned in historical sources such as Iliad of Homer. Drawings on coffins, discovered near the Nile River (Egypt) and the ancient city of Susa in Iran, are evidence that kilim’s antiquity dates back to 1,000 years ago.

Materials
The pastoral life and breeding of sheep, goat, horse and camel guaranteed the supply of wool and raw materials for weaving. Preparing dyes over time became richer with the discovery and development of plant and animal sources.
As tools of weaving have been lost, one cannot estimate the history of weaving. Stone tools are all that remains to make that estimate.
Many different kilims and felts belonging to the 4th and 5th centuries BC are remarkable specimens of weaving in the East, especially in Iran. So it could surely be said that this region is the ancient center of kilim weaving.
The ancient traditional techniques of kilim weaving have been developed throughout the world. In the past, only woolen yarns were used such that kilims became more flexible, fine and smooth. Nowadays, the pile grades of single yarns used in kilims are usually 3 to 5 inches long, and kilims woven with double skein yarns are stronger.

Considering the developed Anatolian civilization (especially in the 6th century BC), it could be assumed that they were also accustomed to kilim weaving and even brought new styles of weaving into existence.
Kilim weaving was highly developed between the 7th and 8th centuries. Seljuk, Ottoman, Mongol and Safavids in Iran were supporters of this art.

Social Role
A glance at kilims of different regions of Iran, whether old or new, shows that kilims have their own special place in traditional Iranian society.
In the past, kilim weaving had an important role in Iranian women’s life. They had to learn this craft, as it was considered by tribal communities as an asset and source of income. It is still one of the routine tasks of tribal women.
Kilims have greatly changed during centuries, i.e., marriages among different tribes led to the synthesis of different styles. By the end of 19th century, kilim weaving was undermined by chemical dyes imported from European countries.
It is obvious that the reasons of kilim weaving have changed vastly. Cultural motives, rising personal use and profit increased the volume and impacted weaving quality.

Turkmen Rug

2008-06-27T04:57:00.001-07:00

Turkmen Rug

Turkmen is a Turkish clan living now in north of Iran, north of Afghanistan and east of Caspian Sea, in the republics of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
According to Caroun website, this people, though having preserved their originality, have lost many traditions, whether during the wars with adjacent people, or under influence of governing cultures of neighbors, so it is quite difficult to follow their history.

They, more than anything, are fond of their carpets, have woven it in various features and different sizes, to supply their various needs of migration and semi-decamping life and cause delight to migratory way of living.
Recent evolutions, have deprived the world of their woven handicrafts of tribes such as mirror-case, spoon case and salt container (Namakdan), to the best carpets that family weave as dowry to offer to its daughter, ..., of pitchers, saddle covers, bridles, siliques to the various pieces used to closing, covering of curtain or in a tent.
Some woven materials used as bed, suitcase or ornament were symbols of economic-financial position and social value of the family and at the same time could remove financial problems of family; today, most of those hand-woven materials are replaced by modern synthetics in cities.
Tribes, specially Turkmen, were so elaborate and skillful, that they created wonderful collection with most simple and primitive tools. Those objects, sometimes, specially on wedding, were exhibited on horses or camels.
At the same time, those carpets, though carefully and elaborately woven, were not durable and soon became threadbare, therefore only some samples of those carpets are remind, which notwithstanding the accidents and happenings are saved, in the course of time.
The oldest sample goes back no further than the 18th century AD when the history of Turkmen carpet was not quite clear.
Like every tribe, economic foundation of Turkmen is animal husbandry, but geographic and political situations sometimes produced better opportunities for tribe, such as agriculture.
During the time, Turkmen were not so much attached to government, though they were effective, sometimes in formation of governments or their governing forces.

Another source of their income is participation in transport business and securing caravan roads or international highways, spread from West China to Anatolia.

Turkmen Designs and Ornaments
Flower is one of designs used in Turkmen carpets, in more than twenty different images appropriated to special form in various tribes, what we could find in all Turkish language tribes called as “Gul“ and in Persian language and clans as “Howz“.
Turkmen “Gul“ (flower) is the same Iranian medallion, which is repeated in designs of Turkmen carpet. This sort of design, i.e. design of repetitive flowers (double medallion), has been in vogue until short of Timurid era, expensive carpets of the court of Iran, also is seen in miniatures of 15th to 17th century AD.
Nowadays, Turkmen flowers are in two categories. First group are very similar to each other, so that if we compare them, we come to conclusion that probably they are from the same unique origin and their separation is due to tribal taste-trying. Next group are those flowers, having no similarity to other flowers, perhaps they had separate source, such as: Flint, Khastaz and Taviz.
Images
Turkmen carpet attracted the attention of researchers at least since the last decades of 19th century. As long as the first collection of Turkmen carpets found its way to western museums and private collections, merit of this carpet with its images, its basic images, its colors and special weaving of Turkmen was recognized. In Russia and later in USSR, in Europe and USA, writing about this carpet began and still in prevalence.
Turkmen carpets, although following Iranian images, have Turkmen specialty and specification. Turkmen carpets occupy a special place of the history of Iranian carpet weaving; only in the field of “color“, they still work according to daily possibilities. In course of time more alterations were made, but whatever remained stable was the basic and Turkmen images, which have stayed on the level of pre-Safavid Iranian weaving.
The other point, probably effective in formation and mostly in historical trend and achieving the final feature of Turkmen images, were the geometric images in informal art of decoration of Central Asia. These factors could not be effect less in formation of images belonging to Turkmen, Uzbeks and other nations of Central Asia.