In today’s global community, the Iranian carpet has a worthy position to declare Iran to others. Iranian carpet is a fluffy mat which is woven using silk, cotton, wool and coat according to the traditions and rituals of each region of Iran.

Many of the archeologists believe that the oldest carpet of the world which is called Pazyryk and now is kept in The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg with the antiquity of about 400 years B.C. is an Iranian carpet woven in Achaemenid Empire (330-550 B.C.). Although there is not any salient sample from Sasanian Empire (224-650 A. D.), based on the proofs it can be said that Iranian carpet was globally valid and famous in this era. In this regard, the most obvious sample is the famous carpet of Baharestan which has been mentioned in different historical sources. Many of the travelers who visited Iran in Islamic period have pointed out to the carpets of different regions of Iran and finally, in Safavid Dynasty (1501-1722 A. D.) the Iranian carpet was promoted from a rural art/ industry to a national activity and turned into a prominent part of Iran economy.

From the Safavid Dynasty onwards, the valuable samples of the Iranian carpet can be observed in different museums of the world, for example the Ardabil carpet which was woven for the tomb of Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili, the great ancestor of the Safavid, it is kept in Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  In this period, Kashan dealt with many orders due to goodness and elegance of the carpets which were produced there and manufacture of brocaded carpets woven with gold and silver threads was flourished upon the orders of other countries specially Poland.

In Qajar Dynasty (1794-1925 A. D.) and by the boom of European markets, a lot of carpet-weaving workshops were established in different cities of Iran like Tabriz, Kerman, Mashhad, Kashan and other cities and the Iranian carpets were exported to the Europe. On the whole it must be said that the most prominent centers of carpet weaving in Iran were Isfahan, Tabriz, Ardebil, Qom, Kashan, Nain, Kerman, Yazd, Mashhad and Hamedan from the past. It is worth mentioning that in 2010 the skill of carpet weaving of Fars and Kashan were globally registered as the spiritual heritage by UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Besides, in 2015 Tabriz was known as global city of handmade carpet.

Designs in Iranian Carpets

In addition to its decorative aspect, designs of the Iranian carpets attempt to reflect Iranian identity, beliefs and goals. These designs were divided into 3 general patterns: plant designs, animal designs and human designs from among them, plant designs are the most frequent ones used in Iranian carpets. The most important plant designs in Iranian traditional arts including carpet design are Eslimi (Arabesque) and Khatai (Floral).

Eslimi: Eslimi is derived from the word “Islamic” and points out to the interwoven lines of plants with spiral foliage. Although there are proofs which show the use of eslimi designs before the history, using it developed in Islamic period, especially in Safavid Dynasty. The base of eslimi design is nature, stems and leaves. Eslimi is a design consisting of rotational arcs, stems, ties and branches and has different types.

Khatai: it is basically a design with main and perpetuated form of flower bush, leaf or blossom. In khatai design, fewer broken lines can be observed and are mostly curved, they connect flowers to each other through proportionate tortuosity. As these lines picture the branches of tree, the more they get far from the main body, the narrower they will be. The most important khatai flowers are Shah Abbasi and Botteh.

• Shah Abbasi: a design in carpet which was soared in Safavid Dynasty. The main feature of Shah Abbasi flower is the stem drawn at the end of flower and is used as 5, 7 and sometimes 12-petal flower. It is the most perfect type of khatai and its design is retrieved from lily and pomegranate flowers which was common in Iranian arts from the past, a typical example of using this design can be seen in Persepolis which was converted into Shah Abbasi flower through a lot of manipulations.
• Botteh: it is an abstract design and the Iranian believe it is retrieved from cypress tree  as it was a sacred tree in ancient Iran, its natural samples and not decorative ones can be observed in relief designs of Persepolis. Besides, cypress tree is a symbol of endurance and freedom among the Iranian and in this period Botteh design was used decoratively which was similar to the bent cypress and in its evolutionary stages, with respect to the artist’s taste and creativity of each region and cultural history of Iran, it is currently known as paisley.  Some individuals believe that Botteh is created from birds’ feather which was used by the Iranian kings on their hats.

Different Parts of Iranian Carpet Infographic
Infographic by Negar Ganji

Different Parts of Carpet

Selvedge of Carpet: it is the surrounding part of carpet which is usually designed and woven in a wide or narrow way. The selvedges lead to a special organization and beauty which are like a frame. An ordinary selvedge consists of three parts: one main selvedge and two subsidiary selvedges.

• Main Selvedge: the wide selvedge is located between narrow selvedges and forms the collection of carpet selvedges with them. Usually in wide selvedge, the motifs used in carpets are also applied. The pattern and design of this selvedge is commensurate with background of the carpet. In wide selvedge, different designs and inscriptions are used and characteristics of the carpet including name of carpet weaver, name of client, date and place of weaving are registered as well.
• Subsidiary Selvedge: it is located in two sides of main selvedge and is usually decorated with tiny geometric and floral designs.

Lachak: the four corners of the carpet are called lachak and if there is harmony between lachak and toranj with similar designs, the design of carpet is called lachak – toranj.

Toranj: the shape located in the center of carpet is called toranj. They are usually in the form of circle, diamond and oval. They are usually accompanied with sar-toranj which make the carpet more attractive. The dimensions of toranj are different in various carpets and their bigness or smallness depends on type and design of the carpet.

Sar-toranj: it is connected to the central toranj from top and bottom of the carpet. Many of the carpet designers call it “Shamseh” as well.

Katibeh (Inscription): in some carpets, there is a part between toranj and sar-toranj which is called katibeh, name of some individuals who are related to the design of carpet will be designed and registered in katibeh.

Zamineh (Background): different parts of the carpet such as flowers, branches, animals and geometric shapes are woven and registered on a background which specify the main color of the carpet.

Gelim Baaf: in order to preserve the durability of the carpet, its upper and lower parts are woven with chains which are called gelim baaf.

Risheh (Fringe): white threads woven to the width of both sides of the carpet.

Shirazeh (Binder): the longitudinal sides of the carpet which are sewed for more protection of the main part of the carpet.

What was explained above is related to the commonest design of the carpet in Iran i.e. lachak toranj (corner-medallion) but based on the classification of Iran carpet company, the main designs of the Iranian carpets are: designs of ancient works and Islamic buildings, Shah Abbasi, Eslimi, Afshan (overall flower), Eghtebaasy, Bandi, Bottheh, Derakhti (Tree), Turkmen (Bokhara), Shekargah (Hunting), Ghabi, Golfarang, Goldani (Vase), Mahi Dar Ham, Mehrabi (Prayer), Moharamat (Striped), Hendesi (geometric), ili and Talfighi (mingle).

The post Iranian Carpet appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Ghormeh Sabzi, Stew (Khoresh)
Photo by Mehranimfd / Shutterstock

The history of cooking stew in Iran dates back to a long time ago and in the cookbooks remained from Safavid Dynasty, the recipes of several kinds of stews can be found. The common characteristic of all the Iranian stews is the existence of meat along with bean, vegetables and herbs. It is worth mentioning that the stew made of chicken, instead of meat, is called “Mosama”.

Among the most popular and national Iranian stews are Ghormeh sabzi, Gheimeh and Fesenjān. There are some stews which are cooked seasonally like quince, pumpkin, rhubarb, Cirsium vulgare and okra. There are some native stews like Almond Slices Stew, cabbage stew and Gheimeh Nesar (a kind of stew with almonds and fried onions; a specialty of Qazvin province).

The diversity of stews in Iran is very high and one specific stew can be cooked in various ways depending on the tastes of the people and different seasonings used in with the aim of marinating the stew and removing extra fat.

It is interesting to know that some stews are ritually used in Iran, Gheimeh is the most important one of them which is mostly used in mourning ceremonies of Muharram.

The post Stew (Khoresh) appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Sheikh Safi al-din Ardebili (1252 – 1334 CE) was a mystic, a poet, and the ancestor of Shah Ismail I the founder of Safavid dynasty. Sheikh Safi is also the father of Safaviyya Sufism. After his death, his descendants built a shrine on his gravestone beside his house and his Khanegah (a Sufi religious building) in Ardebil. This shrine is the most prominent Sufi Shrine and complete Khanegah. To honor Sheikh Safi al-din, his descendants, mostly Safavid kings, gradually added items to this widely revered religious ensemble of Safavid dynasty. The combination of Ilkhanid and Timurid architecture with fundamental principles of Sufism and spirituality led to the creation of a new spatial layout and decorative art that later influenced Safavid art and architecture.

The Sheikh Safi al-din ensemble resembles a tiny city with a variety of sections such as mosque, library, school, hospital, bazaar, mausoleum, bath, cistern, kitchen, bakery, offices, and houses. This is the most efficient utilization of accessible space to accommodate a variety of functions.

Three tomb towers exist in the complex. The oldest one, hidden behind two other towers was built to venerate Sheikh Safi al-din, and the biggest one known as Allah Allah is decorated with the countless repeated names of God in Arabic scripts with blue-glazed bricks. Although the complex is ascribed to Sheikh Safi al-din, other prominent individuals such as Shah Ismail I and his mother plus martyrs of Battle of Chaldiran (the first battle between Ottomans and Safavids) are buried at the site. To highlight the seven steps of Sufi mysticism, the route to Sheikh Safi al­-din Shrine passes through seven segments, and eight gates separate various parts of the mausoleum representing the eight attitudes of Sufism.

Chilla Khana derived from Persian word Chehel (meaning forty), was a place for the Sufi ritual of Chilla. In Chilla, to withdraw from the world and pray in solitude, people went to Khalwa for forty days and nights.

Since several lanterns had lightened the hall for praying and memorizing Quran, this dazzling rectangular hall with its gold-painted ceilings is known as Ghandil Khaneh or lantern house. In 1539 CE Shah Tahmasp I ordered to knit a treasurable carpet for the hall, with its geometry reflected symmetrically on the ceiling. Currently, this most precious remnant carpet of Safavid era, known as Ardebil carpet is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. Unfortunately, the gold painted ceiling was collapsed after an earthquake.

Chini Khaneh with its honeycombed ceiling and suspended golden vaulted niches is a place to keep Shah Abbas I porcelain collection. A two-year war between Iran and Russian empire had led to the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Russians moved many of original books and precious porcelains from Sheikh Safi al-Din complex to Russia, among which many are in Hermitage museum.

The post Sheikh Safi Al Din Khanegah and Shrine Ensemble appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Mil-e-Karat – Taybad – Khurasan

The history of building shafts goes back to pre-Islam era and the oldest available samples belong to Partian (Mil-e-Noor Abad Mamsani in Fars province) and Sasanian (Firuzabad Tower in Khorasan Razavi Province) Empires.

Shaft found a great importance in Iranian architecture after Islam and it was quickly used as a decorative structure in a way that it became a place to show different decorative arts such as brickwork and tiling. Since 1^st -5^th A. H. centuries, the shafts (which later became a pattern for building minarets as a part of mosques) were mainly built individually (Khosrogerd Minaret and Semnan Minaret), joint to the building (Arsalan Jazeb Tomb) and sometimes there was a distance between shaft and building (minaret of the mosque in Saveh Square).

Left: Khosrogerd Minaret, 12th century AD – Sabzevar, Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran
Photo by Farnaz Ghandi via Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-4.0
Right: Sarban Minaret, 12th century A.D – Isfahan, Isfahan Province, Iran
Photo by Haaft via Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-4.0

During Ilkhante and Timurid empires the minarets were tall. Minaret of Mozafari Jame Mosque in Kerman and minaret of Goharshad Mosque are among the minarets of Ilkhante and Timurid minarets respectively.

Considering shafts and minarets of Iran as a structure, they can be divided into two categories of single and paired. The single minarets have long body with few decorations, and in term of appearance they have three categories: cylindrical (Golpayegan Minaret), conical (Tarikhaneh Minaret in Damghan and Minaret of Semnan) and polygonal or prismatic (Minaret of Jame Mosque in Nain). The most prominent paired minarets of Iran are minarets of Jame Mosque of Yazd having the longest height (8^th & 9^th A.H. centauries).

Jam-e Mosque of Yazd Minaret – Yazd Province, Iran
Photo by Leonid Andronov/ shutterstock

After Safavid Dynasty, building tall minarets was not much common e.g. minaret of Jame Mosque of Shahrud. The minarets of Pamenar, Shah Abdul Azim, Fatima Masumeh Shrine and old Sepahsalar School from Qajar dynasty are exemplary as well.

The post Shaft and Minaret appeared first on Persia Advisor.