Persian Rugs

The beginning

The Persian Rug is an iconic piece of the Persian era and yet much isn’t known upon the
textile piece. The rug itself became infamous due to its unique motifs between each carpet
and its creation technique. As a whole the Persian rug dates back to ‘Achaemenid Empire’
around 500 B.C.E (appox. 2,500 years ago) - The earliest evidence knotted carpets being
found in Altai and in the Tarim basin yet being small fragments are impossible to reconstruct
into its design.

The breakthrough however was through the Pazyryk Carpet dating to the 4th/5th century B.C.E
and the fragments from the grave of the grave of the military colony Lou-lan from China
dating back to the 2nd/3rd Century A.D. both having shown a weaving technique of such
excellence that gives the implication that the Persian Carpet has preceded further back than
evidence attained.

Figure 1 - Pazyryk Rug

The Change

The Persian Rug of today remains different to the designs of the past thank to a style change
to the Persian Court Carpets during the 15th century. It stated that ‘The Floral Designs
replaced geometric ones and the endless repeat patterns were abandoned in favour of
centralised designs.’ – (Aschenbrenner: 1981)
 Figure 2 - Persian Court Carpet Rug

However the development itself didn’t reach the pinnacle of it influence until well into the
Safavid Dynasty – The evidence however not being that of the carpets the self but
illuminated manuscripts. As a whole many of the Persian court rugs of this period reside
with a signature of the Master Weaver implying the high social status like that of a designer
in today’s society.

The Safavid rule brought the economic strength to the country, uniting them as a whole and
in turn gave an important place to textile arts. Most particularly the art of the carpet,
moreover the repercussion so a remarkable feature of the designs, which consisted of
several, layers yet without the intrusion of perspective. ‘The design, as it where, remains on
a single plain; the effect of richness and complexity being achieved by the penetration of the
design by a number of co-ordinated tendril trellis systems ‘ (Aschenbrenner: 1981)

Tendril - a threadlike, leafless organ of climbing plants, often growing in spiral form, which
attaches itself to or twines round some other body, so as to support the plant.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tendril

Trellis - a frame or structure of latticework; lattice.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trellis+
 Figure 3 - Tendril Trellis Design

In conclusion, the history of the rugs symbolism between the Persian people was that of
great importance furthermore it iconic in the sense of the owner was no doubt of great
importance to Persian community if not a king but a political figure of some sort. Moreover
this evidence in turn is strengthened due to the use of the rug being interpreted in to a
miniature form called a praying rug. Aptly name these pieces would lie within the mosque
and play importance dependent on the order of precedence. Some of which were bordered
with silver thread or where made entirely of silk during the 16 th and 17th centuries giving
them great value and symbolic to the importance of Allah.
Figure 4 - Praying Rug