History of Tabriz Rugs
Rug and carpet weaving is one of the most ancient traditions of Persian culture and art. Dating back to the Bronze Age (c. 3500-2000 B.C.), carpets started as a must-have home article to ward off the cold and developed into symbols of wealth and beauty. Tabriz is one of the most important rug-weaving centers in Iran and the epicenter of some of the most skillfully designed and woven rugs in the world.
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History of Tabriz Region
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Ancient bas-relief depictions show the wars that ravaged ancient Persia. Tabriz is the fourth largest city in Iran, and was once the ancient Persian capital. It isnow the capital of the East Azerbaijan Province.
After the Mongol's attack on Iran (c.1220), Qazan Khan chose Tabriz as Persia's capital city. After restoring Tabriz, an earthquake ravaged the city again and had to be repaired. In the Safavid era (1499 -1722), Tabriz become the capital city again, where it flourished. Later the capital changed to Qazvin and afterwards to Isfahan and finally to Tehran.
First Discovered Rug
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Russian archaeologist Sergei Rudenko discovered the earliest known Persian carpet, the Pazyryk rug, during a 1949 excavation in Siberia. The carpet, buried with nobility in the Pazyryk tombs, remained almost perfectly preserved. Because water had spilled into a hole in the burial mound, ice had encapsulated and protected horses and humans, saddles, riding gear, a chariot, musical instruments, and the rug, which dates to the 5th century BC.
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Mongol Domination (1220-1449)
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Tabriz rugs decorated the halls of Mongol palaces in Iran. According to the Persian-Carpet information website, carpet-making likely was carried out only by nomadic tribes and not skilled artisans the Mongol occupation period. Ghazan Khan (1295 - 1304)-- the last Mongol leader converted to Islam--owned and dwelled in the palace of Tabriz. Historians believe he had his paved floors covered with beautiful, handmade carpets. No carpets remain from this era. The last Mongol rulers all embellished their palaces with carpets.
Safavid Dynasty (1499 -1722)
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Shah Ismail (1499-1524)--an Iranian king (Shah) and founder of the Safavid Empire--succeeded in conquering almost all of Persia, which created liberation from tribes and foreign rulers. The freedom created a renaissance in Persian art.
In the cities, artisans created craft centers to manufacture carpets. The most skilled village craftsmen wove the knotted, handmade Tabriz carpets for which Persia grew famous.
Weaving History
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Each Tabriz rug is hand-knotted and weaved. Since the 17th century, Iran started exporting artisan carpets around the world, especially to Europe. Artists used one of the three versions of vertical looms later referred to as a Tabriz Loom. Artists created elaborated borders on these rugs, with garlands, trumpet-blowing angels, geometrical shapes, or a cartouche--scroll-like design with inscriptions. Weavers and merchants in the Tabriz carpet industry weaved rug types and styles to satisfy European and American tastes and succeeded in the foreign marketplace.
Tabriz Styles
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According to eRug.com,Tabriz rug artisans mostly use the symmetric Turkish knot style. Tabriz weavers also use diverse Persian and worldly designs and motifs and incorporate another culture's designs by weaving it in their own style.
Modern Tabriz Rugs
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As of 2010, Tabriz rugs are one of the most valuable carpets in Iran and in the world. Considered wall art--and not to be laid to cover a cold floor--these rugs are more tapestry than floor covering. Because each carpet is hand knotted and hand weaved, each piece is rare and defined by the artist's hand.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit persian rug image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com Iran image by Petra Kohlstädt from Fotolia.com tapis marocain image by MONIQUE POUZET from Fotolia.com Rug image by fotoedgaras from Fotolia.com
