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92-629: The Ardabil Carpet (or Ardebil Carpet ) is the name of two different famous Persian carpets , the larger and better-known now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London . Originally there were two presumably identical carpets, and the London carpet, as restored and reconstructed in the 19th century, uses sections from both. It now measures 34 ft 3 in × 17 ft 6 + 7 ⁄ 8  in (1,044 cm × 535.5 cm). The other carpet, now in

184-529: A carpet with inwoven gold and silver threads to the Venetian doge Marino Grimani . European noblemen began ordering carpets directly from the manufactures of Isfahan and Kashan, whose weavers were willing to weave specific designs, like European coats of arms, into the commissioned pieces. Their acquisition was sometimes meticulously documented: In 1601, the Armenian Sefer Muratowicz was sent to Kashan by

276-520: A common source of the design cannot be excluded: Timurid designs may have survived in both the Persian and Anatolian carpets from the early Safavid, and Ottoman period. By the late fifteenth century, the design of the carpets depicted in miniatures changed considerably. Large-format medallions appeared, ornaments began to show elaborate curvilinear designs. Large spirals and tendrils, floral ornaments, depictions of flowers and animals, were often mirrored along

368-412: A critical role in the economy of modern Iran. Modern production is characterized by the revival of traditional dyeing with natural dyes , the reintroduction of traditional tribal patterns, but also by the invention of modern and innovative designs, woven in the centuries-old technique. Hand-woven Persian rugs and carpets have been regarded as objects of high artistic and utilitarian value and prestige since

460-473: A flat surface with no pile. The technique of weaving carpets further developed into a technique known as loop weaving. Loop weaving is done by pulling the weft strings over a gauge rod, creating loops of thread facing the weaver. The rod is then either removed, leaving the loops closed, or the loops are cut over the protecting rod, resulting in a rug very similar to a genuine pile rug . Hand-woven pile rugs are produced by knotting strings of thread individually into

552-602: A hold on most of Iran until they had to submit to the "White Sheep" Turkmen confederation under Uzun Hassan in 1468; Uzun Hasan and his successors were the masters of Iran until the rise of the Safavids. In 1463, the Venetian Senate, seeking allies in the Ottoman–Venetian War (1463–1479) established diplomatic relations with Uzun Hassans court at Tabriz. In 1473, Giosafat Barbaro was sent to Tabriz. In his reports to

644-454: A large medallion; multiple-medallion designs with offset medallions and compartment repeats; directional designs with the arrangements of little scenes used as individual motifs; sickle-leaf designs where long, curved, serrated and sometimes compound leaves dominate the field; arabesque; and lattice designs. Their distinctive structure consists of asymmetric knots; the cotton warps are depressed, and there are three wefts. Woolen wefts lie hidden in

736-519: A place for the frontier guards to take position and establish the security of these roads and regions. After the demise of Harun al-Rashid , he was buried in this place. Due to this historical event, the Dar-ul-Imarah was known as the Mausoleum of Haruniyyeh . The original inner building of Dar-ul-Imarah had been a Zoroastrian temple. This building was demolished by the order of al-Ma'mun , and then it

828-518: A product of the contemporary Achaemenids . Whether it was produced in the region where it was found, or is a product of Achaemenid manufacture, remains subject to debate. Its fine weaving and elaborate pictorial design hint at an advanced state of the art of carpet weaving at the time of its production. There are documentary records of carpets being used by the ancient Greeks. Homer , assumed to have lived around 850 BC, writes in Ilias XVII,350 that

920-479: A red ground, each filled by identical, star-shaped ornaments made up by centrally overlapping x- and cross-shaped patterns. The design of the carpet already shows the basic arrangement of what was to become the standard oriental carpet design: a field with repeating patterns, framed by a main border in elaborate design, and several secondary borders. The discoverer of the Pazyryk carpet, Sergei Rudenko , assumed it to be

1012-492: A signature. The inscription reads: I have no refuge in the world other than thy threshold. There is no protection for my head other than this door. The work of the servant of the threshold Maqsud of Kashan in the year 946. Translating this date into the Christian calendar shows that the carpet was woven around the years 1539–40 during the reign of Shah Tahmasp , one of the great patrons of carpet weaving. The design of

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1104-535: A special glass pavilion in the centre of the Jameel gallery, Room 42 of Islamic art . The lighting is kept very low to prevent fading, and is increased for a brief period each hour. The second "secret" carpet, smaller, now borderless and with some of the field missing, made up from the remaining usable sections, was sold to the American businessmen Clarence Mackay and was exchanged by wealthy buyers for years. Passing through

1196-550: A time span from the turn of the second century to the early Sasanian period. Among these fragments, some show depictions of animals, like various stags (sometimes arranged in a procession, recalling the design of the Pazyryk carpet) or a winged mythical creature. Wool is used for warp, weft, and pile, the yarn is crudely spun, and the fragments are woven with the asymmetric knot associated with Persian and far-eastern carpets. Every three to five rows, pieces of unspun wool, strips of cloth and leather are woven in. These fragments are now in

1288-513: A uniform style to elite Safavid art. The designs were then copied and adapted for smaller carpets for a wider market. The design of these carpets are not typical of later Ardabil rugs , but products of the finest Safavid weaving, with influence from manuscript painting. Completed after about four years weaving during the rule of the Safavid Shah Tahmasp I in 1539-40, probably in Kashan ,

1380-410: Is silk with wool pile at a knot density of 300–350 knots per square inch (47–54 knots per square centimetre). The size of the London carpet is 34 ft 3 in × 17 ft 6 + 7 ⁄ 8  in (1,044 cm × 535.5 cm), which gives its about 26 million knots in total. The carpets have an inscription: a couplet from a ghazal by Persian mythic poet Hafiz Shirazi and

1472-707: Is a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes and produced in Iran (historically known as Persia ), for home use, local sale, and export. Carpet weaving is an essential part of Persian culture and Iranian art . Within the group of Oriental rugs produced by the countries of the "rug belt", the Persian carpet stands out by the variety and elaborateness of its manifold designs. Persian rugs and carpets of various types were woven in parallel by nomadic tribes in village and town workshops, and by royal court manufactories alike. As such, they represent miscellaneous, simultaneous lines of tradition, and reflect

1564-431: Is an ID register and ticket lottery for a meal one course per person every three year. During Ramadan Commune kitchen feed one million pilgrim and citizens. The complex contains a total of seven courtyards, which cover an area of over 331,578 m (3,569,080 sq ft): The courtyards also contain a total of 14 minarets, and three fountains. From the courtyards, external hallways named after scholars lead to

1656-529: Is further exemplified by the report of the historian Al-Tabari about the Spring of Khosrow carpet, taken as booty by the Arabian conquerors of Ctesiphon in 637 AD. The description of the rug's design by al-Tabari makes it seem unlikely that the carpet was pile woven. Fragments of pile rugs from findspots in north-eastern Afghanistan , reportedly originating from the province of Samangan , have been carbon-14 dated to

1748-424: Is similar to other 16th century Safavid carpets, but the colours and style of drawing are distinct. In the central medallion, pairs of human figures in smaller medallions surround a central animal combat scene. Other animal combats are depicted in the field, while horsemen are shown in the corner medallions. The main border also contains lobed medallions with Houris , animal combats, or confronting peacocks. In-between

1840-535: Is unknown if these carpets were pile-woven, or produced by another technique, e.g., flat-weaving or embroidery , but it is interesting that the very first reference to Persian carpets in the world literature already puts them into a context of luxury, prestige, and diplomacy. There are no surviving Persian carpets from the reigns of the Achaemenian (553–330 BC), Seleucid (312–129 BC), and Parthian (ca. 170 BC – 226 AD) kings. The Sasanian Empire , which succeeded

1932-832: The Abbasid Caliphate was overthrown in the Siege of Baghdad (1258) by the Mongol Empire under Hulagu Khan . The Abbasid line of rulers recentered themselves in the Mamluk capital of Cairo in 1261. Though lacking in political power, the dynasty continued to claim authority in religious matters until after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt (1517). Under the Mamluk dynasty in Cairo, large carpets known as "Mamluk carpets" were produced. Beginning at latest with

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2024-641: The Al-Sabah Collection in the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah , Kuwait. The carpet fragments, although reliably dated to the early Sasanian time, do not seem to be related to the splendid court carpets described by the Arab conquerors. Their crude knots incorporating shag on the reverse hints at the need for increased insulation. With their coarsely finished animal and hunting depictions, these carpets were likely woven by nomadic people. The Muslim conquest of Persia led to

2116-730: The Lop Nur area, and are woven in symmetrical knots, with 5–7 interwoven wefts after each row of knots, with a striped design, and various colours. They are now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Other fragments woven in symmetrical as well as asymmetrical knots have been found in Dura-Europos in Syria, and from the At-Tar caves in Iraq , dated to the first centuries AD. These rare findings demonstrate that all

2208-481: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art , and smaller at 23 ft 7 in × 13 ft 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  in (718.82 cm × 400.05 cm), was made up of the sections in adequate condition unused for the London carpet. Both carpets are now smaller (shorter in particular) than they would have been originally, and there are other fragments in various collections that appear to come from

2300-524: The Parthian Empire , was recognized as one of the leading powers of its time, alongside its neighbouring Byzantine Empire , for a period of more than 400 years. The Sasanids established their empire roughly within the borders set by the Achaemenids, with the capital at Ctesiphon . This last Persian dynasty before the arrival of Islam adopted Zoroastrianism as the state religion. When and how exactly

2392-1080: The Seljuq invasions of Anatolia and northwestern Persia, a distinct Turko-Persian tradition emerged. Fragments of woven carpets were found in the Alâeddin Mosque in the Turkish town of Konya and the Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir , and were dated to the Anatolian Seljuq Period (1243–1302). More fragments were found in Fostat , today a suburb of the city of Cairo. These fragments at least give us an idea how Seljuq carpets may have looked. The Egyptian findings also provide evidence for export trade. If, and how, these carpets influenced Persian carpet weaving, remains unknown, as no distinct Persian carpets are known to exist from this period, or we are unable to identify them. It

2484-837: The Shah of Iran . Getty later donated the carpet to the Los Angeles County Museum of Science, History, and Art in the Exposition Park in Los Angeles . Other fragments have appeared on the market from time to time. The knot density is actually higher on the Los Angeles carpet. It is now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. In 2003 it was cleaned and restored by the Royal Collection 's Textile Conservation Studios at Hampton Court Palace , near London. The Ardabil Carpet

2576-759: The Treaty of Resht and Treaty of Ganja . By 1736, Nader himself was crowned shah. There are no records of carpet weaving, which had sunk to an insignificant handicraft, during the Afsharid and Zand dynasties. In 1789, Mohammad Khan Qajar was crowned king of Persia, the founder of the Qajar dynasty , which provided Persia with a long period of order and comparative peace, and the industry had an opportunity of revival. The three important Qajãr monarchs Fath-Ali Shah Qajar , Naser al-Din Shah Qajar , and Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar revived

2668-488: The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists . The beginning of carpet weaving remains unknown, as carpets are subject to use, deterioration, and destruction by insects and rodents. Woven rugs probably developed from earlier floor coverings, made of felt , or a technique known as "flat weaving". Flat-woven rugs are made by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce

2760-639: The Uzbeks from Khorasan. Sahn Atiq was extended in the time of Shah Abbas I, and during the Safavid era, efforts were made for its further improvement. During the Safavid era, the shrine also received patronage from rulers of the Indian subcontinent, namely Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk (founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty ) and Mughal Emperor Akbar . The latter was notably a Sunni . Nader Shah Afshar (b. 1688, r. 1736–1747 A.D.) and

2852-461: The history of Iran , Persian culture , and its various peoples. The carpets woven in the Safavid court manufactories of Isfahan during the sixteenth century are famous for their elaborate colours and artistic design, and are treasured in museums and private collections all over the world today. Their patterns and designs have set an artistic tradition for court manufactories which was kept alive during

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2944-610: The East Roman with the Persian Empire. Artistically, both empires have developed similar styles and decorative vocabulary, as exemplified by mosaics and architecture of Roman Antioch . A Turkish carpet pattern depicted on Jan van Eyck 's "Paele Madonna" painting was traced back to late Roman origins and related to early Islamic floor mosaics found in the Umayyad palace of Khirbat al-Mafjar . Flat weaving and embroidery were known during

3036-586: The Highest will surely remove the sorrows of any sorrowful person who goes on pilgrimage to his shrine. God will surely forgive the sins of any sinful person who goes on pilgrimage to his shrine. Dar-ul-Imarah (Royal Residence) or the garden of Humayd ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i was a fortress in the village of Sanabad. It dates back to the era before the Islam religion. It had been placed at the fork road of Sanabad, Neishabour , Sarakhs , Toos and Radkan . This fortress had been

3128-457: The Mackay, Yerkes , and De la Mare art collections, it was eventually revealed and shown in 1931 at an exhibition in London . American industrialist J. Paul Getty saw it, and bought it from Lord Duveen for approximately $ 70,000 several years later. Getty was approached by agents on behalf of King Farouk of Egypt who offered $ 250,000 so that it could be given as a wedding present to his sister and

3220-502: The Museum to raise, with the aid of public subscription, the then vast sum of £ 2000 to purchase the carpet in March 1893". Morris wrote in a letter to Thomas Armstrong that "it has no counterpart". Gradually, word came out that there was a second Ardabil carpet. When the Victoria and Albert Museum began to check out the piece in 1914, the historical consensus came to be that the modifications on

3312-598: The Ottomans and the Russians, took advantage of the chaos in the country to seize more territory for themselves. With these events, the Safavid dynasty had come to an end. Iran's territorial integrity was restored by a native Iranian Turkic Afshar warlord from Khorasan, Nader Shah . He defeated the Afghans, and Ottomans , reinstalled the Safavids on the throne, and negotiated Russian withdrawal from Irans Caucasian territories, by

3404-510: The Pazyryk carpet indicates a long history of evolution and experience in weaving. It is considered the oldest known carpet in the world. Its central field is a deep red colour and it has two animal frieze borders proceeding in opposite directions accompanied by guard stripes. The inner main border depicts a procession of deer, the outer men on horses, and men leading horses. The horse saddlecloths are woven in different designs. The inner field contains 4 × 6 identical square frames arranged in rows on

3496-526: The Persians started weaving pile carpets is currently unknown, but the knowledge of carpet weaving, and of suitable designs for floor coverings, was certainly available in the area covering Byzance, Anatolia, and Persia: Anatolia , located between Byzance and Persia, was ruled by the Roman Empire since 133 BCE. Geographically and politically, by changing alliances and warfare as well as by trade, Anatolia connected

3588-481: The Polish king Sigismund III Vasa to commission 8 carpets with the Polish royal court of arms to be inwoven. The Kashan weavers did so, and on 12 September 1602 Muratowicz presented the carpets to the Polish king, and the bill to the treasurer of the crown. Representative Safavid carpets made of silk with inwoven gold and silver threads were erroneously believed by Western art historians to be of Polish manufacture. Although

3680-779: The Qaināt. Yaqut al-Hamawi tells us that carpets were woven in Azerbaijān in the thirteenth century. The great Arabian traveller Ibn Battuta mentions that a green rug was spread before him when he visited the winter quarter of the Bakhthiari atabeg in Idhej . These references indicate that carpet weaving in Persia under the Caliphate was a tribal or rural industry. The rule of the Caliphs over Persia ended when

3772-642: The Qajar Shahs who ruled Iran from 1789 to 1925 expanded the various places in the shrine. There were also some improvements in the shrine complex during the Qajar Dynasty. There was also some repair in both courtyards during Mozaffar ad-Din Shah 's monarchy. Following the coup in December 1911, Russian artillery shelled revolutionaries who had taken refuge in the shrine. The whole complex was greatly damaged in 1911, but it

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3864-666: The Safavid dynasty. Another inscription can be seen on the "Hunting Carpet", now at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli , Milan, which dates the carpet to 949 AH/AD 1542–3: By the diligence of Ghyath ud-Din Jami was completed This renowned work, that appeals to us by its beauty In the year 949 The number of sources for more precise dating and the attribution of provenience increase during the 17th century. Safavid carpets were presented as diplomatic gifts to European cities and states, as diplomatic relations intensified. In 1603, Shah Abbas presented

3956-705: The Sasanian period. Elaborate Sasanian silk textiles were well preserved in European churches, where they were used as coverings for relics, and survived in church treasuries. More of these textiles were preserved in Tibetan monasteries, and were removed by monks fleeing to Nepal during the Chinese cultural revolution , or excavated from burial sites like Astana, on the Silk Road near Turfan . The high artistic level reached by Persian weavers

4048-725: The Senate of Venetia he mentions more than once the splendid carpets which he saw at the palace. Some of them, he wrote, were of silk. In 1403–05 Ruy González de Clavijo was the ambassador of Henry III of Castile to the court of Timur , founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire . He described that in Timur's palace at Samarkand , "everywhere the floor was covered with carpets and reed mattings". Timurid period miniatures show carpets with geometrical designs, rows of octagons and stars, knot forms, and borders sometimes derived from kufic script. None of

4140-601: The Twelver Shi'ite sect as the state religion, Mashhad reached the peak of its development. However, since Khorasan was a border province of the Safavid Empire, Mashhad suffered repeated invasions and periods of occupation by the Uzbek Khans – Muhammad Khan, Abdullah Khan Shaibani, Muhammad Sultan and especially Abdul-Momen Khan. These invasions continued up to 996 A.H./ 1586 A.D., the reign of Shah Abbas I , who finally drove out

4232-509: The ancient traditions of the Persian monarchy. The weavers of Tabriz took the opportunity, and around 1885 became the founders of the modern industry of carpet weaving in Persia. Imam Reza Shrine The complex is a tourism center in Iran and has been described as "the heart of the Shia Iran" with 25 million Iranian and non-Iranian Shias visiting the shrine each year, according to a 2007 estimate. The shrine itself covers an area of 267,079 square metres (2,874,810 sq ft) while

4324-411: The artistic, pre-planned designs of the larger workplaces. Gabbeh rugs are the best-known type of carpet from this line of tradition. As a result of political unrest or commercial pressure, carpet weaving has gone through periods of decline throughout the decades. It particularly suffered from the introduction of synthetic dyes during the second half of the nineteenth century. Carpet weaving still plays

4416-703: The beginning of the end of the Safavid dynasty. The declining country was repeatedly raided on its frontiers. Finally, a Ghilzai Pashtun chieftain named Mir Wais Khan began a rebellion in Kandahar and defeated the Safavid army under the Iranian Georgian governor over the region, Gurgin Khan . In 1722, Peter the Great launched the Russo-Persian War (1722–1723) , capturing many of Iran's Caucasian territories, including Derbent , Shaki , Baku , but also Gilan , Mazandaran and Astrabad . In 1722, an Afghan army led by Mir Mahmud Hotaki marched across eastern Iran, and besieged and took Isfahan . Mahmud proclaimed himself 'Shah' of Persia. Meanwhile, Persia's imperial rivals,

4508-564: The body of Patroklos is covered with a "splendid carpet". In Odyssey Book VII and X "carpets" are mentioned. Pliny the Elder wrote ( nat. VIII, 48 ) that carpets ("polymita") were invented in Alexandria. It is unknown whether these were flat-weaves or pile weaves, as no detailed technical information is provided in the Greek and Latin texts. Flat-woven kilims dating to at least the fourth or fifth century AD were found in Turfan , Hotan prefecture , East Turkestan, China, an area which still produces carpets today. Rug fragments were also found in

4600-411: The border medallions, phoenixes and dragons are fighting. By similarity to mosaic tile spandrels in the Ganjali Khan Complex at the Kirmān bazaar with an inscription recording its date of completion as 1006 AH/AD 1596, they are dated to the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century. Two other "vase technique" carpets have inscriptions with a date: One of them bears the date 1172 AH/AD 1758 and

4692-411: The carpets are considered some of the best of the classical Iranian (Persian) school of carpet creation. According to the traditional story, now rather doubted by historians, when new they were placed in the Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble in Ardabil , but became heavily worn and were sold in 1890 to a British carpet dealer who restored one of the carpets using the other and then resold

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4784-486: The carpets as depicted in the miniature paintings, so the paintings cannot support any efforts to differentiate, classify and date period carpets. The same holds true for European paintings: Unlike Anatolian carpets, Persian carpets were not depicted in European paintings before the seventeenth century. As some carpets like the Ardabil carpets have inwoven inscriptions including dates, scientific efforts to categorize and date Safavid rugs start from them: I have no refuge in

4876-589: The carpets woven before 1500 AD have survived. In 1499, a new dynasty arose in Persia. Shah Ismail I , its founder, was related to Uzun Hassan. He is regarded as the first national sovereign of Persia since the Arab conquest, and established Shi'a Islam as the state religion of Persia. He and his successors, Shah Tahmasp I and Shah Abbas I became patrons of the Persian Safavid art . Court manufactories were probably established by Shah Tahmasp in Tabriz, but definitely by Shah Abbas when he moved his capital from Tabriz in northwestern to Isfahan in central Persia, in

4968-446: The center of the carpet, making up the first and third weft. Silk or cotton makes up the middle weft, which crosses from back to front. A characteristic "tram line" effect is evoked by the third weft when the carpet is worn. The best known "vase technique" carpets from Kirmān are those of the so-called "Sanguszko group", named after the House of Sanguszko , whose collection has the most outstanding example. The medallion-and-corner design

5060-405: The central medallion resembles that of the interior side of the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, with two differently sized lamp motifs surrounding the design, now seen as a deliberate use of graphical perspective , when looked at from the end with the smaller lamp the two appear the same size. However, a debate exists due to the fact that there is no proof that graphical perspective

5152-399: The current Los Angeles Ardabil to repair the London Ardabil were managed by Ziegler and Company, the first buyer of the carpets from Persian resident Hildebrand Stevens, supposedly using Tabriz or Turkish craftsmen. The second Ardabil had visible changes in its structure, with its borders replaced into a newly woven narrow line while the London Ardabil was thoroughly over-restored. Historians of

5244-399: The end of the 9th century, a dome was built on the grave and many buildings and bazaars sprang up around it. For the next thousand years, it has been devastated and reconstructed several times. The celebrated Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta visited Mashhad in 1333 and reported that it was a large town with abundant fruit trees, streams and mills. A great dome of elegant construction surmounts

5336-436: The end of the Sasanian Empire in 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. Persia became a part of the Islamic world, ruled by Muslim Caliphates . Arabian geographers and historians visiting Persia provide, for the first time, references to the use of carpets on the floor. The unknown author of the Hudud al-'Alam states that rugs were woven in Fārs. 100 years later, Al-Muqaddasi refers to carpets in

5428-401: The end of the thirteenth century, Ghazan Khan built a new capital at Shãm, near Tabriz. He ordered the floors of his residence to be covered with carpets from Fārs. With the death of Ilkhan Abu Said Bahatur in 1335, Mongol rule faltered and Persia fell into political anarchy. In 1381, Timur invaded Iran and became the founder of the Timurid Empire . His successors, the Timurids, maintained

5520-429: The entire duration of the Persian Empire up to the last royal dynasty of Iran. Carpets woven in towns and regional centers like Tabriz , Kerman , Ravar , Neyshabour , Mashhad , Kashan , Isfahan , Nain and Qom are characterized by their specific weaving techniques and use of high-quality materials, colours and patterns. Town manufactories like those of Tabriz have played an important historical role in reviving

5612-636: The error was corrected, carpets of this type retained the name of "Polish" or "Polonaise" carpets. The more appropriate type name of "Shah Abbas" carpets was suggested by Kurt Erdmann . A. C. Edwards opens his book on Persian carpets with the description of eight masterpieces from this great period: A distinct group of Safavid carpets can be attributed to the region of Kirmān in southern Persia. May H. Beattie identified these carpets by their common structure: Seven different types of carpets were identified: Garden carpets (depicting formal gardens and water channels); carpets with centralized designs, characterized by

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5704-455: The fifteenth century. This marks the first time when the "classical" design of Islamic rugs was established: The medallion and corner design (pers.: "Lechek Torūnj") was first seen on book covers. In 1522, Ismail I employed the miniature painter Kamāl ud-Dīn Behzād , a famous painter of the Garus school, as director of the royal atelier. Behzad had a decisive impact on the development of later Safavid art. The Safavid carpets known to us differ from

5796-673: The first carpets physically known to us show such accomplished designs leads to the assumption that the art and craft of carpet weaving must already have existed for some time before the magnificent Safavid court carpets could have been woven. As no early Safavid period carpets survived, research has focused on Timurid period book illuminations and miniature paintings . These paintings depict colourful carpets with repeating designs of equal-scale geometric patterns, arranged in checkerboard-like designs, with "kufic" border ornaments derived from Islamic calligraphy . The designs are so similar to period Anatolian carpets, especially to " Holbein carpets " that

5888-406: The first time they were mentioned by ancient Greek writers. Although the term "Persian carpet" most often refers to pile-woven textiles, flat-woven carpets and rugs like Kilim , Soumak , and embroidered tissues like Suzani are part of the rich and manifold tradition of Persian carpet weaving. In 2010, the "traditional skills of carpet weaving" in Fars Province and Kashan were inscribed to

5980-417: The inner areas of the mosque. They are referred to as Bast ( Sanctuary ), since they were meant to be a safeguard for the shrine areas: The Bast hallways lead towards a total of 21 internal halls ( Riwaq ) which surround the burial chamber of Ali al-Ridha . Adjacent to the burial chamber is also a mosque dating back to the 10th century known as, Bala-e-Sar Mosque. This mosque is situated adjacent to

6072-407: The long or short axis of the carpet to obtain harmony and rhythm. The earlier "kufic" border design was replaced by tendrils and arabesques . All these patterns required a more elaborate system of weaving, as compared to weaving straight, rectilinear lines. Likewise, they require artists to create the design, weavers to execute them on the loom, and an efficient way to communicate the artist's ideas to

6164-411: The name of the weaver: the Master Craftsman Muhammad Sharīf Kirmānī, the other has three inscriptions indicating that it was woven by the Master Craftsman Mu'min, son of Qutb al-Dīn Māhānī, between 1066–7 AH/AD 1655–1656. Carpets in the Safavid tradition were still woven in Kirmān after the fall of the Safavid dynasty in 1732 (Ferrier, 1989, p. 127 ). The end of Shah Abbas II 's reign in 1666 marked

6256-426: The noble mausoleum, the walls being decorated with colored tiles. Opposite the tomb of the Imam is the tomb of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, which is surmounted by a platform bearing chandeliers. By the end of the third Hijri century, a dome was built on the grave of Imam Reza and many buildings and bazaars sprang around the shrine. In 383 A.H. / 993 A.D., Sebuktigin , the Ghaznavid sultan devastated Mashhad and stopped

6348-482: The pilgrims from visiting the shrine. But in 400 A.H./ 1009 A.D., Mahmud of Ghazni (born 971, ruled, 998-1030 A.D.) started the expansion and renovation of the shrine and built many fortifications around the city. Sultan Sanjar (b. 1086 A.D., r. 1097–1157 A.D.), after the healing of his son in the shrine, renovated the sanctuary and added new buildings within its precincts. At the time of Sultan Sanjar Saljuqi, after Sharaf al-Din Abu Tahir b. Sa'd b. Ali Qummi repaired

6440-436: The reconstruction process. The carpets have a typical Tabriz design, with one central medallion and smaller, ornate designs surrounding. Such medallions and shapes were central to the design and reality of Persian gardens, a common symbol of paradise for followers of Islam. A cartouche on the London carpet contains the date A.H. 946, or 1539-40, which is thought to be the earliest date on any Persian carpet. The foundation

6532-428: The regime of Mohammad Reza Shah (b. 1919, r. 1941–1979), Reza Shah's son and successor, killed a large number of people within the shrine (approximately 12,000 ). The shrine is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 100 rials coin, issued since 2004. The harem kitchen dines 10 to 40 thousand visitors a day and sometimes on occasional events cooks for as many as 250,000. It has an Astan quds website page and there

6624-660: The reigning monarch of Iran and founder of Pahlavi dynasty , invaded the shrine and massacred people gathered in the Goharshad Mosque . The people there were protesting against the modernization policies of the Shah which many, especially amongst the Shia clergy, considered to be anti-Islamic, including the banning of hijab (headscarf) for women in Iran. Shortly before the Iranian Revolution , on 21 November 1978, troops under orders from

6716-431: The restored one to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Many specialists are now dubious that the carpets were made for Ardabil; apart from anything else, they would not fit in the shrine there. They also do not match any carpets described in an inventory of the shrine from 1795. On the other hand, at their presumed original size, the two would fit into a space in the more important Imam Reza Shrine at Mashad . This carpet

6808-453: The seven courtyards which surround it cover an area of 331,578 square metres (3,569,080 sq ft), totaling 598,657 m (6,443,890 sq ft). Shia sources quote several hadiths from the Shia Imams and Muhammad that highlight the importance of pilgrimage to the shrine. A hadith from Muhammad says: One of my own flesh and blood will be buried in the land of Khorasan. God

6900-547: The shrine entrance-by the side of Dar al-Huffaz porch—in which the names and descent of Imam Reza back to Imam Ali were written. Some other inscriptions and three mihrabs (a special place for prayer-leader in mosques) belonging to this age exist in this holy complex. During the Mongol invasion in 1220 A.D. (617 A.H.), Khorasan was plundered by the invading hordes and the survivors of this massacre took refuge in Mashhad and settled around

6992-553: The shrine, he began to construct a dome over it. In 612 A.H./ 1215 A.D., as borne out by inscriptions on certain tiles, Allaudin Khwarezm Shah carried out renovations on the shrine. During the Khwarazmian dynasty , some repair and decoration was made inside the shrine. In this era (612 A.H./1215 A.D.), two very glorious embossed Thuluth (a large Naskh handwriting) inscriptions in form of square tile work were fixed on both sides of

7084-565: The shrine. Sultan Muhammad Khudabandeh Iljaitu (b. 1282 AD), the Mongol ruler of Iran, converted to Shi'ism and ruled Iran in 703–716 A.H (1304–1316 AD), once again renovated the shrine on a grand scale. The glorious phase of Mashhad started during the reign of Shahrukh Mirza (b. 1377 A.D., r, 1405–1447), son of Tamerlane , and reached its zenith during the reign of the Safavid Shahs who ruled Iran from 1501 to 1736. Shahrukh Mirza, whose capital

7176-606: The skills and techniques of dyeing and carpet weaving were already known in western Asia before the first century AD. Persian carpets were first mentioned around 400 BC, by the Greek author Xenophon in his book " Anabasis ": "αὖθις δὲ Τιμασίωνι τῷ Δαρδανεῖ προσελθών, ἐπεὶ ἤκουσεν αὐτῷ εἶναι καὶ ἐκπώματα καὶ τάπιδας βαρβαρικάς", (Xen. anab. VII.3.18) "καὶ Τιμασίων προπίνων ἐδωρήσατο φιάλην τε ἀργυρᾶν καὶ τάπιδα ἀξίαν δέκα μνῶν." [Xen. anab. VII.3.27] Xenophon describes Persian carpets as precious, and worthy to be used as diplomatic gifts. It

7268-413: The time spoke to this, stating 'The highest market value was for complete carpets, rather than damaged ones or fragments. The London carpet was 'a remarkable work of Art', and as Morris has said, of real historical importance, but it had been compromised to suit the market values of 19th century art connoisseurship.' The carpet was for decades displayed hanging on a wall. Since 2006, it has been shown flat in

7360-405: The tradition of carpet weaving after periods of decline. Rugs woven by the villagers and various tribes of Iran are distinguished by their fine wool, bright and elaborate colours, and specific, traditional patterns. Nomadic and small village weavers often produce rugs with bolder and sometimes more coarse designs, which are considered as the most authentic and traditional rugs of Persia, as opposed to

7452-564: The wake of the Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–18) . For the art of carpet weaving in Persia, this meant, as Edwards wrote: "that in a short time it rose from a cottage métier to the dignity of a fine art." The time of the Safavid dynasty marks one of the greatest periods in Persian art , which includes carpet weaving. Later Safavid period carpets still exist, which belong to the finest and most elaborate weavings known today. The phenomenon that

7544-596: The warps, cutting the thread after each single knot. The Pazyryk carpet was excavated in 1949 from the grave of a Scythian nobleman in the Pazyryk Valley of the Altai Mountains in Siberia . Radiocarbon testing indicated that the Pazyryk carpet was woven in the 5th century BC. This carpet is 183 by 200 centimetres (72 by 79 inches) and has 36 symmetrical knots per cm (232 per inch ). The advanced technique used in

7636-423: The weaver. Today this is achieved by a template, termed cartoon (Ford, 1981, p. 170 ). How Safavid manufacturers achieved this, technically, is currently unknown. The result of their work, however, was what Kurt Erdmann termed the "carpet design revolution". Apparently, the new designs were developed first by miniature painters, as they started to appear in book illuminations and on book covers as early as in

7728-557: The world other than thy threshold. There is no protection for my head other than this door. The work of the slave of the threshold Maqsud of Kashan in the year 946. The AH year of 946 corresponds to AD 1539–1540, which dates the Ardabil carpet to the reign of Shah Tahmasp, who donated the carpet to the shrine of Shaykh Safi-ad-din Ardabili in Ardabil , who is regarded as the spiritual father of

7820-514: Was Herat , regularly visited Mashhad for the pilgrimage of the shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.). In the 15th century, during the reign of the Timurid Shahrukh Mirza , Mashhad became one of the main cities of the realm. In 1418, his wife Empress Goharshad funded the construction of an outstanding mosque beside the shrine, which is known as the Goharshad Mosque . With the emergence of the Safavid dynasty in 1501 A.D. and their declaration of

7912-824: Was an original design, though in the style of some other Persian carpets of the same period. It has been the subject of numerous copies ranging in size from small rugs to full scale carpets. There is an 'Ardabil' at 10 Downing Street (office of the British Prime Minister ), and even Adolf Hitler had an 'Ardabil' in his office in Berlin . Commercial copies of the carpet for sale range from prices of $ 200 to $ 45,000. Persian carpet A Persian carpet ( Persian : فرش ایرانی , romanized :  farš-e irâni [ˈfærʃe ʔiː.ɹɒː.níː] ), Persian rug ( Persian : قالی ایرانی , romanized :  qâli-ye irâni [ɢɒːˈliːje ʔiː.ɹɒː.níː] ), or Iranian carpet

8004-535: Was assumed by Western scholars that the Seljuqs may have introduced at least new design traditions, if not the craft of pile weaving itself, to Persia, where skilled artisans and craftsmen might have integrated new ideas into their old traditions. Between 1219 and 1221, Persia was raided by the Mongols . After 1260, the title "Ilkhan" was borne by the descendants of Hulagu Khan and later other Borjigin princes in Persia. At

8096-474: Was buried beside the grave of al-Ma'mun's father, Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809). After this event, the location was called Mashhad al-Ridha ("the place of martyrdom of al-Ridha"). Shias and Sunnis (for example, Ibn Hibban wrote in his Kitab al Siqqat that whenever troubled and in Mashad he would always visit the shrine to ask for relief from problems that bothered him) began visiting his grave on pilgrimage . By

8188-537: Was reconstructed according to the special architecture of Khorasan . Four plain and short walls, covered with a low-slope dome, were constructed around the building. Afterwards, the name of the mausoleum (Haruniyyeh) was changed and known as the Mashhad-ur-Reza. Mashhad literally means a place where a martyr has been buried. In 818, Imam Ali al-Ridha was murdered by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (ruled 813–833) and

8280-527: Was repaired after a while. There were significant changes in the complex in 1928 (1347 A.H.). Old Falakah was extended up to a radius of 620 meters before the victory of the Islamic Revolution , and an important part of Holy Buildings' historical structure was demolished without considering its antiquity and elegance. On 13 July 1935 (11th Rabi al-Thani 1354 A.H.), during the Goharshad Mosque rebellion , armed forces of Reza Shah (b. 1878, r. 1925–1941),

8372-530: Was sold by the dealer Edward Stebbing of Robinson and Company as "The Holy Carpet of the Mosque at Ardebil", stressing the "exceptionalism of the carpet and its provenance as a product of the Safavid royal atelier of Shah Tahmasp, made for the Safavid dynastic shrine at Ardabil". William Morris advised the V&;A in the acquisition: "It was William Morris , in his capacity as one of the V&A's Art Referees, who persuaded

8464-449: Was used in 1530s Iran and other historians and critics instead believe the lamps are ones found in mosques or shrines at the time. The border is created from cartouches filled with decorations and calligraphy, adding even more details to the already accomplished style. Designs for prestige carpet commissions were supplied by the court atelier of artists, who also designed for manuscripts, tiling patterns on buildings and other media, giving

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