| Description |
Carpet weaving is one of the world's most traditional, conceptual, applied arts. Iranians enjoy a global reputation in carpet weaving and its skills; and carpets of Fars with nomadic and rural characteristics constitute a genuine example. Historically, carpet weaving in Fars province dates back to the seventh century(AH). Carpets of Fars are known as either «Qashqai» or «Khamseh Tribes» carpets. These are the nomads moving between Esfahan and Persian Gulf coasts.
Among the tribes of Qashqais, the more prominent are Darre-Shuri, Kashkuli-ye Bozorg, Kashkoli-ye Kuchak, Shesh-Boluki, and Gharache. Due to the immigration requirements, the size of nomadic rugs is usually small; they are, however, beautiful.
The stages of Carpet Weaving in Fars Province
- Wool cutting
The carpets usually utilize wool as the basic material. The men cut the wool of their sheep, skillfully, in spring or autumn. The quality of the wool on each of the eleven sections of the sheep body, and the related colors are different.
- Frame(loom) Making
The portable frame of nomadic carpets is rectangle in shape, with a metal or wood support; it is placed on the ground. The act of knitting is performed on it. The men construct the frame, too.
- Weaving
The women convert the wool into strings on spinning wheels or weaving machines. They, masterfully, take care to obtain the best qualities. The spinning wheel is a wooden tool that resembles a big spin; the wool is turned around it from the hand of the knitter, then weaved. The spindle wheel is a wooden structure with the wool being placed in its middle to turn into strings when the wheel turns.
- Painting
Colors are mainly natural; the main colors are laquer, painted blue, dark blue, brown and white.
The plants from whichthe colors are extracted include Madder, Indigo, lettuce leaf, walnut skin, Jashyr, cherry stem and skin of pomegranate. The pigments, so called, Dandane, are elements which allow color stabilization and imprint on the fibers; the most important modants include Alum (Double Aluminum Sulfate), Green Vitriol (Cut Blue), Double Copper Sulfate, Black Vitriol (Double Iron Sulfate).
- Knitting
While knitting, the women tie the colored strings on the wool web to cover the frame and give shape to the carpet.
Two types of ties are common: The ""Persian tie"", an assymetric tie, usually used in places where Persian Language is spoken, where it is referred to as, so called, Farsi-Baf (done in the Persian style), and the Turkish tie, a symmetric tie, in that the two webs are of the same size and the tie is made in the middle; this second tie is more popular in places where Turkish is in use, so the name Torki-Baf (done in the Turkish style).
- Completion
Completion refers to the activities done for final furnishing. These include sewing the sides (so called, Dowrduzi: Some products will be sewn on the sides to be used as bags, called ""khorjin's"" or ""chante's"" on the region); burning the extra wool to make the designs vivid and enhance the quality of the product (so called, Porzsuzi); double tied roots, and final cleaning.
Nomadic Gilims Wraps of Fars are not painted with painted woofs; both sides of the product can be used. Limited materials have led these products to be more geometric in both texture and margin, mirroring the local culture of the community. The most important characteristic of Fars carpet weaving is the unique method of weaving without any maps. One weaver will not be able to weave two carpets of the same design, especially, if she does not enough time to consider the details.
Fars carpets include the following types:
Simple Gilim(one sided or two sided): A carpet made through passing the colored wool strings, called ""Pud's"" between the vertical strings, called ""Taar's"", without maps.
Rug: A carpet with thinner ""Pud's"" and thicker ""Taar's"". The product is thicker in diameter, compared to Gilim's, and is one-sided.
Ghaaliche: A rug of smaller dimensions (measuring to less than three square meters).
Jaajim: A product of woolen ""Taar's"" and ""Pud's"", with simple and attractive designs, and a variety of usages, including those of carpets, beds, pillows, etc.
Gilim-e Naghsh-barjaste(Goljajimi Gilim): A one sided gilom with its main motifs embossed.
Somak (Rendy): A one-sided Gilim, out of which ""Ghali's"" (rugs) are believed to have been evolved.
Shishe Derme: A Gilim with a simple pattern; it has no knots and naps, is two sided in a way that the mirror patterns of its face are weaved on its back side.
Gabbe: A gross nomadic carpet, vastly verified, and done without any map. There are both colored Gabbe's, and Gabbe's of natural colors. So called, ""Shiri"" Gabbe's of Fars mark nomadic courage for the owner. |
| Social and cultural significance |
Cultural function:
Design creation, color selection, genuine make-up, and skills is Fars carpet weaving must be accredited to nomadic women. Benefitting from the natural surroundings, and the legends they have, they bring scenes of their lives on the carpet. They maintain the true cultural values by introducing them on their gifts for their offsprings: an everlasting and valuable document for future generations made of meaningful designs and mysterious colors.
Social function:
Such products as knapsacks and horse blankets, ""Khorjin's"" (bags) and ""Mafrash'es"", the supplementary products of carpet weaving in Fars, fulfill various usages in the everyday lives of the nomadic people. Through selling their products, the members of the community can earn money, so that they are not obliged to leave their home-land and migrate to city centers for jobs. |
| Transmission method |
All of the skillls and characteristics mentioned above are transferred orally, between generations of carpet weavers of Fars. Mothers train their female offsprings to become familiar with the needed materials, tools, and the skills. The boys are trained by their fathers for wool-cutting and making of the frame (""loom"").
Publications:
Approximately one hundred and twenty books are available worldwide about Fars Carpets, either exclusively devoted to the subject, or in part.
- Research
About one hundred BA and MA Theses have analyzed the various aspects of Fars carpet. In addition, a number of documentaries on traditions, techniques, and skills of weaving Fars Carpets and their social and cultural values have been made. Among these documentaries there is a famous documentary about Gabbe which had received many international awards. For the time being, IRIB (Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting) is broadcasting these documentaries.
Awareness:
- In several international seminars and conferences with the general topic of ""Iran's Carpet"", Fars Carpets, and especially the rural and nomadic carpets of the province constituted the topic of speech, and the critical reviews.
- The National Carpet Museum of Iran keeps, for the time being, some Fars nomadic carpets for public exhibition.
Education:
- From the late sixties to mid-seventies the Company of South West Handicrafts has implemented many educational projects in the field of manufacturing types of Ghaali (carpets), Gabbe and Gilim, in the Fars Province.
- Fars Province Handicrafts Directorate has implemented projects for training of weavers.
Financial and administrative support:
- Workshops for using plants for Intinction are, for the time being, available in in Shiraz, among the other cities of the Fars Province. |
| Community |
The community concerned is deep seated in the region of Fars province which includes approximately 214,000 people: professors, artists, stakeholders, unions, shearers, Cotton Rysan, dyeing, carpet weaving frame (Loom) manufacturers, tool makers, designers and planners, weavers and finishers of remnants and vendors, each having unique skills, experience and mastery of knowledge related to its field of transaction.
List of government and non-governmental institutions in these areas is as follows:
Local:
Union of Exporters of Fars Hand-woven carpets;
Union of Fars Hand-woven Carpet Manufacturers,
Union of Rural Darning,
Department of Traditional Arts and Handicrafts of Fars Province,
National:
- Iran Carpet Information website,
- Quarterly of Design and the Carpet,
- Quarterly of Hand-woven Carpet published by Iranian Carpet Exporters Union,
- Iran Carpet Science Association,
- Information Website of Iran Handicrafts,
- Academy of Art, Department of Traditional Arts and Handicrafts,
- Institute of Traditional Arts of Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization,
- Union of Manufacturers of Hand-woven Carpets,
- Central Union of Rural Carpets,
- Reflection Room of Iran's Hand-woven Carpets, which is dependent to Iran's Carpet
Information WebSite,
- Weekly of Iran's Hand-woven Carpets (Iran's Carpet Information Site),
- Nodes: International Quarterly (English – Italian),
- Iran Carpet Magazine,
- Carpet centers of Higher Education (MA and BA),
- Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology,
- Islamic Azad University,
- Association of Researchers and Carpet Enthusiasts,
- Iran Carpet Corporation,
- National Organization of Hand-woven Carpets,
- Department of Traditional Arts and Handicrafts, Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and
Tourism Organization,
- Department of Traditional Arts, Academy of Art,
- Research Center of Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism organization,
- Iran Carpet Experts Forum,
- Iran Carpet Information website. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2010 |
