One of the most important tribes in North East of Iran, whose majority are Turkish and a minority of Kurd, Tajik origin. Some of them are residing among Bakhtiari clan and a group in Khamseh (Fars) and partly reside in Khorasan, one of their most well-known weaving is kilims of Shahseven.

In all Shahseven kilims, one may find big, brocading motif in a line or a row; big motives are four in each band, forming a starry design. Shahsevens are the main weavers of handbag and traveling bag; these products are woven by every Iranian clan except in the regions of Turkmen, Baluch and residents of other oriental frontiers.

In handbags of Shahseven one may find spiral weaving, animal features, birds, flowers and stars which are sometimes slit like kilims. Shahseven’s silique (khorjin) are very small with a very fine and marvelous texture. Shahseven tribes are divided into a few groups regarding to their living territories:

Moghan Shahsevens
Moghan is the greatest clan of shahseven, living in Moghan Plain. Kilim of Moghan Shahseven has the most traditional designs, with a harmony in design, texture and color. Some kilims have ribbons with a uniform weaving and no limit in color. Other specifications of these kilims are:

Ground design: Wide horizontal ribbon with Turkish motives and narrow ribbons with geometric motives among wide ribbons
Margins: Narrow
Size and feature: Narrow and long
Material: Warps with natural brown wool, wefts of soft wool
Texture: Strong slit, rows of twining wefts among ribbons
Color: Dark red, green, brown, milky white
Fringes: Uniform, network, sometimes with uniform diagonal in the backside
Selvages: Extra braiding or uniform
Motives of big stars, Turkish or spider-like features with a different weaving are most used.

Shahseven of Hashtrud
Ground design: wide horizontal ribbons with Turkish motives and ribbons together with geometric motives
Margins: Narrow
Size and feature: Narrow and Long
Materials: Warps of loose and thick wool; wefts of tough and coarse wool
Texture: Loose slit weaving
Colors: Quiet colors such as pink, light green, dark blue and brown
Fringes: uniform, Twill weaving, with panel and knots, plain
Selvages: supplementary rope weaving, uniform
(under influenece of Kurd neighbors in weaving method of kilims)


Shahseven of Mianeh
Miyaneh and Hashtrud are close to each other and Shahsevens of Mianeh and Hashtrud have migrated in the same time and are mixed together; but kilims of Miyaneh Shahseven are larger than Hashtrud’s; also designs of traditional ribbon and crenated big medallions are a purticular of its motives. Warps of kilim are usually of wool or yarn, self colored ropes could be seen on the background specifications of the region’s kilim are:

Ground design: Shahseven ribbon design, large crenated medallions
Margins: Narrow
Size and feature: Large and rectanguler
Materials: Woollen warps (sometimes yarn), weft of wool and yarn
Texture: Fine slittweaving and weft wrapping panel lines
Colors: Cherry red, orange, yellow, light blue
Fringes: Miscellaneous
Selvages: Miscellaneous, mostly with parallel weaving

Shahseven of Bijar
This group has a large activity in weaving kilim and bags; they ofter interesting innovations in combination, coloring and designing their hand-woven. Many motives featured in Shahseven kilims are a gift of other regions, so distinguishing their identity is rather hard. Specifications of Shahseven kilim are:

Ground design: Similar to kilims of Moghan
Size and feature: Mostly long and narrow
Material: Wool, Sometimes cotton warps
Texture: Slit weaving, sometimes weft-faced designs, together with weft-twining
Colors: Soft light orange, yellow, light brown, blue, pink in miscellaneous
Fringes: Various
Selvage: Usually uniform


Shahseven of Khamseh
This region is different than Khamseh tribe of Fars province. These people are living near Zanjan and their kilims are fine, using the method of strong-slit and connected.

Ground Design: Quite similar to kilims of Moghan
Size and feature: Usually long and narrow
Materials: Coarse wool, strong weaving, limited use of yarn warps
Texture: Fine slit weaving, sometimes dovetailing weaving
Colors: Dark colors such as dark brown, blue and red
Fringes: Various
Selvages: Usually uniform


Shahseven of Qazvin
In the region, though, kilim is woven in abundance and its kinds are a little different than other Shahseven works; some small groups make their design similar to kilims of Khamseh.

Ground design: Unlimitedly under influence of other tribes, some designs are similar to Moghan and Khamseh.
Size and feature: Narrow and long
Material: Woolen warps, woolen coarse wefts, limited use of yarn warps
Texture: Slit weaving, fine, dovetailing
Colors: Except for dark yellow, all colors are dark
Fringes: Various
Selvages: Normally uniform


Shahseven of Saveh
They have still reserved their tribal life and their hand-woven have reserved their special designs and special types. Yarn warps and slits connected weaving results coarseness of these hand-made as a specialty of the regions kilims.

Ground design: Under influence of other tribe
Size and Feature: Narrow and long
Materials: Yarn warps, coarse wool weft
Texture: Strong slit weaving, dovetailing
Colors: Limited and mostly dark
Fringes: Uniform twill weaving at the backside of kilim
Selvages: Reinforced by supplementary ropes


Shahseven of Varamin
Varamin is one of the most important centers of kilim weaving and has much variety in its textiles. Kilim of this region is usually rectangular with strong selvage. Its knotted fringes, usually, are woven in foursome groups.

Ground Design: Various, ribbon like and traditional designs appropriated to North West of Iran
Size and Feature: Rectangular
Material: Wool warps, sometimes yarn
Texture: Fine slit weaving, connected interlock, rows with weft faced design, tablet
Weaving: wide panel ribbons with uniform weaving
Color: Miscellaneous
Fringes: Knotted in foursome groups
Selvages: Reinforced by supplementary ropes

Silk; 106x126 cm.; 19th century

Hashtrud: 320x195 cm.

Hashtrud: 345X152 cm.

Mianeh: 137X106 cm