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Carpet |
History of
Carpet Weaving
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There is not much knowledge about the world’s first knotted carpets,
their periods and weaving places and what exists, is more guess and
assumption. In reversed
researching of development and progress path of Carpet and Kilim
weaving techniques, such a useful craft, we find out that only reason
for creation of this craft has been an answer to the need of people of
desert, who lived in tents.
In the past, European researchers, based on their relatively reliable
evidences, believed that Egyptian and Assyrian civilizations have been
the cradle of world’s carpet weaving. There is no doubt, that the
quality of first types of carpets have been similar to felt or
primitive textile products. But, since there is no sample of first
carpets, because of their poor quality, none of assumptions, theories
and deductions of historians and researchers have been able to propose
an exact period of time for the first precious human woven
piece.
There is no doubt, that even Iranians can’t claim to have produced
the first hand-made carpets, but the evidences specially finding
carpet named “Pazirik”
proves the great role of Iranians in creating this valuable art.
Iranian Carpet’s history is still a mystery. These mysteries
generally exist, also in other Iranian arts and crafts, but not as
much as in weaving history. After discoveries of archeologists,
especially Rodenko the famous Russian archeologist, who discovered a
knotted carpet among the icebergs in the first half of recent century,
the whole assumptions changed totally. Location of weaving craft
changed from Nile coasts and Dajleh and Forat Rivers to Central Asia.
In
1949, in a place called “Pazirik”
(80 km to
Mongolia border, among Altai mountains), professor Rodenko discovered
a knotted carpet in the frozen graves of people, who lived in tents in
desert, that originally was a horse-trapping. This carpet belongs to
2500 years ago and is 2*1.8 Sq. m with 3600 knots in sq. dm, which is
woven in copper-brown and light green colors. It’s margin images are
doubtlessly very similar to common shapes
in Achamenian period and Persepolis’ images. In central
ground of this carpet, there are four-winged star shapes, which are
exactly the same as ones on discovered objects in Lorestan.
There
are different opinions about the historical record of this important
carpet, which is kept in Hermitage museum in Leningrad. Professor
Rodenko believes, that this carpet has been woven in Medes or old
Parthain’s time. Like Rodenko, Dimand also believes that since
Assyrian, Achamenian and Sakai images are used in this carpet,
therefore it has originated from Iran.
“Ulrich
Sehurmann” goes further and believes that this carpet is woven in
Azerbaijan. While, ”Ian Bennett” believes, that regarding a
distance more than 3500 km from Altai Mountains to boarder lines of
present Iran, it is improbable for this carpet to be woven by Iranian
weavers.
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