PARS – Persian Carpets, Roppongi Tokyo

PARS Inc.4-12-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Next to Tokyo Midtown

About Persian Carpets ペルシャ絨毯とは

The Persian carpet. A jewel nurtured by pure water and the boundless blessing of the sun. Years of labour in the name of God, and the prayers and longings of the Persian people, tied into millions of knots.
Today, having crossed ages and borders and been refined by a harsh history, Persian carpets spread into our living spaces.
The breathtaking lustre of silk, the warm touch of wool.
Their unique designs and colours, engraved with tradition and culture, and the masterful weaving behind them will live on as a great cultural heritage of the world, handed down to the next generation.

Weaving Regions

◆Where Persian carpets are made
Persian carpets have been woven for centuries in countless towns and villages across Iran. Including the famous centres such as Isfahan, Tabriz, Kashan, Qum and Nain, there are said to be more than 2,000 weaving regions throughout the country. Just as the pottery of Japan takes on a distinct character from region to region, each Persian weaving region has inherited its own creativity in materials, design and colour. Carpets are named after their place of origin, exactly as Japanese ceramics are.

◆Qum
Mastery achieved in just one hundred years
Qum lies 120 km south of the capital Tehran, on the way to Isfahan. Together with Mashhad in the north-east it is known as one of the two great holy cities, and one notices the many clerics. Being close to the Kavir desert it becomes very hot in summer, yet unlike Japan the air is dry, so it is rather comfortable. Agriculture is the main livelihood, and carpet weaving here has a shorter history than in other towns, beginning only about a hundred years ago. Even so, the skill of its weavers rivals that of regions with several centuries of tradition, and Qum has become one of Iran’s representative weaving centres alongside Isfahan. Its silk carpets in particular enjoy worldwide acclaim.

◆Isfahan
A traditional city recalling the glory of the 16th century
Isfahan lies about 420 km south of Tehran, roughly one hour by air. In the 16th century Shah Abbas the Great moved the capital from Tabriz, which lay near the border and was vulnerable to attack, to Isfahan in the heart of Iran, and a great flowering of art and culture followed. Buildings in the Islamic style that recall that golden age still stand throughout the city, and their beauty has been shown to the world by photographers. Carpet weaving here developed highly advanced techniques long ago, producing magnificent pieces that represent Iran. Their warm colours and refined technique reveal the exceptional taste of Isfahan’s artisans.

◆Kashan
Carpet weaving in every home, a part of daily life
Situated on the western edge of the Kavir desert, Kashan is extremely hot in summer. Houses are therefore built downward into the earth, descending level by level like a labyrinth.
In this region carpets have long been woven in almost every household. Bold, contrasting primary colours such as red and navy are a hallmark.
It is one of the regions most loved by the Iranian people, who have grown up alongside carpets.

◆Nain
Distinctive colours and patterns that capture the heart
Nain is a town with little greenery in the desert, 150 km east of Isfahan.
Formerly known for weaving cloth for traditional Iranian dress, it began weaving carpets in earnest about 120 years ago. Its designs resemble those of nearby Isfahan, but its calm palette based on beige is unmistakable. Anyone who has seen one before will recognise a Nain carpet at once.

◆Tabriz
Renowned for careful, restrained patterns
A thriving centre of farming and herding, Tabriz prospered in antiquity as a hub of east–west trade.
Close to the Turkish border, its carpets show the influence of Turkish culture. Its weavers excel at rendering realistic detail such as portraits and miniatures. Deep, subdued colours are common, and the Riz-Mahi design is especially well known. The wool used for its carpets comes from Maku, in the north of the region.

Parts of a Carpet

 

① Risheh = fringe
The warp threads. In Persian, risheh also means “root”.

② Shirazeh = edge (selvedge)
The outermost edge of the carpet.

③ Labeh
The plain, single-coloured outer band without pattern.

④ Hashieh Kochak
The small border; an accent that sets off the main border.

⑤ Hashieh = main border

⑥ Zamineh = field
The main body of the carpet; the colour and design of a carpet refer to this part.

⑦ Toranj = medallion
The design at the centre of the carpet.

⑧ Sar Toranji = medallion head, also called Ghandil
A design that accentuates the medallion; the word means a kind of chandelier.

Designs and Motifs

Islamic ornament is said to be characterised by stylised beauty and repetition, and Persian carpets are no exception. Yet one must not forget the influence of exchange between peoples over a long history.
The ancient civilisations of the Orient reached the Iranian plateau, and by absorbing Greek and Byzantine art the Islamic art of medieval Persia reached its zenith; the stylised beauty of the Persian carpet rests on this foundation. The migrations of the peoples of Central Asia and the exchange between nomads and settled peoples are equally important elements.

 

1. Lachak Toranj
A beautifully balanced design built around a medallion, with a quarter of the medallion design placed in each of the four corners.

2. Shah Abbas
A beautiful floral pattern named after Shah Abbas the Great of the 16th-century Safavid dynasty.

3. Afshan
An all-over floral pattern with no medallion in the field.

4. Derakhti
A free, joyful pattern depicting trees, flowers, birds, animals and plants.

5. Mehrab
A pattern based on the prayer niche of a mosque, which faces towards Mecca.

6. Hunting
A lively design depicting the hunts once enjoyed by kings and nobles, with lions, goats, wolves, hares and other animals.

7. Pictorial (Miniature)
A design that weaves in miniature paintings depicting ancient Persian poems, stories and figures.

8. Joshaghan
A geometric design combining many lozenges, handed down since ancient times in the Joshaghan region.

9. Eslimi
Beautiful curling arabesque lines drawn in the field of Shah Abbas and similar designs; a dragon with gaping jaws is sometimes placed at the tip.

10. Kheshti
A design of mosaic tiles arranged in a regular grid, each bearing a different motif such as the trees and animals painted on mosque walls.

 

11. Goldani
A vase pattern filled with many kinds of flowers, often combined with the Mehrab design.

12. Katibeh
Originally a quatrain, ancient Persian script or motif carved on stone, leather, wood or tile and framed with a line.

13. Mina Khani
A famous pattern devised by a designer named Mina Khani of Tabriz; woven in large numbers in Varamin.

14. Ghabi
A pattern of many partitioned frames, each containing a flower garden or paradise.

15. Yasi
A design based on the jasmine tree.

16. Mahi (Persian for “fish”)
So called because the four leaves surrounding the lozenge resemble fish. Used in Tabriz, Saruk, Senneh, Bijar, Malayer, Khorasan and elsewhere. Also known as Herati, after the town where the design originated.

17. Boteh
Known as paisley, this motif is said by some to represent the flame of Zoroastrianism, which originated in Persia. It may also take the form of a pine cone, an almond or a pear. Its forms are many: the small Boteh Mir, the medium-sized Boteh Termeh, the layered Boteh Jegheh and so on.

18. Kharchangi (Persian for “crab”)
So called because the flower resembles a crab. Common in old designs from Tabriz and Bijar.

19. Bid-e Majnun
The design takes its name from the wavering hearts of the youth Majnun and the maiden Leyli, likened to a supple willow tree.

20. Zir Khaki
Persian for “beneath the earth”; a design based on ancient jars and glassware excavated from the ground.

Sizes

Persian carpets have their own names for sizes, and each name tells you how large the carpet is.

Occasionally carpets are also made in unusual shapes such as circles, ovals and squares.

Entirely Hand-Woven – The Persian spirit: how a Persian carpet is made

When the gentle spring rains wet the Iranian plateau, the shepherds busy themselves preparing to shear the rain-washed wool.
From the shorn fleece the village women spin yarn, and the men dye it in vivid colours.
In the town workshops, designers rack their brains over the composition of patterns. The weavers sit before looms strung tight with warp threads and set about tying millions, tens of millions of knots.
Through their sure and nimble fingers, flowers of every colour, fresh green trees and galloping animals come to life. The long, monotonous labour becomes at last a single dazzling carpet, carried to distant lands to catch the eye and delight the heart. The palmette flowers and arabesque vines that live within it shine all the more when trodden underfoot, and its trees and small birds grow more vivid with the passing years.

Carefully Selected Materials

The pleasant touch and lustre of a Persian carpet come from the quality of its materials. Silk, which gives the most luxurious finish, is produced in villages along the Caspian coast of northern Iran, where the climate suits sericulture. Wool is spun from fine fleece with just the right amount of natural oil. The cotton used for the warp and weft that form the foundation of the carpet is grown in oases all over Iran.