«Geometric» pattern in handwoven carpet

Geometry and geometric motifs in Iranian carpets

A carpet made of wool, cotton or silk and thread has been produced in Iran for a long time in different designs and sizes, and it has been used for underlay and heat insulation as well as decoration on the floor of houses. Carpet is one of the most important handicraft products of Iran, and its production is considered one of the most profitable and valuable economic activities for many institutions, people and businesses related to it. The production of a suitable carpet product in accordance with the production standards requires many preparations, each of which is a requirement of the other, and all production stages are sequentially connected and related. including providing a suitable map and workshop, tools and supplies, high-quality raw materials and experienced designers, dyers, weavers, and restoration professors that the collection of these efforts lead to the production of high-quality goods without defects and suitable for presentation in the country or supply in the markets It will be international. Iranian carpets are woven in various designs and colors. A group of these designs includes patterns that have a geometric structure and are created using straight and broken lines. In this article, we are going to introduce this category of motifs and its types in Iranian carpets.

The position of geometry in Iranian carpets

It should be said about the place of geometry in Iranian carpets, the carpet itself is full of geometry. Both in its physical structure and in the general structure and framework of the design and role, the carpet has benefited from geometry. Regardless of the classification of common carpet designs in Iran and what kind of design a carpet has, observing the principles of geometry and proportions in carpet design is one of the most essential factors that should be considered from the beginning of the carpet production process and its plan design. Geometric knot designs, each of which inherently has its own geometry and drawing method, can be considered as a suitable model for carpet design. But this has limitations. Including the fact that the specific geometric proportions of each knot - which also have significant diversity - are different from the general proportions in dimensions and common standards in carpet design. In the following, we will examine the types of geometric motifs used in Iranian carpets.

The background of using geometric motifs in carpets

The history of using geometry and surface division methods in carpet design is as old as the manufacture and production of carpets in ancient times. It can be said that the geometric style is the oldest way of designing carpet motifs. The proof of this claim is the design of the oldest carpet found in the world. Pazyrik (belonging to the Achaemenid period) as the first example of a geometric carpet, with a completely advanced design, geometric proportions, as well as balance and harmony in the rhythm and direction of movement, repetition, creating correlation between positive and negative spaces in all levels and finally the overall unity between Elements are used. The use of mosaic method in the pattern of this carpet has been done following the method of dividing the levels in the design of Iranian geometric carpets. The use of this method has also been observed in several examples of garden carpets that exist in major museums of the world today, which somehow evokes the ancient thought of dividing space into four parts, which is reflected in the design and construction of Iranian campuses or gardens and later in carpets. It looks like a garden. Later, this style of design was implemented abundantly in clay and mosaic carpets, keeping the proportions. In other words, it can be said that the adobe or frame design, especially its Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari type, is a direct summary of the Golestan design. Examining the carpets under the feet of the characters, in the paintings in the surviving Shahnamehs from the Ilkhanid, Timurid, and Seljuk periods, shows that the general form of these carpets is completely geometric. The use of geometric motifs in the form of Kufic lines were used in the borders and frames with geometric shapes in the text. So that examples of these designs can be seen in the pavements and tiles worked on the floors and walls of the buildings depicted in these paintings. Carpet texture with geometric motifs has continued in Iran since the distant past.

Geometric patterns in today's carpets

Even today, the weaving of carpets exclusively with geometric designs is still common in many regions of Iran. However, the way of using geometric motifs in the weaves of different regions of Iran is different according to the originality of the design and texture of each region, which has made it possible to see a significant variety of different compositions in the geometric carpets of Iran. For the reason that we can have a better order and coherence in introducing Iranian handwoven carpets with geometric patterns, we have divided these carpets into two groups: rural and nomadic carpets and urban carpets. In the following, we introduce examples of each of these two groups.

Geometric motifs in the design and role of indigenous rural and nomadic carpets of Iran.

The study and analysis of the designs of local rural and nomadic Iranian carpets shows that the weaving of these types of carpets is older than urban carpet weaving in Iran, but it is not limited to a specific period. The lines used in these carpets are mostly geometric and abstract. Also, the observance of order in the composition of the overall design and especially the motifs and interlacings in this type of traditional carpets has been done in a special way with separate patterns. A rural nomadic weaver has a design in mind at the beginning of the weaving and starts weaving, and in the middle of the work, he may improvise. The length of the carpet in this type of hand-woven carpets is not in accordance with the defined standards for urban carpets and most of them are crooked. The transitions in the text or margins, which were initially associated with order and cornering, end up irregularly at the end of the work. However, all these features are not considered a defect for this type of carpets, and it is considered a style in design and texture, which is called the native and local style of Iran.

All kinds of geometric designs of local and rural rugs

The most important common geometric designs are:

Joshghan Isfahan design

The geometrical design of Esfahanke welds is generally of the Lechak Trang type, and it uses more geometrical principles in the framework of the overall composition of the design. The order used in the geometric pattern of the text is well observed and the binding of the margins is often observed correctly. Therefore, the order used in these carpets brings them closer to urban carpets.

Herati plan

Herati geometric carpets (Mahi dirham) are woven in most areas of Iran, especially Khorasan, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Farahan and Hamadan and Sanandaj villages. Also, Arak is woven from Mina Khani's design in Meshkabad, which in the past was the center of production in Bijar, Mahabad, Tabriz, Haris, and Hamedan.

Clay geometric designs and mahramat

Frame and adobe designs are very popular in most regions of Iran, especially Isfahan, Chaharmahal, Bakhtiari and Tabriz. The texture of mahramat design in Qashqai carpets and Fars region, Kurdistan, Isfahan and Farahan is customary, and the same geometrical principles of border binding are also used in the text, in such a way that it fits the space of the text and the divisions inside it and by applying different methods of repetition. Patterns - mixed and mirrored - the design is organized.

Altar and geometric designs

Mehrabi carpet with Nazem pattern of Kashkuli weaves and Turkmen geometric designs that follow geometric rules in design and motifs. Among other examples of common designs, geometric fringed designs that are created by repeating motifs are very visible in Qashqai, Shiraz, Shahrbabak, Keliai, Ardabil, Sarab and Meshkinshahr carpets. Geometric bergamot lace designs in which bergamot covers the surface of the carpet are also seen in Haris, Tafarsh, Qom, Afshar and Khorasan carpets. In addition to the mentioned compositions, there are many other carpets that have geometric compositions specific to their region. Sometimes, the text of these carpets is formed by placing an element or motif next to each other, such as a special flower or batte. These types of designs are mostly woven in Malair, Saraband and Baluch regions. In addition, it is noted that carpets with geometric tree designs have been seen in the carpets and carpets of Niriz and Fars regions and the carpets of Zanjan and Kurdistan.

The geometric structure of traditional motifs in rural and nomadic carpets

The study of the motifs used in the Illyrian and local carpets of Iran shows that in the old weaving regions of Iran, such as Sistan and Baluchistan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces, Fars, Turkmen and other rural and nomadic regions where the weaving mentality is more prevalent, the weavers of the motifs from the existing samples Taken from nature and imagined in simple geometric and abstract forms in his mind and reflected with his hands on the taropod of the carpet. Therefore, the drawing lines in the design and patterns of these types of carpets are generally broken and the carpets are naturally woven with a lower index. Studying the general structure of the design shows that simple geometric shapes such as triangles, rhombuses, trapezoids, squares, octagons, sixteen corners (in the tangerine design) are responsible for creating correlation and order in the design and role. For example, the crab pattern, which can be seen in different ways in the carpets of Hamadan, Azarbaijan, Haris, Tabriz and sometimes Arak villages, is apparently a sterilized pattern of the Shah Abbasi flower, which was derived from it and the weavers made the flower in a broken form. Some also believe that this is an abstract pattern of the crab animal that first found its way from the Caucasus to other western and northwestern regions of Iran and is woven in the form of straight and geometric lines in Turkmen carpets and Ilat Qashqai. Other geometrical cone motifs such as pine or holy fire are common in Hamedan and Sanandaj and Majnoon willow motifs in Bijar and villages of Hamedan, Malair and Arak, and garden, tree and flower geometric motifs were also common in ancient times. The entwined fish composition is also a geometric design that is generally multi-textured, and the main design in them is formed by overlapping geometric fringes. Motifs and decorative motifs in this type of rugs are made up of rhombus-like motifs that are surrounded by leaves or fishes, and in some areas, diamond-like flowers that surround each flower with four leaves.

Investigating geometry in the design and role of urban carpets in Iran

Growth in the carpet production industry brought progress in design and texture, which means that the possibility of weaving more complex designs was also provided, and thus geometric motifs were used in a more advanced way in carpet design; Therefore, the remarkable growth and progress in carpet design techniques led to the emergence of urban carpet design style. One of the important features of urban carpets is the use of curved and rotating lines in the design, and unlike the traditional and indigenous separate patterns, they have a connected pattern. These types of carpets are generally produced with large fabric or with high numbers so that it is possible to weave any type of design and pattern with all its subtleties and details in any dimensions that are suitable for that design. Also, the order used in these types of carpets shows the general rule of geometric principles and the framework defined for this style of carpet design.

The history of the production of urban carpets

The history of producing urban carpets is rooted in the design and manufacture of exquisite court carpets during the Safavid era. Therefore, before examining the urban carpets of Iran, the geometry of the classical carpets of the Safavid period - as the background of the production of exquisite court carpets with advanced revolving designs in Iran - should be briefly discussed. In this period, carpet design was done by master designers and artists with the support of the court, which led to the creation of the classical style of carpet design in Iran. Significant progress in both design and motifs - especially in designs with rotating lines - is considered one of the achievements of this period. Later, skilled and experienced designers and producers continued and strengthened this traditional way of designing and adding newer styles of design, especially in the texture of pictorial carpets in the Qajar period, while establishing the principles of design and also mechanizing the production process, they completed this art and reached the climax. they brought

Investigation of geometry in contemporary period rugs

With the growth and technological progress, today the art of carpet design is also recognized as one of the technical branches of art and industry. Therefore, in the matter of design, especially in urban carpets, it is necessary to maintain the quality of the combination of designs and motifs. In this regard, principles and standards were defined in accordance with the principles of geometric proportions for traditional carpet design. From these principles in the proportions of the dimensions and space creation of different parts in different designs, including defining the borders and limits of the margins, text, transoms, lakh, tang, head of tang, altar, pillars, and other parts and spaces of the carpet according to the type of design and the location of the elements. And carpet motifs are used.

Different compositions in geometric carpet designs of Iran in the modern period

Geometric motifs have been used in the composition of carpets in the past 40 years in various ways, which has led to the emergence of modern styles and unique designs, especially in recent decades. These templates are generally woven with a index of 50 or 55 and therefore the ability to implement any design and role with all its subtleties and complexities is available. However, in the design of carpets with new styles, it is tried to take into account the originality of the design of the region. In this section, examples in the form of five general groups will be examined separately:

Sartasari contagious plans

In this type of design, pure geometric motifs and knots are responsible for organizing the whole design. It means that the repeated designs throughout the space of the carpet text with lines and motifs and knot devices are divided into the same frames, and these types of carpets are included in the group of frame designs or waghirs. And it has Seljuk. Therefore, in a way, it is a repetition of the same designs but in a more advanced way. In another case of using geometric knot patterns all over, one of the known geometric knot designs covers the entire carpet text field with all or part of its geometric devices. In this group of designs, the most attention has been paid to the principles of traditional design and preserving the originality of Iranian-Islamic geometric knots and motifs, because the proportions inside the text have been well respected in them.

Toranj designs

In another way of drawing geometrical designs of Islamic works and buildings, the carpet rug is drawn with a geometrical pattern inspired by the design under the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan. In fact, a perspective of that design is reflected on the carpet in the form of tangerine bandi designs - known as sub-domed designs. The proportional pattern used in this type of designs is derived from the divine ratio in nature and the universe, from the growth of leaves on the stems of sunflowers to the path of movement of celestial objects It has been repeated. In the composition of this type of patterns, the rug is relatively large, and for this reason, the length is a little less compared to the width of the rug, and the width is wider to the point where the piece of rug tends to be square, so that there is enough space for it to spread Guy Taranj to exist

Pictorial designs

A group of carpets that are woven in the category of pictorial carpets and are woven in a curtain size of 70 or 80 and above for installation on the wall, are taken and imitated from the design of miniatures or paintings, photos and other pre-drawn images. The use of geometric knot designs is very visible in these works. In the margin or text of some of these miniatures and gilding, or in the realism of woven images of mosques and holy places, geometric knot designs are used. The weaving technique with artistic knots and high index and the delicacy of the fibers used in these handlooms provide the ability to execute patterns with the smallest subtleties and details in small dimensions. Although the production of panel works is not unique to geography and a specific region, but in Qom, Tabriz and Isfahan, as the main centers of production in the country, where the experience of weaving is more than in other places, more of these types of designs are produced. In addition to the implementation of geometric motifs in different parts of the image, it has been used in the arrangement of the main elements and the perspective and general perspective of the geometry design.

Quranic frame designs

These types of designs are often drawn in the form of trang (a quarter) and with geometric motifs, which were previously designed for the cover of sacred and exquisite books. Islamic geometric motifs and knots have been used a lot to emphasize and add to the importance of the holiness of these works. The general principles of the composition of these types of designs have been the division of spaces with separating drawing lines to create inscriptions at the top and bottom of the design, as well as bergamot to create centrality in the design and overall unity in the framework of the entire work. Later, these types of designs were used as carpet maps.

Integrated and creative designs

Today, many innovative designs have been created in which geometric motifs have been used in the composition of the design without considering the structures and principles governing the traditional design, in free and creative ways in combination with other elements and components of the design. Therefore, in these designs, different geometric combinations are used with the aim of innovation and creating new integrated designs. New designs are designed in harmony with the tastes of today's customers and modern architecture, which are often contrary to the structures and patterns created from the heart of traditional design principles; While the use of geometric patterns and designs in the design of the former carpet was done by keeping its Iranian-Islamic authenticity in addition to paying attention to the decorative aspect.

Final word

As we have seen, geometric motifs form an important category of motifs in Iranian carpets. The variety of patterns in geometric carpets is large and each region of Iran weaves these motifs according to its culture, customs, beliefs and tastes. Iranian carpet is a decorative and practical work that can beautify your home decoration depending on any taste.

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