Types of designs and patterns in Iranian handwoven carpets

Types of designs and patterns in Iranian handwoven carpets

Classification of designs and maps of Iranian carpets based on the general form and elements that make up the design (role) by authors and carpet researchers are different from each other. "Cecil Edwards" has divided carpet designs into 9 categories in his book Qali Iran, which include: Herati, Bete, Kharkhani, Gol Hnaei, Lakh and Taranji, Minakhani, Shah Abbasi, Majnoon Willow, Joshghani. But there is another classification that is more than two decades old, and it can be said that today it is the focus and use of most carpet designers and manufacturers, and it is also introduced in schools and universities as the main classification of Iranian carpet designs. Based on this classification, Iranian carpet designs are classified into nineteen main groups and each is divided into several smaller branches. In this article, this division is the basis of our work, which consists of:

Designs of ancient works and Islamic buildings

All designs inspired by tiling, plastering of porches and decorative forms of buildings in the prominent works of Iranian architecture from the Achaemenid period to the Safavid period have a place in this group. Of course, the carpet designers have made changes in some of the original patterns of these buildings by using combinations of Khatai and Slimi flowers, but the main structure of the carpet design is completely the same as the original design of the building. The most famous designs of this group are: Dome of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Takht Jamshid, Sheikh Safi Mausoleum, Grand Mosque of Isfahan, etc.

Arabesque designs

The main format of this design is based on the regular circulation of slime bands, which is sometimes accompanied by all kinds of leaves, flowers and bugs. This design is available in different types of slime, lachk and tranj (this map has a concentric trang with three trang and lach in the square of the carpet and its text is full of slime, types of flowers and khatai), torpedo mouth slime (one of the characteristics of this map is large slimes which are in front of each other two by two and include the wrong flowers), Slimi Bandi or Mari (circular bands with long snake-shaped turns are the characteristics of this design), Slimi Afshan and....

Spraying plans

The word "Afshan" means scattered. In this design, the background of the carpet is filled with flowers, branches and leaves of trees, so that a flowery garden is evoked in the viewer's mind. All the sections and pictures of the carpet in this design are completely interconnected and connected. Afshan's designs are basically designed in such a way that none of the flowers and leaves are parallel and there are no principles of parallelism in it. Most of these designs do not have bergamot, and in the samples with elastic, the dimensions of the elastic are smaller than usual. Shah Abbasi, Khatai, Minakhani flowers, simple or compound scattered flowers, along with animal motifs, ornamental bands, slimis, etc., are the main elements of Afshan designs, which are sometimes symmetrically and sometimes asymmetrically woven. "Efshan designs" include: Efshan Khataei, Efshan bouquet, Efshan with animals, Efshan Bandi, Efshan Slimi, Efshan Qashqai and....

Adaptation plans

The design of such carpet maps is very similar to the carpets of neighboring areas. Of course, most of these motifs have Iranian roots, but sometimes motifs from other countries are also used, and that is why they are called "adapted". The most famous of these maps are: Caucasian, Tapestry, Afghan and Anatolian.

Ely and nomadic designs

One of the main features of these designs that nomads weave is the geometric nature of the images. The basis of Illyrian designs and maps are natural elements such as flowers and plants, animals, even human figures, etc., which are woven mentally. In these designs, being similar does not mean much, and even this characteristic and simplicity of the motifs is one of the main factors of the beauty of the designs of this group. This patterning style is one of the oldest "mental" design methods in Iranian textiles. Nomadic Qashqai, Shahson, Baloch, Lori, etc. carpet designs are included in this group. The vase as a decorative element (an element that is of special importance in the transfer of motifs from the city to the village in the hands of the weavers) is abundantly seen in the Illyrian paintings. The great use of this role in the designs of Qashqai's "Nazem" and "Zal al-Sultan" of Abadeh Fars and the use of various designs of this form in Bakhtiari pottery show the importance of this role. The unique feature of these vases in the weaves of these areas is its abstraction and design, which is different from other urban shapes and designs.

Bete designs

All the designs of this group are based on the use of batte, and in this type of design, the text and the border of the carpet are decorated with different types of batte. Bete design is used in many regions of Iran, and one of them is the original carpets of Kurdistan. Idol designs have different types in terms of shape and sub-lines used in it. Some of these designs are: "Bete Jagah, Bete Shahi, local Fars Bete, Bete Miri, Bete Mahi, etc." The role of bete can be seen in the weavings of Qom, Khorasan, Kerman, Arak, Kurdistan, Qashqai and Bakhtiari tribes. In the meantime, the local idols of Fars have a special place due to their diversity. One of these types is "Galdan Bute". This pattern is similar to a bud on which the shape of a bush with different colors is placed instead of a petal.

Turkmen designs

Turkmen's designs are in the group of subjective geometric motifs, which are often repeated in inscriptions or rhombus and polygonal frames in the text of the carpet. The types of Turkmen designs are: yamuti or kashki (the use of an inlaid design on wooden spoons made by Turkmen men), gazelle (deer eye), khurjini and four frames (this design is in the form of rhombus frames that are decorated with geometric patterns inside) is), Akhal or Bukharai.

Combined plans

The basis of the design of integrated plans is based on the combination and fusion of two or more main plans. Creating a different and new design with various images that does not follow a specific pattern and rule is one of the characteristics of this type of design. Sometimes the designs of bateh jakeh and khatai, frames and inscriptions, vases and different flowers are collected in one carpet and form an original design. This design is executed in the form of mixed patterns of lach and bergamot, combined slime band vase, combined bergamot with flower bouquet, combined bergamot and bergamot and vegetable, combined bergamot with simple floor, etc.

Tree designs

In the designs of this group, all kinds of trees and shrubs together or individually form the main composition. Sometimes they are combined with other elements such as animals, birds or vases. The most famous designs of this group are: a vegetable tree, a tree with animals, and a vase is also one of the secondary elements of tree designs. The trees of these designs sometimes grow from inside a big vase and their branches are spread all over the field. Combinations of trees and vases are sometimes used together with birds in carpet design.

Hunting plans

In the design of the hunting ground, the scene of hunting animals is depicted by hunters or predatory animals. Sometimes the hunting scene of the kings who are hunting on horseback with weapons such as swords, bows and spears forms the main subject of the carpet.

Shah Abbasi designs

The basis of all Shah Abbas designs is based on the use of the Shah Abbas flower in this design, which has been popular since the Safavid period and the time of Shah Abbas. In these designs, Shah Abbasi flowers, along with Khatai bands and sometimes combining them with Slimi, provide different types of carpet motifs. The types of designs in this group are: Shah Abbasi Afshan Lakh and Tanraj, Tree Shah Abbasi, Sheikh Safi Shah Abbasi, Animal Shah Abbasi and so on.

frame designs (brick)

In these designs, the text of the carpet is divided into different frames or parts, which are regularly placed next to each other, and the inside of each frame is decorated with different flowers and leaves and other elements such as all kinds of animals, birds, animals, etc. The most famous frame designs are: Bakhtiar frame and Quranic frame. Although this design is woven today in Qom, Tabriz, etc., it is actually one of the original designs of Bakhtiari.

Vase designs

In this design, the main role is the vases in different sizes that have many large or small flowers. Sometimes the pile of flowers that covers the entire carpet comes from a vase, and sometimes a few small vases are seen, which are lined up one after the other and spread their flowers all over the carpet. The initiative of the "Goldan" project dates back to the time of Shah Abbas. There are different types of vase map, which include: Khatai vase, Zal Sultan (flower and nightingale), Haj Khanmi (Joshqan), Saraseri (repetition), Hazar Gol (nazem), mihrabi, two-sided, Lechk and Taranj, one-sided and Slimi band. . These designs are woven in most regions of Iran such as Kashan, Kerman, Tabriz, Kurdistan, Fars, etc. with great variety.

Golfarang designs

The Golfarang design is based on natural flowers, especially roses, and because it has no resemblance to the traditional flowers of Iranian carpets such as Shah Abbasi and all kinds of Khatai flowers, it has become known as Golfarang. The types of Flower Farang designs are: Flower Farang Bijar, Flower Farang Flower Bunch, Flower Farang Flower and Nightingale, Lach and Taranj Flower Farang, Afshan Flower Farang and so on. The red flowers of the gerbera are sometimes repeated in bouquets with regular five- to eight-petalled petals, sometimes placed inside the vase. Vases have been seen more often in the forms of Gulfarang Lakh and Taranj.

Darham Fish Designs (Herati)

"Herati map" or "Derham fish map" consists of two fish images with a flower in the middle. In some western centers of Iran, the middle flower is in the middle of a rhombus and four fish or four curved leaves are woven on the outer side of the four sides of the rhombus. This design is often repeated in the form of rugs in the length and width of the carpet. Dirham fish design is known by different names in different parts of Iran. Its most important types are: Herati fish, Kurdistan fish, small fish and bee fish.

Altar designs

The main design in this group is based on the altar. The same place as in mosques is the place where the imam of the congregation prays. In these designs, the mihrab is usually covered with decorations such as lanterns, vases, and even small shrubs, and sometimes the two sides of the mihrab are shown with large columns on which the mihrab's roof is located. The types of designs of this group are: candlestick altar, vase altar and tree altar. In the Safavid period, the vase altar was used a lot in the tiling of historical buildings, especially mosques, so it can be considered as one of the designs that made its way from architecture to the carpet. has preserved

Mahram plans

In this design, longitudinal strips cover the entire text of the carpet. The inside of these strips is decorated with pictures such as Bete Jakeh, types of Slimi, Khatai, and other flowers and leaves. In other words, the text is a striped carpet. Some carpets are named based on the patterns that are repeated in these strips. Mahramat Bete Jaghaei is the most famous design of this group. In some regions of Iran, rugs with the Mahramat design are called Qalmadani.

Contagious plans (clause)

Repetition of a role in the text of the carpet, which are separated or separated from each other by clauses. Bands that create a frame or polygon may appear in rhombus, polygon or square shapes. The main designs of this group are: Bandi Slimi, Bandi Khakhti, Bandi Taranjadar, Bandi Shir and Shukri, Bandi Fakho Gozni, Bandi Minakhani, Bandi flower bouquet, etc. In the clay map, which is one of the most famous layout motifs, the text of the carpet is filled with square or brick shapes, which are decorated with pictures such as flower pots, trees, flower branches or birds and animals.

Geometric designs

Patterning in such designs is the repetition of a set of geometric patterns that are created using angled lines. The most important geometric designs are: plain floor geometry, Joshghan geometry, Khatam Shiraz geometry, Lakh and Taranj geometry, Qabi geometry.

Final word

In this article, we introduced nineteen different designs that are used in the weaving of Iranian carpets. Each of these general categories also includes different types and subcategories. Therefore, we can confidently say that Iranian handwoven carpets have a unique variety of designs and colors and can be purchased and used according to any taste and application.

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