|
Kashmar conjures the glorious history
of Persia and of the province of Khorassan, with depictions
of the ruins of Persepolis, pillars of wisdom, dramatic landscapes,
lakes, swans and ancient vases.
The Kashmar Persian
rug
is a very rare rug which is not made as much these
days. Handmade by master craftsmen and women living in
the province of Khorassan, which is in Northeastern Iran,
these rugs are very unique. The actual city of Kashmar
is a very old city, and responsible for producing exquisite
carpets for centuries. The Kashmars are easily distinguishable
because of their large size, and their unique patterns.
The patterns are usually pictorials that tell the story
of a significant occurrence or entity in Persian history.
These could be the pictures of an ancient and respected
Persian king, or just an attempt to show the Persian love
for beauty at its greatest, nature. The Kashmars are extremely
durable and will last a very long time increasing with
elegance as with age.
History of Kashmar Rugs
"The Persian province of Khorassan is the biggest province
in Iran. It stretches along the northeast of the nation. Many
beautiful rugs come from this area of Iran. The capital city
is Mashad, which is also where most of these rugs are marketed
everyday. Some other rug producing centers in this region
are Kashmar (Turshis), Mood, Sabzevar, Ghain, and Birjand,
most of which are situated very close to Mashad. Many Baluch
type rugs are also woven in this province by Baluchi nomads
who inhabit the areas more to the south. In 1722 there was
an Afghani Invasion into Iran. This left the country in a
state of political confusion for many years, and the rug industry
in a state of disorientation, especially in well established
areas such as Mashad. However, despite the mass invasion,
Khorassan along with many other regions were able to get back
on their feet and so the rug industry started up again as
the royal courts of Iran did everything in their power to
bring this great art back home. Many times, Kings of Iran
such as Shah Abass would seize and destroy low quality carpets
and those with inferior coloring techniques to make sure the
integrity of this ancient Persian art wasn't lost. "
Construction of Kashmar Rugs
"There are many grades of handmade
rugs produced in this vast Persian province of Khorassan,
ranging from medium to fine. All however are very sturdy
and indestructible. The carpets
woven inside of the cities, such as Kashmar, Mashad, Mood,
Sabzevar, and Birjand are usually better quality than
those woven by the nomads in the area. Although it was
originally the nomads who wove these rugs for their own
use, the cities adapted the talent and perfected it into
an art. Almost every color can be seen in various rugs
of this type. Almost all of these rugs have a pile of
all wool, and a foundation (warp and weft) of cotton.
In extremely rare cases, silk may be seen in these rugs
as part of the pile, foundation, or the entire carpet
might be made of silk. That is very unlikely unless you
are dealing with much older pieces from a couple of centuries
ago. The wool however, is very lustrous and soft and is
exclusive to the people of Khorassan. This fine wool,
along with beautiful designs and genius craftsmanship,
combine to produce these exquisite carpets."
Click
here to shop for Kashmar Rugs
|
|
|
