Bijar is a town of around thirty thousand inhabitants in the North Western province of Kurdestan. It lies in a fertile valley surrounded by arid mountains. There are no monuments of note: the town is primarily a market center for surrounding villages. Its recent history has been dramatic: it was occupied by Russians then Turks in World War I- and this was followed by a serious famine which drastically reduced the population. These events were reflected in the town's rug production. Before World War I, the carpets were coarsely, though firmly, knotted with woolen warps and wefts. Subsequently they become finer, with a cotton foundation. A peculiar weaving technique involving driving in an additional thick weft makes Bijar carpets extremely solid and hardwearing. The Designs are somewhat standardized: a Herati (Mahi) design with medallions, one inside the next, of red, blue and white. Sometimes an all-over Mahi design is seen. More originality was seen in old Bijar rugs, in those produced in the village of Shahndej and in the so-called 'Halvai' Bijar rugs. Other weaving centers which come within the general category of Bijar are Bidgeneh and Garus. ARAK (Sultanabad) Arak, formerly known as Sultanabad, is the capital city of the province of Markad, in the center Iran. The quality of Arak carpets is excellent, and they are usually mid size. The dominant colors are dark red, blue, soft green and ivory. The wool is soft and thin. Warps are mostly cotton, wefts, either cotton or wool, and the wool of the rug is hand spun usually from the weaver's own sheep> The knot is the Persian knot, and the average number of knots is around 120 knots per square inch ARDEBIL Ardebil and Meshkin (or Meshkinshahr) are in the province of eastern Azerbajian east of Tabriz. Of the two towns, Ardebil is the larger and more important; it was the native town of the Safavaids, who became kings of Iran in the 16th century and the Safavid complex of mosque and mausoleum lies at the center of the town. The pair of carpets known as the 'Ardebil Carpets' now divided between London and California, dated 1542, was originally in the mosque. The rugs produced today in Ardebil and Meshkin are strongly influenced by those produced in other parts of Azerbaijan: by the village carpets with their geometrical all-over designs, and by the carpets of Tabriz, particularly the simpler designs with medallions on Herati grounds. Wool or cotton is used for the warps and wefts. The pile is generally wool, even though there is a size production in mixed silk/wool pile. All sizes between Pushti and 8 sqm carpets are produced. The rugs always have geometrical designs, but often have quite delicate patterning. A wide palette of strong colors is generally found. Other weaving centers which come within the general category of Arbedil are Meshkin. HERIZ Heriz is a small town east of Tabriz in the province of east Azerbaijan (NW Iran). The area is Turkish-speaking, and the villages with their mud walls and flat roofs on which hay is stacked resemble Turkish villages. Agriculturally the area is poor, though the altitude makes sheep rearing profitable. The best Iranian wool is produced from mountain sheep. Heriz rugs have been exported since the nineteenth century and many fine old ones are seen on the floors of old houses. Warps and wefts are cotton, with a woolen pile, and through the weave is coarse, the carpets are solid and hardwearing. Predominantly larger sizes are made. The Designs are always geometrical, with large blocks of color and heavy outlining. The principle colors used are browns and reds. The commonest design is a version of the Tabriz medallion design, with all the curves reduced to straight lines. A more curvilinear type of Heriz carpet is made in the town of Ahar to the north. Other villages in the area important for carpet production are Sarab, to the southwest, which produces runners in a geometric design, and Kakadja, whose rugs are generally single wafted, use more, colors and have more intricate designs than Heriz. KASHAN Kashan is a city of some 300,000 people in the province of Isfahan in central Iran. It is relatively low-lying and becomes very hot in summer; building houses downwards into the ground have traditionally alleviated this. Perhaps this also discourages the scorpions for which the city is notorious. Its inhabitants are famous for their industry: the Ardebil carpet in the Victoria and Albert Museum, dating from 1542, is signed Maqsud of Kashan, and the town also produces fine silks and velvets. There are few old buildings in the city: two Seljuk Minarets and a Mosque of 1463. A wife of Harun-al-Rashid traditionally founded the city. Kashan produces carpets in both wool and silk. The former have cotton warps and blue cotton wefts. Several qualities are produced, but most Kashan carpets are quite finely knotted. All-over and medallion designs are produced; the shape of the Kashan medallion is distinctive; it is formed of alternating curved lines and right angles. The commonest scheme is a red field with a blue medallion, with subsidiary details in other colors. The borders of Kashan carpets are also distinctive. The main border is generally flanked by guard-stripes with geometrical designs, normally tiny blue and red triangles. Kashan carpets are made in all sizes. The town of Natanez, to the southeast, gives its name to pictorial rugs similar in weave to those of Kashan. MALAYER Malayer is a town of perhaps 50'000 inhabitants lying southeast of Hamadan on the road to Arak. Its position in relation to these towns is significant, for its carpets have characteristics of both Saruk and Hamadan. Several villages in the area also produce rugs. Most Malayer rugs are single wafted; resulting in the white cotton warps being visible on the reverse. Unlike Hamadan rugs, which tend to be geometrical in design with large blocks of color, Malayer rugs are more delicate, often with central medallions. The borders are particularly attractively drawn, often with a cluster of white motifs following the line of the main tendrils (or the outline of the central medallions) giving a lace effect. The village of Tafresh, to the northeast of Malayer in Arak province, produces similar carpets. Jozan and Manizan produce perhaps the best rugs in the Malayer area: they are double wafted and more rigid, and to a great extent use natural dyes. Only smaller sizes (Dozars, Zaronim and Pushtis) are produced. Other weaving centers, which come within the general category of Malayer, are Suzani. SENEH Senneh or Sanadaj is the capital of the province of Kurdestan in northwestern Iran, and has around 300,000 inhabitants. Most of the population are Kurds, of the Gurani Tribe. There is one building of note, the Friday Mosque of the early nineteenth century, plus a castle on a hill overlooking the town. Senneh rugs are easily identifiable by their weave, design color and wool. They are mostly single-wafted, and the backs of the carpets are often rough and gritty, since the wool is tightly spun, by hand, prior to weaving. Occasionally a solid Bijar-like weave is seen. The colors used are a characteristic deep blue, green, dark red (used sparingly) and white. Senneh wool is amongst the best wools in Iran: solid and hardwearing, with a deep luster, the result of the high altitude, sparse vegetation, and extremes of temperature. The tribal weavers of the area use the same sort of wool. In the nineteenth century Senneh rugs were famous for their fineness and the variety of designs, the modern production fewer fine and there is less diversity: the typical Senneh rug has a field of Herati design, with a series of geometric medallion, one inside the other, each with a different ground color but repeating the Design. Occasionally the old all-over designs are still seen: the Boteh, Vekilli, Gol-Farang (bunches of flowers drawn naturalistically in the European style) or Gol-i-Bulbul (flower and bird). TEHERAN Very little weaving is nowadays carried out in Iran's capital city, but Teheran does produce some carpets, which approach the standards of the famous cities of Kashan and Isfahan. Most Teheran carpets are about 1½ sqm, and have a pile of wool, sometimes with some silk, and warps and wefts of cotton. The Designs usually incorporate vases of flowers, birds and perhaps animals, generally using subtle colours on a white ground. TABRIZ Tabriz is one of the most important cities of Iran. It has a population of one and a half millions and is the capital of the province of Eastern Azebaijan. Like Mashad on the eastern side of Iran, its present apparent remoteness belies the fact that when the country was larger it had an important role. Indeed, before World War I, it was Iran's largest city. Much of the Caucasus belonged to Iran, which was administered from Tabriz. There are remains of mosques from the 15th century, but perhaps the most important landmarks are the bazaars, for trade has always been of great importance in Tabriz. Indeed, its geographical position meant that for a long time goods exported from Iran to Europe went via Tabriz, and the revival of the carpet industry in the 19th century is due largely to Tabriz merchants. There are now a huge variety of carpets made in Tabriz, from extremely fine to very coarse pieces. The weavers have great skill, and are aided by a hook-like implement, which they use instead of the fingers for tying knots. The warps and wefts are cotton, the pile wool, often with highlights of silk in the fine pieces. The colours of the finer carpets are delicate and refined. The coarsest qualities are brightly coloured and rarely exported. A wide variety of designs are seen: copies of classical designs, re-workings of old motifs, and pictorial or figurative treatments. The most famous weaver was Hajji Jaliliz, who worked at the turn of the century. Tabriz rugs are made in all sizes. MOTS CLES "oriental antique carpets, antique carpets, oriental carpets, antique rugs, persian rugs, antique dealers, galleries, New York City, NYC, caucasian, persian, central asian, anatolian, indian, turkish, chinese, swedish, decorative, european, oriental, aubussons, axminster, 19th century, savonnerie, art deco, kirman, sultanabad, oushak, agra, tabriz, amritsar, bessarabian, ukranian, flatweaves, isphahan, wilton, hooked rugs, antiques">