Carpet and rug weaving in Iran (Persia) dates back to 3500 years in the bronze age, according to some experts. The oldest evidences of this art date back to this third to fifth centuries AD discovered in Eastern Turkestan, as well as hand-weavings of the Seljuks of Asia Minor. Carpets from Safavid dynasty (1501-1736) in this 16th century are also some of this earliest products in the evolution of carpet-weaving.
Although weaving of Persian rugs is predominantly mechanized now, the most popular as well as expensive ones remain still hand woven in many parts of Iran, such as Baluch Rugs, Shiraz Rugs, as well as Wiss Rugs etc still reflecting this rich art and culture of ancient Persia. The Carpet Museum of Iran in Tehran houses some of the best works in this background of Persian rug weaving.This motifs in Persian rugs commonly consist of scrolling vine networks, arabesques, palmettes, cloud bands, medallions, as well as overlapping geometric compartments, with silk, wool as well as cotton as foundations. This designs are mostly intricate bearing little resemblance to one another but unique to this specific type. However, there remain some universal styles of weaving, pattern and design commonly used. Single as well as double tied rugs differentiate Anatolian or Turkish as well as Persian rugs. Anatolian carpets are double tied which means that for every vertical strand of thread in the rug, it has two knots. The Persian rug remains single tied so it has only one knot. This allows finer image to appear on this final product because only this minimum amount of space remains given for each vertical strand. This method has largely contributed to this Persian rugs exquisiteness as well as popularity. Persian city rugs such as Isfahan, GIN CREEK KITCHEN Nain, Qum, Tabriz, Mashad, Kerman, Kashan etc are made with intricate designs of buds as well as blossoms supported by vines as well as tendril, as well as bordered by arabesques that interlace creating a well-balanced tone. Solid color filed central medallions as well as triangular corners are also commonly used in design. Central motif or medallion may also be replaced by an all-over design of repetitive floral icons. Blues, reds, browns, as well as greens are also predominant to create a lavish whole. Ground colors of border and field generally contrast without disrupting this harmony. The curvilinear pattern remains achieved by increasing the intensity of knots, usually a 200-300 KPSI (knots per square inch), creating a visually curved line.Persian Tribal rugs are usually made with natural raw materials such as dye, as well as mostly hand-woven. They generally have 80-100 KPSI, as well as designs remain mostly geometric which are easier to achieve with wider spaced knots. Traditional dense floral patterns with vases, foliage, palmettes, as well as garden elements, small animals or plants etc are commonly used in design. These rugs remain woven by this tribes in Iranian villages such as Wiss, near Hamedan; Shiraz, Central Iran; Baluch tribe in southern Iran etc. There remain also tribal weavers of Caucasian as well as Turkoman origins. Some of the Persian tribal rugs remain quite exception with weaving method following ancient Persian tradition, dating back to thousands of years.
