All about Mashhad handmade carpets
Carpets, especially handmade carpets, are one of the main components of Iranian culture and have always been of great value in society. You will hardly find a house in Iran that does not have carpets. This high value has caused the carpet industry to have a very long history in Iran. Depending on the culture of the residents of each region, each city in Iran weaves a carpet for itself and has various methods for doing so. This diversity and elegance has made the Iranian carpet world famous; But one of the oldest and most beautiful types of Iranian carpets is Mashhad carpet. The beautiful carpet of Mashhad is a very good reflection of the culture and history of the holy and beautiful city of Mashhad and is very impressive.
The beautiful carpet of Mashhad has a relatively long history and the first signs of it were seen in the Safavid period. It is true that we cannot determine the exact date for the history of the beautiful carpet of Mashhad, but according to the writings and documents, the first carpet attributed to Mashhad was created between the years 999 and 1038 AH. The oldest type of historical carpet in Mashhad, which is about five hundred years old, is a type of prayer carpet (rug) that was given to the glorious Suleiman by Shah Tahmasb. These carpets were made in three quality grades in the workshop of Sultan Ibrahim Mirza, the son of Sam Mirza and the nephew of Shah Tahmasb.
One of its first-class varieties was in London until two years ago, and some believe it is now in the possession of renowned collector Sheikh Saud al-Thani of Qatar. A number of second- and third-class specimens are still in the Topkapi Museum. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Mashhad carpets became so popular that they became one of Iran’s export products; But it’s not just exports that show the popularity of this type of carpet. Even inside Iran, people used to use this type of carpet, namely Mashhad carpet.
Mashhad carpet weaving features
One of the most important points in Mashhad carpets is the special texture of them. Although Persian knot is more common, the type of Mashhad carpet weaving is a combination of two types of Persian and Turkish weaving. The same texture greatly increases the strength of Mashhad carpets. Carpet weaving is also vertical and fixed. The most common dimensions for Mashhad carpets are 6-meter, 12-meter and 15-meter carpets; But you can buy Mashhad carpets in various dimensions. The variety of dimensions for Mashhad carpets is so high that you can even find carpets with an area of more than 100 meters. The weaving is also in the form of two weaves in Mashhad carpet and is in the group of Lul Baft carpets. This also contributes to stiffness and endurance.
Most of the carpets in Mashhad have between 30 and 35 rows and in rare cases up to 40 rows; But if we search the history of Mashhad carpet, we can find very beautiful carpets with the number 130. There are many old examples of famous Uncle Oghli carpets with figures such as 130 Raj. The weaving of this carpet has undergone changes in the history of this carpet. Shirazeh weaving in Mashhad carpet was done until 50 years ago at the same time as carpet weaving, but since then, Shiraz weaving of carpets has been postponed until after the completion of weaving. Klim weaving is also in Persian style and is done on vertical and fixed carpets.
Mashhad carpet on the eve of globalization
One of the problems in the way of Mashhad carpets was the abuse of other very beautiful designs of Mashhad carpets by other countries. The immense copying of foreign carpet weavers from the design and role of Mashhad and Kashmar carpets and the loss of global markets for the manufacturers of this type of carpet, prompted those involved to remove the dust of imitation from the carpets of the eastern region of the country and its brand. To be registered in the world. For this reason, the General Directorate of Industrial Property Protection of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, considering the fundamental role of intellectual and industrial property and its decisive role in the country’s economic development, global registration of designs and the role of Mashhad and Kashmir handmade carpets to receive global trademark Is under review.