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Notes by Barry O'Connell
Autor: Ehsan Afzalzadeh Naini
TRANSLATED BY FEREIDOUN HAGHIGHI
www.iranrugco.ir
In the past, the city of Kashmar was one
of the important cities in Ghehestan (an old name for
Khorasan Province of today) and the city was also called
"Torshiz". Torshiz was part of a region called
Pousht.
Geographically speaking, Kashmar is
situated in Khorasan Province, the largest province in
Iran, and its distance from Tehran, the capital of Iran,
is 926 kilometers with an altitude of 1,215 meters from
the sea level. Neighboring cities from North are Sabzevar
and Nishabour, from West Shahroud, from South Gonabad,
Ferdous and Tabas, and from East Torbat-e- Heydarieh.
The history of carpet weaving in Kashmar
goes back to 150 years , and the contemporary art of
carpet weaving dates back before the year 1300 (Persian
Solar Calendar). However, between the years 1260 to 1280
(PSC) the carpet production in mass is recorded by
historians.
The first master weaver in the Kashmar
region was Mohammad Kermani who despite his last name was
not a native of Kerman city but people say that he was
born in a village called "Froutagheh" near
Kashmar. According to the historians, the master weaver
brought the knowledge of carpet weaving from Kerman
Province and probably his first work was ordered by Said
Hussein Sajjadi a native and resident of Froutagheh and a
renowned carpet producer.
There are some important villages around
Kashmar that played crucial rule in carpet weaving and
carpet production in the region such as: Froutagheh,
Gazkhaneh, Phadafan, Farg, Tarighan, RezghAbad, ArefAbad,
and also in some other districts in the vicinity like:
Soltanieh, Hidarieh, FiezAbad, Ghouz, KouhSourkh,
KhalilAbad, and Bardaskan there were carpet producers who
also remained very active in the region.
The villages and districts above started
to produce carpets at different stages of time; for
instance, in Tarighan weaving had started in 1345 to 1346
(Persian Solar Calendar), in KouhSourkh the production
began in 1350 (PSC) and in Bardaskan district in 1355
(PSC).
In Kashmar there was disparity regarding
the quality and the price of rugs in early years. In 1330
(PSC), the carpets in the region were in low RAJ (the
number of knots in 7 centimeter), low quality and low
price. However, during the years 1340 to 1341 (PSC) and
with the presence of a person, Mr. Alipour, the carpet
industry revives again in the area.
During the years 1353-1354 (PSC), Kashmar
carpet find his place and starts to climb the ladder of
success and even by the departure of Mr. Alipour in 1358,
his designs and patterns were used and practiced by
others who had flair for creating master pieces such as
Mr. Shojaii whose work gained reputation internationally.
After the year 1375, the booming years
start to fade as the market for the Iranian rugs starts
to shrink both domestically and internationally.
Master Designers and Weavers in
kashamar In old days, Master weavers and designers were
many in Kashmar and to just mention few, we can name
Messrs: Alipour, Gholamhussein Skandari Tarighani,
Jafarii, Javadii, Mohammad Skandari, Talatii, Bagherii,
Golchian, Moarrezi and Shojaii
Renowned Old and Contemporary Carpet
Producers in Kashmar
Carpet Producers both contemporary and
old who played an important rule in introducing Kashmar
to carpet enthusiasts around the world are Messrs: Khani,
Tarak, Gholestani, Vazan, Abedini, Moshtaghi, Mosaferi,
Bagheri, Sia, Ghafari, Maroufi, RajabPour, Hashemi,
Shojaii, Jafari, Skandari and Ebrahimi. Among those
mentioned above Messrs: Skandari and Ebrahimi were the
most acclaimed carpet producers for the past seven years.
Spatiality in Kashmar Design
Among various designs and patterns in
Kashmir's carpets, there are some designs that are
typical to that region and well known internationally
such as the followings: Design of Kase Boshghab (Bowl
& Plate) Design of Case Kozeh (Bowl & Flowerpot)
Design of ZirKhaki Design of Afshan (Spread out) esign of
Lachak Toranj (a style from Mashhad, center of Khorasan) www.iranrugco.ir
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Oriental Rug Notes by Barry O'Connell
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