The History of Persian Carpets — From Pazyryk to Modern Qum

In the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, a 5th-century BC rug is displayed in a glass case. Known as the "Pazyryk carpet," it is an indispensable starting point in the history of Persian rugs. When I first saw it, I too stopped, captivated by its exquisite weave and well-preserved patterns, which seemed impossible for something over two thousand years old.

The history of Persian rugs spans two to three millennia. Over this long period, techniques and production areas have changed, and rugs have become treasures of rulers, even crossing oceans to reach Japan. Here, we will trace the key points, from the origin of the Pazyryk carpet to the golden age of the Safavid dynasty, its arrival in Japan for the Kyoto Gion Festival, and modern-day Qom.

Origins — The Pazyryk Carpet and Desert Life

In 1949, Russian archaeologists discovered a nearly perfectly preserved rug in the Pazyryk barrows of the Altai Mountains. Dated to around the 5th century BC, it is considered the oldest existing rug. Because it was encased in permafrost, it retained its colors and weave for over two millennia.

The Pazyryk carpet features intricate patterns of horses, deer, human figures, and plants. It is called the prototype of the Persian rug because its pattern composition and weaving density share characteristics directly connected to modern Persian rugs. It shows that advanced hand-weaving techniques were already established in the 5th century BC.

The flourishing of rug culture was driven by the harsh climate of the Persian plateau. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are freezing cold. Nomads of the desert evolved their tools for living from felt made of compressed sheep's wool, then spun and woven cloth, and finally, rugs for covering floors. The origin of Persian rugs lies in the simultaneous development of "beauty" and "practicality" within the same handicraft.

The Golden Age of the Safavid Dynasty — As Royal Court Art

In the 16th century, during the Safavid dynasty, Persian rugs reached their peak as works of art for the court. One notable example is the "Ardabil Carpet," housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Produced around 1539-40, it is a masterpiece woven by several skilled artisans over many years. Its design, including the central medallion, delicate arabesques, and highlights incorporating metallic threads, clearly marks it as a top-quality court product.

During the same era in Persia, royal court rugs were also used as diplomatic gifts. They were given to European royalty, sparking an admiration for Oriental rugs. It was also during this period that artisans were gathered in various court workshops, establishing a division of labor between designers (naqqash) and weavers (baftegar).

Works that required an exceptionally long time to complete, such as the silk Persian rug housed in the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, are also known. The masterpieces of this era demonstrate what can be created when materials, technique, and time align.

Encounter with Japan — The Yamaboko Floats of the Kyoto Gion Festival

Records of Persian rugs reaching Japan date back to around the 17th century. It is believed that through maritime trade, rugs from Persia, India, and Turkey were transported to Nagasaki and came into the hands of influential Kyoto townspeople.

Some of these rugs are still used today as decorative hangings (kesohin) on the yamaboko floats of the Kyoto Gion Festival. The lavish rugs and tapestries adorning the floats include items originating from Persia, Mughal India, and the Ottoman Empire, serving as cultural historical evidence that townspeople imported the finest goods from distant lands to elevate their own festival.

The rugs used as hangings for the Gion Festival demonstrate that Persian rug culture took root in Japan quite early. It also shows the wide range of uses for rugs, not just for covering floors, but also for decorating walls and serving as backgrounds for festivals.

After the 19th Century — Exports Spreading Worldwide

After the 19th century, the export of Persian rugs to Europe intensified. Tabriz merchants organized weaving for the British and German markets, and rug dealers in London, Hamburg, and New York spread Persian rugs worldwide.

In the 20th century, the individuality of each production area became more distinct. Tabriz produced sturdy, large wool rugs; Isfahan, intricate, pictorial compositions; Nain, elegant pale-colored wool & silk; and Qom, as a new production area, rose to prominence with silk. The rapid development of Qom after the 1970s is a relatively recent event in the history of Persian rugs.

Modern Qom — The Rise of a New Production Area

Qom is the newest major production area for Persian rugs. Serious weaving began there from the late 19th to early 20th century. Nevertheless, by choosing silk as their material and eagerly adopting techniques from other regions, Qom achieved the status of "Qom for silk" in the latter half of the 20th century.

Today, Qom has hundreds of workshops, both large and small. These include the main Jamshidi family (Mohammad Jamshidi), his son Masoud, his nephew Abbas, and the separate Ja'far family. Workshops like Mirmehdi, Albal, Eshaghi, Sedighian, Samadi, and Farahi, each with their own style, are still active today. Some workshops preserve classical compositions, while others experiment with modern abstract designs. The techniques accumulated over history continue to be woven daily.

The video shows a plant-dyed work from the Jamshidi workshop, taking 18 months to weave. Even now, two thousand five hundred years after the Pazyryk carpet and five hundred years after the Safavid court workshops, the fundamentals of hand-knotting and plant-dyeing remain unchanged.

Understanding History Changes How You See a Single Piece

When you stand before a Persian rug and realize it belongs to a lineage of handcraft spanning over two millennia, your perspective shifts slightly. The choice of thread, the dyeing decisions, the pattern composition, the tightness of the weave—all are the accumulated judgments of artisans refined over a long period.

While Golestan primarily deals with silk rugs from Qom, the three-thousand-year history of Persian rugs, extending from Pazyryk, lies behind them. When choosing a rug, I would be delighted if you could look not only at its origin and workshop but also at the deeper flow of time behind it.