History of Arak hand-made carpets

The city of Arak, with the former name of Sultanabad, is located in the central part of Iran. The history of carpet weaving in this city is less than that of its neighboring cities. However, since the cities of Isfahan, Qom and Kashan were in the vicinity of Arak, we can expect that carpet weaving in the city of Arak was also rich. It is also recorded in history that when Shapur II of the Sassanid kings passed through the Farahan plain in the southwest of Arak, he was given a carpet as a gift, which shows the ancient history of carpet weaving in this region.

              Sarouk Carpet , Huntington Museum of America

During the Qajar era, which coincided with the 19th century, at the same time as the demand for hand-woven Iranian carpets suddenly increased, the Arak carpet was also welcomed by Europe and America. A large number of European and American companies established warehouses in different cities of Iran.

The Ziegler company, which imported goods to Iran, decided to buy hand-made carpets from Sultan abad and sell them in London. This company opened dyeing factories and invented colors by combining European and Iranian colors and provided them to the weavers. The Sultanabad carpets that were woven by order of these companies in Arak were a type of coarse texture and suited to the needs of Europe.

                 Sarouk Farahan Rug 3’6″*4’11”

Features of Arak handwoven carpets:

• Arak carpets are coarsely woven and their density rarely reaches 40 knots per 7 cm.
• These carpets are woven with an asymmetric knot and are usually woven in a single weft. The weft color of Arak carpets is usually blue.
• Arak carpet is one of the medium quality carpets, that’s why it has a reasonable price.
• Lachak-Toranj, Fish, Minakhani, Shah-Abbasi, Joshkhan, Afshan, Geography, Mustofi, etc. designs are common Arak carpet designs.
• In Arak carpets, due to the use of asymmetric knots, the shoulder is firmly beaten, that’s why the carpet is relatively thick and resistant.

        Antique Moshk-Abad rug 80 years old

Dyeing Sultan-Abad handwoven carpets

Dyeing in Arak is done with special skill. The blue colors of Farahan and madder color of Moskabad and a kind of red color combined with dough are famous colors used in Arak carpets. Besides these colors, green, cream and yellow colors are also used.

In order to obtain these colors, the weavers boil the roots of madder, pomegranate shell, walnut shell and reseda in pots according to their experience and formulas, then they wash the dyed wool with running water and dry it under the sun. These colors are transparent and They are shiny as if silk was used inside the carpets.

              Arak Saravand Rug, 8’*10’8″

In which areas of Markazi province are carpets woven?

Mahallat Rug:

This carpet is known as Mahal carpet. This carpet is relatively coarse and high quality. Mahal rug often has an oval-shaped medallion and a Herati pattern.

Moskabad Rug:

This carpet is usually woven in small dimensions and with a single weft technique. The designs used in it are Herati, Minakhani and Gol-Hanai. This carpet is world famous because of its high quality wool and excellent dyeing.

         Antique Moshkabad rug 80 years old

Sarouk Rug:

Carpet weaving in the city of Sarouk has a long history and this carpet is famous all over the world.
Sarouk carpets are in the category of coarse woven carpets.

              Mini antique Sarouk 4’3″*6’7″

Saveh Rug:

The quality of this carpet is good and it is usually woven in small and medium sizes. The type of knots are asymmetric and they are woven using the two-pod technique. Saveh carpet is one of the thin but durable carpets.

Lilian Rug:

The Lilian carpet is red in color and woven in a single weft style. The common pattern of this carpet is Lachak-Toranj design. In the past, Armenians weaved this carpet, that’s why the medallion of this carpet is a combination of a cross and Iranian symbols. Lilian carpets are very similar to Sarouk carpets.

                 Moshkabad rug with Lilian map

Tafresh Rug:

Tafresh carpet is woven in the style of rural carpets in Tafresh city. The pile of this carpet is made of wool, and its warps and wefts are made of cotton.

Buy Arak hand-made carpet online

There are many carpet weaving areas in the Markazi province and near Arak city, and each area has its own designs, most of these designs are world-renowned and they add beauty and warmth to any house. In this article, we tried to briefly introduce you to the types of Arak carpets. If you have any comments or questions, let us know. Also, if you intend to buy any of the beautiful carpets of Arak region, you can benefit from our experience. Vernacarpets will guide you in the direction of purchase with free advice.
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