History of Kashan handwoven carpet

The city of Kashan is one of the main cities of Isfahan province, which is located in center of Iran. Kashan dates back to 6000 BC and is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It is certain that carpet weaving has been prevalent in such a region for a long time. Like other regions of Iran, during the Safavid period, carpet weaving reached its peak in Kashan. The Safavid kings were very interested in carpet weaving, so they helped greatly in the development and promotion of this industry. The Safavid kings presented exquisite Kashan carpets to the sultans of other countries as gifts, which made Kashan carpets famous inside and outside of Iran.

     A beautiful Kashan carpet that is kept in the London Museum

Among the famous producers of Kashan carpets, we can mention Farshchi, Tabatabai, Atai, and Esfahaninan clans. When hearing the name of Kashan carpet, Lachak-Toranj design with special medallion and dark red and dark blue background is remembered for many people.

         Kahan rug with wool and silk 7’2″*4’6″

How to weave Kashan handwoven carpet

Preparing the warps

The first task for weaving a handwoven carpet is to prepare the loom and pull the warps. At this stage, the warps are spun in proportional and parallel distances according to the density of the carpet on loom. The warps form the foundation of the carpet. After finishing the foundation, the warps can be seen upside down in the loom.

kilim weaving

Before starting the weaving of the carpet, 3 to 4 cm at the beginning of the carpet is woven as a kilim. At the end of the carpet, the same thing is done again and the kilim is woven. Then the warps are tied, which makes the carpet strong and durable and prevents its texture from unraveling.

Carpet weaving

At this stage, the Kashani weaver takes the back warp using a hook and brings it forward, and with a special method, he ties the front and back threads together with the wool fibers in his hand.

   Weaving of Kashan rug with asymmetric knot

Passing the wefts

After weaving each row through the threads, the wefts are passed horizontally. First, they lay the thick fabric on the knots and beat the knots with a special comb. Then the thin weft, which is usually blue in color, is passed over the thick weft and beaten again with a comb. This helps the strength of the carpet. The wefts must be beaten so much that it is not visible from the back of the carpet. It must be uniform, otherwise the surface of the carpet will be uneven.

Trim the piles

After the end of each row, the weaver pulls the knots forward by hand, then shortens the extra piles by scissors. They consider a thickness of about 2 cm for the piles, which should be the same throughout the carpet.

Selvage weaving

In some carpets, selvage is woven into it while weaving the carpet, so that extra wefts are woven into the warps on the side of the carpet. This is done to stabilize and strengthen the right and left edges of the carpet.

After finishing the weaving of the carpet, the carpet is cut from the foundation and operations such as washing, double-knotting, Sewing leather are performed on it and finally carpet is sent to the market.

     Antique Persian Kashan rug 1930s(circa) 4’52″*6’7″

Features of Kashan handwoven carpet

• In Kashan carpets, wool and silk are used as pile and cotton as warp and weft.
• For woolen carpets, the density of knots is about 40 knots per 7 cm, and in all silk carpets, this number reaches 70 knots. The more knots, the better the quality of the carpet.
• In the Kashan region, knots are tied in two ways, symmetrical and asymmetrical.
• Kashan carpets are woven from Sabzevar wool, which is one of the finest wools in Iran.
• Dyeing is done in both vegetable and chemical ways. In the past, most carpets were dyed in a vegetable way.
• Dark red, cream, navy blue, green, and turquoise colors are among the most used colors in Kashan carpets.
• The types of Kashan handwoven carpet designs are: Shah Abbasi, Khataei, Eslimi, Lachak-Toranj, Boteh Jaghe, Mohtashem, Cedar Tree, Mustofi,…
• Kashan handwoven carpets are woven in small and medium dimensions of 1.5 meters and 3, 6, 9 and 12 square meters.

       All kinds of colors used in Kashan carpets

Cecil Edwards, in his trip to Iran and visited Kashan, writes about Kashan carpet: Kashan carpet is woven with double-wefted technique and with Persian knot. Each knot is 6.5 cm, which is equal to 15.5 x 15.5 knots per inch, but in fact, this type of high-quality Kashan carpets is about 14 x 14 per inch, and this is equal to the excellent type of Kerman carpet.

     Kashan carpet maps are stuck on the wood to stay healthy

Buy Kashan handmade carpets online

According to many experts, Kashan hand-woven carpets are among the best hand-woven carpets in the world in terms of elegance, beauty and quality. Every year, a large number of these carpets are exported to different regions of the world. The beautiful designs of Kashan carpets can be an excellent choice for people who For the first time, they intend to make Iranian hand-woven carpets beautify their homes. Buying these carpets from a reliable source can bring you a safe and secure purchase. Vernacarpets accompanies you in this important matter. In this article, we tried to explain a little. Let us introduce you to Kashan handwoven carpet. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know.