Kashan rug history

Kashan is one of the most important cities in Isfahan province, located in central Iran. Kashan dates back to 6000 BC and is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It is certain that rug weaving has been popular in such a region for a long time. Carpet weaving in Kashan, like in other regions of Iran, reached its peak during the Safavid period. The Safavid kings were very interested in carpet weaving, which is why they contributed greatly to the development and advancement of this industry. The Safavid kings would gift exquisite Kashan area rugs to the sultans of other countries, which made the Kashan carpet famous inside and outside Iran.

During the Qajar period, the kings also attached great importance to the art of rug weaving. In 1881, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar presented an exquisite Kashan rug to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her coronation, which is now kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

   A beautiful Kashan rug that is kept in the London Museum

During the Qajar period, kings also attached great importance to the art of rug weaving. In 1881, Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar gifted a famous Kashan area rug to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her coronation, which is now kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
One of the famous Kashan carpet manufacturers is “Haj Mohammad Hassan Farshchi”. He was born in Kashan in 1875 and registered a special trademark for his manufactured rugs. The late “Farshchi” sold his carpets with an identity card, which was a major step in the development of Kashan carpets.

             traditional medallion Kashan rug

How to identify a Kashan rug?

1. In Kashan Persian rugs, wool and silk are used as piles, and cotton as warp and weft.
2. The density of knots for wool rugs is about 40 knots per 7 cm, and in all silk carpets this number reaches 70 knots.
3. The knots of the Kashan area rug are asymmetrical(Persian) knots.
4. Kashan Persian rugs are woven from Sabzevar wool, which is one of the finest wools in Iran.
5. Dyeing is done in both vegetable and chemical ways.
6. The pile of Kashan rugs is usually short to showcase the elegance of the carpet’s design.
7. Dark red, cream, navy blue, green, and turquoise colors are among the most used colors in Kashan carpets.
8. Persian Kashan rugs are usually dense and heavy.
9. Kashan Iranian handmade rugs are woven in small sizes from 1.5 and 3 square meters to 6, 9, and 12 square meters.

                                   Kashan Bazar

Kashan rug patterns

Various patterns are woven in Kashan hand-knotted rugs that may have been imitated from other parts of Iran. However, in general, the common patterns of Kashan rugs are divided into 8 main styles. These patterns are:

• Medallion and corners design:

The Lachak-Toranj or medallion with corners design is the most common and easily recognizable design of Kashan rugs. Inspired by traditional ornaments and mosque tiles, this design has been very popular in Iranian carpets since the Safavid period. Lachak-Toranj is also used in Kashmar rug, Ardakan rug and other Iranian rugs.

Kashan rug maps are stuck on the wood to stay healthy

• Overall design:

The Overall design or Afshan is the second most common design in Kashan Persian rugs. There are no medallions in this design. Small and large flowers and bushes and Eslimi lines cover the entire background. The late “Mirza Abbas Sanei” and his son “Mohammad Sanei” were among the prominent designers of this design.

                          Kashan Afshan design rug

• Vase design:

This design is one of Kashan’s original patterns. As the name suggests, it is a vase full of flowers. In these carpets, which are mostly woven in small sizes, a large vase is seen whose flowers cover the entire background of the carpet. In this design, the vase is always facing up and is symmetrically located on the sides of the background or in a row.

                         Kashan vase design rug

• Prayer design:

This design is reminiscent of the mihrab of mosques and is also called the mihrab design. The arch of the mihrab is designed at the top of this design, and the border strip covers the rug background. Verses from the Quran or hadiths may be used in the arch of the mihrab. However, elements such as birds, animals, and humans are not seen in this design.

                              Kashan prayer design rug

• Hunting-ground design:

Hunting is a traditional Iranian tradition, and its traces can also be seen in rugs. Throughout the hunting ground design, scenes including animals and horsemen hunting are seen. This design also dates back to the Safavid period.

• Interconnected design:

In these designs, a small part of the design is repeated in the longitudinal and transverse directions throughout the rug and is connected by a strip or pattern.

• Pictorial design:

Pictorial designs have been very common in Kashan rugs and Kerman rugs. Instead of conventional designs, human and animal faces have been used in these designs.

                            Kashan pictorial design rug

• Muhtasham design:

The overall design is a bergamot leaf. The border of this design is wide, with Shah-Abbasi flowers.

Antique kashan rug

The finest antique rugs of Kashan are known as Mohtasham rug. Hadji Molla Hassan Mohtasham, nicknamed Mohtashem, was a Kashani rug weaver during the Qajar period. From the end of the 19th century, for 30 years, the finest wool and silk rugs were woven in the workshop of Master Mohtasham. Antique Mohtashem rugs, whether signed or unsigned, are considered to be among the finest rugs. With their distinctive layered designs and rich color palette, these rugs are among the antique Kashan rugs that are very rare today.

               antique Muhtasham Kashan rug

You can read this article: Antique Carpet and Its Features!

• Spinning warps

The first task for weaving a handwoven Persian Kashan area rug 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 rug on the loom. 

All kinds of colors used in Kashan carpets

• kilim weaving

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

• Rug 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 warps 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, is passed over the thick weft and beaten again with a comb. This helps the strength of the rug. The wefts must be beaten so much that it is not visible from the back of the rug. It must be uniform, otherwise the surface of the rug will be uneven.

• Trim the piles

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

• Selvage weaving

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

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

    Antique Persian Kashan wool rug 1930s(circa)

Kashan rug for sale

According to many experts, Kashan handmade rugs are among the best handmade rugs in the world in terms of elegance, beauty, and quality. Every year, a large number of these rugs are exported to different regions of the world. The beautiful designs of Kashan rugs can be an excellent choice for people who are planning to make their homes more beautiful with a handmade Iranian carpet for the first time.

round Kashan rug

The value of a Persian Kashan rug depends on factors such as the quality of wool, and the density of the weave. The age of the rug is also another factor that directly affects the price of a handmade Kashan rug. If you love buying Kashan rugs, the Vernacarpets online collection has provided you with a secure and affordable purchase. In this article, we tried to talk a little about the history and value of Kashan carpets. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know.