Kelardasht Rug
Kelardasht Rug | |
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![]() Design of Kelardasht Rug (Rugman) | |
General information | |
Name | Kelardasht Rug |
Original name | قالی کلاردشت |
Alternative name(s) | Kelardasht Carpet |
Origin | ![]() |
Category | City |
Technical information | |
Common designs | Medallion, Geometric |
Common colors | Red, Black, Orange, Green, Navy Blue |
Dyeing method | Natural, Synthetic |
Pile material | Wool |
Foundation material | Cotton |
Knot type | Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian) |
Kelardasht rugs originate from Kelardasht, located in northern Iran and surrounded by the Alborz Mountains, a district in the Province of Zanjan which literally means “dear wife”. It is here that the nomadic people in this region practice the art of traditional rug weaving. For over 3000 years traditional rug weaving has supplied them with warm floor coverings as well as a source of income. Women in the tribe have been the traditional rug weavers, passing along their knowledge and skills to their daughters. However, the men do join in as well and very often weaving is a family affair. Living in remote regions far away from modern conveniences and technology, they are totally self-sufficient. They make their own looms for traditional rug weaving, which are placed horizontally on the ground and are easily dismantled for transport as they migrate from place to place. Although weavers in Kelardasht use both Persian and Turkish knots, they use the Persian asymmetrical knot much more frequently when weaving a traditional rug because it offers more precision.
History
Kelardasht is a town in the Kelardasht Valley located in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. Kelardasht has a Kurmanji Kurd subtribe population who originally moved south from the Karabagh district in the Caucaus region. The Kurmanji can trace their weaving tradition back for centuries. Kelardasht is the only place in Mazandaran Province that weaves pile rugs.
Kelardasht rugs as old as the nineteenth century are known in the market. The rugs have a wool foundation and a wool pile, but at times, cotton is used for the weft. Early Kelardasht rugs characteristically have a very long pile of high-grade wool, a beneficial quality, since Kelardasht has a cold climate for most of the year. The Turkish (symmetric) knot is used.
Kelardasht rug designs are geometric, with one to multiple medallions in the field. The medallions and surrounding field contain flower heads, S motifs, animals, birds, and other designs. Alternately, plain fields with only a few tribal motifs or flower heads are made. The main border usually has multicolored repeating flower heads or palmettes with leaves and vines.
The background color is generally brickred, with a small percentage featuring dark blue or cinnamon. Besides these hues, different shades of red, green, blue, gold, and ivory are used for the design elements, borders, and design outlines.
Kelardasht formats range from bag face rugs to small room-size carpets. Runners and gallery formats are made up to approximately fourteen feet in length.The rugs are generally made from medium to good in grade quality.[1]
See also
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Search for Kelardasht Rug on Wikipedia. |
References
- ↑ Moheban, 2015, 301
Bibliography
- Abraham Levi Moheban. 2015. The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.