Iranian Carpet Museum

The Iranian Carpet Museum is a national treasure, full of exquisite and antique examples of carpet weaving. There are carpets from the Savafid (1501-1727), Qajar (1794-1925) and contemporary eras. The museum presently has a collection of over one thousand antique carpets and kilims. Seven hundred of these are unique. The collection has samples of all carpet weaving styles that are associated with the various cities and regions of Iran. Two exhibitions are normally held every year at the museum. These exhibitions take place on the occasion of International Museum Day (May 18th), and the 10-Day Dawn (February 1-11) marking the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Thousands of people, including students, researchers, those interested in Iranian art and culture as well as tourists from the four corners of the world come to visit this museum every year.
The museum also has some rare carpets from other countries that were woven in Iran. One such carpet dates to the 16th century and was woven during the Safavid era for a Prince of Poland, named Sigmond. It is twenty-five square meters and it depicts hunting scenes with a medallion in its centre. There are total of seven carpets in the museum that were commissioned by the Polish prince and woven in Isfahan and Kashan, using gold threads.
The museum has varied functions and it does not act only as a repository. Among the important sections is the repair department. The training department of the Carpet Museum is also quite active, providing educational services by offering classes in weaving, darning and carpet design.

Four Season Carpet
It is a common practice in carpet design to divide the main area into four equal parts. The situation is quite different in this carpet. In every one of the four sections of this carpet, the four seasons of the year have been depicted. They rotate in a clockwise direction. The carpet is three meters by two meters. It has an asymmetric knot count of sixty. It was woven in the city of Tabriz some forty years ago. It employs a wide range of techniques. The medallion is oval shaped and it depicts Darius, the Achaeminan King seated on the throne with two attendants holding an umbrella to protect him from the sun. Around the medallion twelve constellations have been woven, each in an oval frame.
The statements "Four Seasons" and "Planet Earth" have been woven inside the frames and on the two ends of the shorter diameter of the ellipse. There are images of prophets woven inside some frames at the spandrel in the four corners of the carpet. These include Prophet Moses on Mount Sinai, Prophet Jesus as a shepherd, Prophet Abraham and his son Prophet Ishmail as well as the progenitors of the human race Adam and Eve. Images of renowned Iranian poets such as Ferdowsi, Baba Taher Oriyan, Sa’di and Hafez have been woven into the right and left borders of the carpet. Four historic places have been shown in this carpet such as Persepolis in the spring, the Soltanieh mausoleum of Zanjan in the summer, the Archway of Cteisphon in the fall season and Tabriz’s Kaboud (Blue) Mosque in winter. The constellations of the months of each season are next to them. In the image of the winter season, the faded wintry shadows attracts attention.

Pazyryk carpet
In the summer of 1949, Russian archeologist Sergio Rudenko was in a valley six miles from the border of Mongolia. He made an astounding discovery – a carpet dating back to the 5th century BC. The carpet was found in Pazyryk of the Altai Mountains in an avalanche. It was in perfect condition! It had been preserved under a thick sheet of ice, which had protected it for twenty-five centuries. With this magnificent carpet coming to light, a most important piece of evidence in the history of oriental carpets became available to us. In the investigation carried out by Rudenko on the Pazyryk carpet, his attention was attracted to the undeniable influence of ancient Persia on some of the patterns. It showed distinct traces of the Achaemenian dynasty whose political, cultural and commercial influences were far greater than its geographical limits. Rudenko made a close study of the patterns that appear to be so close to those of the Achaemenian civilization.
The rows of horses and their riders, which appear on the carpet’s borders are similar to those appearing on the carved stone blocks of Persepolis, depicting a royal procession. However, none of the riders in the Perseplois carvings are mounted, while on the Pazyruk carpet, every rider is mounted. This shows that the riders are active, playing a game, for example.
The central field of the restored Pazyruk carpet is divided into twenty-four squares, each decorated with an eight-pointed star. This pattern resembles the four-pointed star of the Assyrian era.
The guard between the horsemen and the elk are decorated with cross-like figures. The squares of the field are also decorated with a similar motif. On the principal band of the interior, there is a line of six elk on each side. The two inner and outer guards are decorated with a succession of small squares containing imaginary creatures, probably griffins. The original colours used for this carpet cannot be precisely known, as they have faded away. The work of the Pazyruk carpet compares favourably with that of the best of modern weaving. Rudenko maintains throughout his investigations that this carpet is of Persian origin.
A sample of the Pazyryk carpet was woven on the order of the Carpet Museum of Iran. In this carpet, symmetrical knots of silk, coloured white, light green, black, cream and orange are used. The size of this reproduction is two hundred eleven centimeters by one hundred eighty centimeters with a knot count of fifty.

The Persepolis Carpet
Persepolis, whose ruins attract thousands of tourists from all over the world every year, has inspired many works of art. The Persepolis carpet is one of these works. It measures six and three-quarters meters by four and a-half meters. The design of this carpet is actually a series of the images of various areas of Persepolis.
The rows of horses and their riders, which appear on the carpet’s borders are similar to those appearing on the carved stone blocks of Persepolis, depicting a royal procession. However, none of the riders in the Perseplois carvings are mounted, while on the Pazyruk carpet, every rider is mounted. This shows that the riders are active, playing a game, for example.
The central field of the restored Pazyruk carpet is divided into twenty-four squares, each decorated with an eight-pointed star. This pattern resembles the four-pointed star of the Assyrian era.
The guard between the horsemen and the elk are decorated with cross-like figures. The squares of the field are also decorated with a similar motif. On the principal band of the interior, there is a line of six elk on each side. The two inner and outer guards are decorated with a succession of small squares containing imaginary creatures, probably griffins. The original colours used for this carpet cannot be precisely known, as they have faded away. The work of the Pazyruk carpet compares favourably with that of the best of modern weaving. Rudenko maintains throughout his investigations that this carpet is of Persian origin.
The inscription on the right border of the carpet reveals that Assadollah Khan, the Deputy Governor of Fars province ordered the weaving. This carpet, with a knot count of sixty, was woven in Kerman using asymmetric knot and three wefts. The upper and lower borders are similar whereas the left and right vertical borders are of different patterns. On the main field, one-third from the top, one can see the movement of people toward the Achaemenian court. Some are on foot, some on horseback and some in carriages.
On the eastern stairway to the Apadana Palace, is a scene of a bull fighting an elk. This carpet has the same scene inside a triangular frame. Two rows of soldiers can be seen.
The central part of the carpet has been decorated with the pictorial design of the Achaemenian King, with a row of lions above right, and on the upper part, the image of a divine being called "FARVAHAR". The carved patterns on the walls and pillars of Persepolis have also been depicted. Some images of its places, gateways and edifices, especially the 100-pillar palace are among the patterns woven next to each other in this carpet. On the upper left of the carpet, "Farvahar" can be seen with two companions. There is also the inscription: "Darius, the Great King, has constructed this building."
In a lower section of the carpet, the alphabet of the cuneiform script has been woven. The Persian equivalent is placed nearby.
The borders are decorated with historic events such as combat scenes as well as the portraits of kings. The Persepolis Carpet was purchased in 1977 by the Carpet Museum of Iran.

Zodiac carpet
Zodiac is name of this carpet. The colouring used in this design, in addition to its astrological details, creates an eye-soothing work. This carpet was woven in the early 19th century at Mohammad Taqi Banki’s workshop in Isfahan. The corner medallions take up a great portion of the carpet. The carpet theme is a floral design, mainly in the form of interlaced flowering branches on a gay red background. In the four corner medallions of the carpet, four human figures are woven alongside the names of the four planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. Every one of these are placed an equal distance from the Earth.
The carpet’s circular medallion is connected to two other medallions. The upper medallion is the popular Iranian traditional symbol, Khorshid or the Sun. The lower medallion is comprised of a crescent and an eight-pointed star. The medallion has been divided into twelve parts, as the year is divided. The names of these constellations are Ram, Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Virgo, Libra, the Scorpion, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. In the center of the medallion there is a twelve-petal lotus that symbolizes love and wisdom in Eastern mysticism. Inside the medallion are the names of constellations in Turkish, Persian and Arabic languages. This carpet has seven borders, the main one being called "arm band". Its background is red. Narrow borders of dark blue and cream colours have been used.