The traditional art of carpet weaving in the Kashan Province

The traditional art of carpet weaving in the Kashan Province

Posted in 2010 in the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

in the fine carpet weaving industry, Kashan has nearly one in three of its residents employed in carpet making. Two thirds of the population who are engaged in carpet weaving in Kashan are female weavers. The carpet's weaving process begins with a design, elaborated from a number of established styles, including motifs such as flowers, leaves, branches, animals and scenes from history. the weaving is done on a loom known as dar, the warp and weft are of cotton or silk. the pile is made by knotting the wool or silk threads on the warp with the characteristic Farsi knot, then held in place by a row of woven wefts and beaten with a comb. The Farsi weaving style (also known as asymmetrical knotting) is applied with exemplary delicacy in Kashan, so that the back side of the carpet is finely and evenly knotted. The colors of the Kashan rugs come from a variety of natural dyes including crazier root, walnut peel, pomegranate peel, and grape leaves. Traditional Kashan carpet weaving skills are passed down to daughters through the education of their mothers and grandmothers. Men learn their skills of designing, dyeing, shearing, building looms and making tools from their fathers.

 

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