Afshar Rug

Afshar Rug
Design of Afshar Rug (Rugman)
General information
Name	Afshar Rug
Original name	قالی افشار
Alternative name(s)	Afshar Carpet
Origin	Iran: Kerman, Azerbayjan, Fars
Category	Village, Tribal
Technical information
Common designs	Tribal, Geometric, Medallion, Boteh, Farangi Gul
Common colors	Crimson, Brown, Cream, Black, Navy Blue, Copper, Pink
Dyeing method	Natural, Synthetic
Pile material	Wool
Foundation material	Wool, Cotton
Knot type	Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian)

Afshar rugs are tribal rugs that are handwoven by the nomadic Afshar peoples of southern Iran. They usually incorporate the stylized 'Boteh' image (an old Persian design that resembles a cluster of leaves) in some form as the central elements, together with a pronounced geometric arrowhead and floral border pattern sometimes entwined within a lattice of leaves. Afshar design forms might also include the geometric pear and hens as border patterns, often against an ivory colored field. Afshars are frequently mistaken for Shiraz, even in the trade. They are indeed quite similar in appearance. Afshar weavers love bright and lively colors to brighten up their simple homes and tents. Afshars tend to be smaller since they are woven on simply constructed horizontal looms on the ground, which are easily dismantled and transportable. The owner of an authentic Afshar rug will have a unique and timeless piece of art that will bring life to any dull room.

History

The Afshar are a tribe living mostly in the Kerman Province of southwestern Iran. They are settled in towns and villages, with some still living as seminomads, moving in summer to the highlands and returning to the valleys in the winter for the more temperate climate and the pasture.
The Afshar have a Turkestan origin, but they migrated to southern Persia in the twelfth century CE. During the Safavid Shah Abbas era, a second wave of Afshar tribes entered Persia and settled in the areas of Azerbaijan and Khorasan in southwestern Persia. It should be noted that at this time, many tribes were forced to disperse and relocate to prevent future uprisings in the kingdom. An important military leader who became king of Persia was Nader Shah Afshar (r. 1736-1747 CE), a historical Afshar tribe figure.
Afshar rugs are named for the tribes who live and weave in the Kerman Province. For example, rugs made in villages or towns in Kerman, such as Sirjan, are named Sirjan Ashfar. Small groups of the Afshar tribe live in Kurdestan Province and weave Bidjar carpets, which are called "Afshar Bidjar." Rugs woven by other Afshar members scattered through-out Persia are named after the locations; for example, rugs woven by the Afshar weavers in Khamseh, in southwestern Persia, are called "Khamseh" rugs.
In Kerman, the town of Sirjan is the epicenter of the Afshar tribe, and it is surrounded by more than a hundred villages and towns that weave Afshar rugs. In the areas of Dehaj and Shahrbabak, other ethnic groups also make Afshar rugs. Rugs woven in Dehaj or Shahrbabak are named in the market as Dehaj Afshar or Shahrbabak Afshar. Another ethnic group weaving Afshar rugs is located in the Jabal Barez Mountains; these rugs are called kouhi Afshar; kouh means "mountains" in Farsi.
Afshar rugs generally have a wool foundation and a wool pile. There are antique weavings with cotton warps as well. On occasion, goat hair or a mixture of wool and goat hair is used for the weft. After World War II most rugs were made on a cotton foundation. Both Turkish (symmetric) and Persian (asymmetric) knots are employed. The grade quality ranges from low to fine. Rugs from the Shahrbabak, Dehaj, and Sirjan areas were woven with a single weft and low pile and are light to handle. The Kouhi Afshars have a double weft and a high pile, making them heavier. Flatwoven rugs made by the Afshar tribes for nomad daily use are: Khorjin (saddlebags), transport bags, shepherd bags, Namakdan (salt) bags, Paneer (cheese) bags, grain storage bags, and tobacco bags. There are also Soumak rugs. In addition, Afshars often have flatwoven kilims or Soumak panels on each end of the rug.
Afshar rugs are known in the antique market from the mid-nineteenth century. The designs are semi-geometric and have a strong influence from eastern Anatolia (Turkey), Azerbaijan, Kerman, Turkestan, and the nomadic weavers surrounding Kerman Province. Importantly, Afshar tribal weavers are known to have introduced design elements of Persian folk art. They used the traditional Kerman shawl design of the Boteh (paisley) along with other Persian tribal designs from Bakhtiari, Baluch, Lori, and Qashqai. The paisley motif is popular throughout villages and towns, appearing in weavings ranging from small bags to large room sizes, runners, and gallery formats. Another Kerman design used is the Tree of Life, which is beautifully made in a nomadic style. The Turkmen Gul (flower), Shrub, Star, animal, bird, and S and EE motifs of Anatolia, Azerbaijan, and the tribes of southwestern Persia are also incorporated. Afshar weavers occasionally used vertical or diagonal stripes in the background, and at times, in the border. In addition, they employed the Lattice style or allover patterns featuring geometric flowers, Vase motifs, bouquets, or shrubs throughout the field. Weavings with one, two, or three medallions were also made. Also, examples of Triclinium Carpets designs appear in Afshar weavings.
Some Afshars are woven by brides before their wedding as a Jahaz (dowry), which symbolizes the new family life ahead of them. These rugs are finely woven and have a large flatwoven kilim with multi-colored wefts at each end.
The background colors of Afshar rugs feature reds, blues, or ivory. Additionally, tones of gold, green, turquoise, cinnamon, brown, and black are utilized for the medallions, borders, corners, flower heads, and other design elements. Dark brown or black is used for motif and border outlines.
Kouhi and Shahrbabak Afshar formats range from small bags to rugs of approximately seven feet by five feet. Dehaj Afshar formats range from bag face rugs to carpets in room-size dimensions of ten feet by eight feet. Sirjan Afshar formats range from small bags to rugs in sizes of seven feet by four feet six inches. A large percentage of early Afshar weavings are shorter in length, with some close to square in format. Room sizes up to eighteen feet by twelve feet are found in rare instances in the antique market and auction galleries.
Afshar rugs have beautiful tribal, artistic designs and coloration. They are valuable and in demand by collectors and consumers worldwide.

See also

• Afshar Rug/An Introduction on the Carpets of Iran
  

Search for Afshar Rug on Wikipedia.

Bibliography

1. Abraham Levi Moheban. 2015. The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving. NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.