WikiRug:Featured Article/2020/5

Bakhtiari Bakhtiari people are a noble, ancient tribe surviving in the Chahar Mahal region of south-central Iran. Primitive Bakhtiari rugs frequently have a checkerboard or garden pattern decorated with trees-of-life, birds, flowers and animals, sometimes realistic, sometimes abstract. Generally these are woven with a Turkish knot. But some very beautiful floral patterns are still produced in the principal town of Shahr Kurd with the Persian knot, showing long, exaggerated medallions reminiscent of an earlier Isfahan style. Color schemes include many shades of brown, rust, yellow ochre, bottle green, beige, dark blue and red. By the turn of the century the Persian carpet industry was recognized by consumers in the Western market. With this growing demand, most Bakhtiari towns and villages began to produce carpets in all sizes, which brought new income to the Bakhtiari population. The designs made are generally semigeometric; some Bakhtiari workshops produced floral styles. The carpets are woven in the allover or medallion design, with Keshti (garden pattern), Lattice, Shrub, Tree of Life, flower bouquet, cypress tree, willow tree, and other natural motifs. Many of the Bakhtiari designs have influences from the surrounding weaving areas, such as FARAHAN in the north, JOSHEGHAN in the east, and from tribes such as the Lori and the QASHQAI from the south. (Full article...)