Sirjan Rug
| Sirjan Rug | |
|---|---|
 Design of Sirjan Rug (Rugman) | |
| General information | |
| Name | Sirjan Rug |
| Original name | قالی سیرجان |
| Alternative name(s) | Sirjan Carpet (Afshar Rug) |
| Origin |  Iran: Kerman |
| Category | Village |
| Technical information | |
| Common designs | Medallion, Geometric |
| Common colors | Red, Navy Blue, Blue, Cream, White, Pink |
| Dyeing method | Natural, Synthetic |
| Pile material | Wool |
| Foundation material | Cotton, Wool |
| Knot type | Asymmetrical (Persian), Symmetrical (Turkish) |
Sirjan rugs originate from Sirjan, located in the Province of Fars in southern Iran, is the main collection point for the tribal traditional rugs that are produced in the area between Shiraz and Kerman. Strategically situated at the intersection of roads joining the four southern provinces, Sirjan is an important market center. It is also the ancestral home to the Afshari people who have greatly influenced the style of Sirjan rugs. Sirjan is famous for its highly collectable “Sofreh” textile – a small, square shape Kilim type textile that had many practical functions including that of a dining rug. The majority of Sirjan rugs are flat weave, which basically creates a textile without a pile. The technique of flat weaving Sirjan rugs means that no knots are used in the weaving process. Instead the warp strands are used as the foundation and the weft stands are used as both part of the foundation and in creating the patterns. The weft strands are woven through the warp strands. However there are Sirjan rugs that are woven with the symmetrical knot at an approximate density of 100 KPSI (knots per square inch).
History
Sirjan is a city located in the Kerman Province of south central Iran. The majority of the weavers are from the Afshar tribe, although some weavers have other backgrounds of Iranian descent. Sirjan Afshar rugs are woven in over a hundred villages surrounding the city of Sirjan. Sirjan Afshar rugs are known in the trade from the last quarter of the nineteenth century.
Sirjan Afshar rugs are durable because of the lightly hammered double-west technique applied in weaving. Pileless rugs are also produced in Sirjan, gencrally for personal use.[1]
Materials
Foundation and Pile
Sirjan Afshar rugs have a wool foundation and a wool pile. After World War II, many weavers from Sirjan switched to a cotton foundation.[2]
Techniques and structures
Color and dyeing
Sirjan Afshar main colors are reds or blues, with a small percentage woven with ivory or browns in the field. In addition, greens, orange, gold, and black arc cmployed in the design clements, borders, and medallions.[3]
Motifs and Designs
The designs are geometric, with TURKESTAN tribal influences. The rugs have a medallion or allover pattern surrounded by simple mouif clements in the background. Some designs have one, two, or three pendant-shaped medallions on an Open Field. In the allover style, repeated geometric lower bouquets are woven in the background. Sirjan rugs have seycral cqually wide borders. Al times, the main border is slightly wider and is recognizable for having a dillcrent color background from the field. The border motifs are geometric, with lower heads, leaves, and vincs. Occasionally diagonal stripe patterns are made for one of the border designs.
By the late twentieth century, some of the weavers converted from traditional Afshar designs to make KERMAN-style carpets and rugs.[4]
Weaving techniques
The Persian (asymmetric) knot is used. The rug formats range from small bag face rugs to approximately cight sect by five fect. Flatweaves are also found in the trade in dimensions of small tribal pieces to approximately right feet by five fect. Sirjan Afshar rugs are generally medium to good in grade quality.[5]
See also
References
Bibliography
Abraham Levi Moheban, (2015), The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving, NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.