Lori Rug
| Lori Rug | |
|---|---|
 Design of Lori Rug (Rugman) | |
| General information | |
| Name | Lori Rug |
| Original name | قالی لری |
| Alternative name(s) | Lori Carpet |
| Origin |  Iran: Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Isfahan, Markazi |
| Category | Trabil, Village |
| Technical information | |
| Common designs | Geometric |
| Common colors | Red, Brown, Navy Blue, Beige |
| Dyeing method | Natural, Synthetic |
| Pile material | Wool |
| Foundation material | Cotton, Wool, Goat Hair |
| Knot type | Symmetrical (Turkish), Asymmetrical (Persian) |
Lori rugs, woven by people living in Lorestan in the western part of Iran, are tribal traditional rugs. The Lori, or Luri as they are sometimes referred to, have lived happily as nomads for over 600 years, free from the constraints of our modern culture. Linguistically Persian, Lori weavers create traditional rugs in designs and styles similar to those created by the Kurds. Still living as they did hundreds of years ago, Lori rugs are woven with handmade tools following the time honored traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation over centuries. Lori rugs are flat-woven, meaning that it is a textile without a pile. Flat weave is a technique of weaving where no knots are used. Instead the warp strands are used as the foundation of the traditional rugs 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.
History
The Lori, also called “Lor” or “Lur,” are a large tribe living in the Lorestan Province and across the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. They are the oldest known tribe in Iran. Over the centuries, the Lori tribe have spread out from Lorestan and settled in the Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran near the Persian Gulf. Lori live among the AFSHAR, BAKHTIARI, Kurd, and QASHQAI tribes. They reside in cities and towns in the region, but a small percentage still live as nomads, raising livestock and migrating semiannually. A historically significant Lori subtribc is the Mamassani.[1]
Materials
Foundation and Pile
Lori rugs began to be woven in the mid-nineteenth century. Rugs from this period to the 1920s have a wool foundation. From the 1920s onward, the weavers mainly used a cotton foundation.[2]
Techniques and structures
Color and dyeing
The colors of Lori rugs, typically created with vegetable coloring are predominantly deep blues, reds, and oranges.[3]
Motifs and patterns
Lori designs are geometric, with tribal influences from Kurdistan and Turkmenistan. Lori rugs generally have an allover pattern featuring diamond-shaped lozenges with or without * Hook motifs, as well as horizontal and vertical stripes, Turkmen Gul (flower), Shrub, Star, and S motifs, and leaves, animals, birds, flower heads, and other tribal motifs. Tribal movements and intermarriages among tribes resulted in design combinations.[4]
Weaving techniques
Lori weavers are known for making flatwoven rugs mostly for personal use. Some weavers use an extra weft for their flatwoven designs similar to the SOUMAK styles from the CAUCASUS region. Pile rugs are also woven, most with the Turkish (symmetric) knot, although some occasionally are made with Persian (asymmetric) knots.[5]
See also
References
Bibliography
Abraham Levi Moheban, (2015), The Encyclopedia of Antique Carpets: Twenty-Five Centuries of Weaving, NewYork: Princeton Architectural Press.