Ardabil rugs

Ardebil rugs

Ardebil (also spelt Ardabil) rugs are made at Ardabil, 639 kilometres from Tehran in the province of Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. Ardebil has a rich and distinguished Persian carpet weaving tradition. Ardebil gets its name from the Avesta (Zoroastrians' sacred text), where the word Artavil means "high holy site." Ardebil's weavers use Persian knots to weave their looms. A Persian carpet from Ardebil is one of the most famous oriental rugs in the world today and is highly sought after in the western world.

Ardebil is an ancient city with historic architecture. The Ardebil Carpets, also known as the "Sheikh Safi" carpets, were purchased from this city after originally being woven for its Sheikh Safi al-Din Mosque. The carpets are famous and are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.

Ardebil rugs have been in the market since the first quarter of the twentieth century and feature geometric patterns as well as central medallions.

Ardebil or Ardabil rugs come from North-West Iran, not far from the Caspian Sea.

The (symmetric) Turkish knot is constantly utilised. These carpets had designs that were comparable to Tabriz's Persian gardens but were of lower quality. They were primarily made in modest quantities for home use in small rooms. The field and borders were painted in traditional colours.

Geometric designs are also common in village's and nomad's carpets are typical of this rug style. In comparison to other Persian carpets, their knot density is relatively coarse. Nonetheless, they are of excellent quality and appear in good condition, attributed to the thin pile.

Floral motifs featuring palmettes, leaves and vines in a central medallion or all-over pattern can be shown.

The rugs and carpets are made of natural materials and have a cotton foundation and a wool pile.

Because the dyes were manufactured from natural ingredients such as pomegranate peel and indigo, the hues differ somewhat, creating a ‘ripple' look where darker and lighter batches of wool were utilised.

Rug weaving is particularly popular in this ancient Iranian region. It is steeped in a long and illustrious history. Their weaving style was influenced by the Mongol invasion of Iran in the 13th century when they settled in the northwest. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Safavid Dynasty reigned supreme over Persian carpet production in the region.

Like many other parts of Iran, almost every man and woman in this harsh and hilly region have the talent and skill to weave high-quality carpets by hand without using any contemporary technology. Rug weaving is sometimes the family's sole source of income. They barter the rugs with local merchants in adjacent cities for household goods and necessities.

Ardabil, Bakhshaish, Gharajeh, Goravan, Heriz, Mehraban, Sarab, and Shahsavan are some areas and towns in Iran's Turkish region. This historical region of Iran and parts of Turkey and Uzbekistan played a crucial role in developing the modern carpet industry. They have been weaving carpets for a long time and continue to do so every day.