Iranian hand-woven carpets have been Iran’s largest source of foreign exchange earnings for centuries, if not more, than oil, if not for centuries.
And it is no exaggeration to say that, apart from its export value, the art of carpet weaving has been the most distinctive means of our cultural identification with the world. If every country had such a potential capital, it would not only try to maintain it, but also try to expand it every day compared to the previous day, but not only did we not do that, but by neglecting and creating obstacles, the situation is getting worse day by day. We did not prevent the expansion of this huge Iranian industry, and now the work has reached a point where all those who somehow have access to the production, sale and export of Iranian carpets are deeply concerned that there will be a tomorrow for it?
As life progresses, the value of art becomes more apparent, and art in general is what arouses our emotions. So art in general is the characteristics of natural and artificial objects and phenomena made by human hands that arouse our feelings towards ourselves and because in the whole universe we can not find anything that does not arouse emotion in us, so in everything there are traces of art. There is and we can boldly say that the world is full of art. We generally divide art into two distinct groups:
1- The art of nature
2- Art made by human hands
The industry and art of carpet weaving in Iran is one of these man-made arts in which a lot of elegance and beauty is used and has many signs and symbols and events in its heart, but their production is related to time and place. Belief in symbols on carpets today often lacks scientific resources, because symbols are through beliefs. Superstitions have arisen, and a change in beliefs is an inevitable change in symbols and signs. For example, if the role of the cypress tree is used in carpets today, it does not have the same meaning as it was used in antique and old carpets.
The role of today’s cypress does not carry old symbols and messages, but is inspired by its beautiful image. These images are drawn either as objective reality or as abstraction based on the skill and mastery of the master.
Craftsmen often choose patterns and colors based on artistic aesthetics and what they like best, not because it is symbolic.
Despite the depletion of symbols from doctrinal concepts, the artistic value of the carpet remains in its power because art is a mirror of the human soul that is itself formed through beliefs.
Early carpets were probably nomadic carpets whose producers were not in a position to depict natural patterns in a realistic way, but were inevitably able to create patterns by simplifying them (abstraction).
Images of animals have been passed down from generation to generation.
If the lion, although it has not been objectively present in the plains of Iran for decades, still remains in the minds of the nomads and their carpets.
Abstraction in role-playing enriches the viewer’s imagination and seeks to share moments with the viewer through the artist’s abstraction. Abstraction is not a modern phenomenon in every phenomenon, but has existed since the early days of art and prehistoric mankind. Abstraction has been popular in Europe since the beginning of the twentieth century, known as modern art.
Find the root of Gabbeh
No one knows for sure where the name Gabbeh comes from and what its origins are and why Gabbeh is known by this name. Some linguists and writers believe that this word means rough, thick and stiff and something like that, because it is Gabbeh carpet. It is said that he has a long sleep and is heavily woven. This type of bedding was woven by nomads for personal use. Gabbeh was a basement to protect the cold from the earth and to protect the nomadic family. For the first time in the history of Iran, the word Gabbeh is mentioned in a report welcoming Shah Tahmasb Safavid to Shah Homayun Gurkhani, King of India, who was forced to flee to Iran due to politics and the conspiracies and betrayals of the courtiers. Shah Tahmaseb Safavid shelters Shah Homayoun Gurkhani and orders him to give a unique and lively welcome to greet him, so the directors of the welcoming party, led by Mohammad Khan Ashraf Oghli, in the halls of Talabaf’s two-bedroom rugs , The felt of the fluffy piece of Ather’s atlas, Gabbeh, and three twelve-sided carpets of Koushgani (Joshaghani) were spread and covered with velvet and satin garments on seven horses. Kill the green.
Introduction to Gabbeh:
Gabbeh is a kind of hand-woven carpet that sleeps up to three centimeters, is coarse-textured and is thick in proportion to its weft. The main skeleton of Gabbeh is warp and weft. In Gabbeh, a lot of weft is used in each ridge and sometimes the number is from three to eight wefts in each ridge. Gabbeh root is taken long so as not to create gaps between the ridges due to the heavy use of thick fabric. And to make Gabbeh full of meat and not corny, they use long feathers. Gabbeh is mostly woven in the “Persian weaving” method and Gabbehs are woven on horizontal (ground) poles. Gabbeh is made entirely of wool, from the warp and weft to the roots, and its most important pest is the willow. High quality gabbehs are made of spring wool and the wools are spun by hand and dyed in a natural and plant way, and these dyes are very durable and have a lot of stability and radiance compared to chemical dyes. Gabbeh design is mental and geometric and with the help of symmetrical weaving, attractive designs and patterns that are inspired by the environment around and around the weaver. Gabbeh packaging unit is Baqcheh and 2 to 4 Gabbeh boards are placed in each package.
Gabbeh standard and size
Gabbehs woven by tribes and nomads, because they were for personal use, were not subject to any standard in terms of dimensions, and their length and width depended on the desire of the Gabbeh weaver, and perhaps on the size of the nomadic weavers’ tent. Gabbeh is woven in almost different sizes, especially when this carpet is also imported to urban homes and is used like other carpets.
Gabbeh is woven in rectangles in the sizes of 2.5 * 1.5, 200 * 100, 250 * 150, 3.5 / 2.5 * and 2.5 * 1. The size of the gabbeh sometimes depends on the customer’s request, and if the customer does not determine the size of the gabbeh, the Gabbeh weaver will weave the gabbeh as much as he wants. But today, with its acceptance and market demand, Gabbeh is woven in standard sizes.
Gabbeh Design
Gabbeh’s design is very simple and geometric. At first, Gabbehs were woven without patterns and simple, and sometimes they were inspired by the surrounding environment. Whatever the weaver had in mind to do on Gabbeh, the Gabbehs that were woven by the nomads had mental designs, and because Gabbeh had personal use, for the weaver, only what he had in mind and no restrictions in choosing the design of existence. He did not, he would execute himself on Gabbeh and the designs would be woven from his surroundings and maybe they would implement their wishes and desires on Gabbeh. For example, the role of the tent may have been the desire to have a larger tent or a fixed sanctuary, and the role of man has been a symbol of having a family and flowers and plants as a sign of greenery and the role of sheep and flocks and even dogs in front of nomads. Gabbeh is a genuine Iranian art that can be said: its design and role distinguish it from other handicrafts, and although sometimes it is less laborious than carpet, but still Gabbeh is admirable art in its place.
Colors used in Gabbeh
Gabbeh’s colors in the early “self-colored” بود was the natural color of wool, and because Gabbeh was hand-woven by nomads and used only by themselves, so it can be said: Gabbeh was a unique hand-woven fabric that nomads were the first to weave. And used, the colors were initially the color itself, and the wools came in natural colors such as black, white, milky, brown, the same color as the animal wools were naturally colored, such as camel, goat, sheep, and … But with the passage of time and the migration of nomads from one place to another and access to plant colors and recognition of plant pigments and Gabbeh’s way to the houses of urban dwellers Gabbeh was also used by nomads for urban consumption and since then Gabbehs with various plant and natural colors It was dyed and woven, and each of the colors used was a symbol of something, for example, blue is a sign of purity and clarity and the sky, and green is a sign of greenery and dates, and in a way means a blessing, because the nomads to get And reaching the pastures and water are constantly migrating. The yellow color is a sign of gold and the soil of the homeland, and the good patriotism has been intense among the Qashqais. ت. For this reason, they used a lot of yellow as a symbol of homeland in their Gabbeh. Black is a sign of mortality, and in Gabbeh, black is used when someone around them and relatives have lost their life. White is a sign of birth and renewal in pre-Qashqai and…
Color Classification
It should be noted that the main colors include red, yellow and blue, which are represented as hypothetical triangles, and from the combination of these three colors, two colors are created, which are called sub-colors. According to the spectrum of sunlight, 7 colors are obtained. In fact, 3 of them are among the main colors mentioned above, and the distance between each primary color and the main color of the other colors that are obtained are called secondary colors or secondary or secondary colors, for example:
1- It is obtained from the combination of red and blue-purple colors.
2- By combining red with green, orange color is obtained.
3- By combining blue with yellow, green is obtained.
In dyes using all two neutral colors, white and black, all other colors are formed. Colors are divided into three categories, which are warm, cool and neutral colors.
1- Warm color: In fact, it belongs to the red color family. Scientifically, it speeds up blood circulation and increases the heart rate, and creates a state of excitement and enthusiasm in humans. Most of these colors are found in the sun, desert areas, fire and so on.
2- Cold colors: Colors that belong to the family of blue colors, which are known as cold colors and scientifically slow down blood flow and create a state of calm and cold in humans. It can be seen like the sea, the sky and the winter scenery.
3- Neutral colors: refers to colors that are composed of a combination of cold and warm colors or a variety of grays, black and white.
General division of colors
Colors are generally divided into two groups: achromatic colors and chromatic colors.
1- Achromatic colors: Achromatic colors include black and white and gray colors, and different types of gray colors are created from the combination of black and white colors, which are also called neutral colors.
2- Chromatic colors: Chromatic colors include any type of color that is created from the combination of primary and secondary colors, and even the main colors themselves include chromatic colors, which are called cold and warm colors.
The Psychology of Colors in Gabbeh
Yellow: Yellow is the color of youth, light and light and a sign of knowledge and happiness and reflects most of the received rays, has no depth and is considered a warm color. This color is very important for nomads, As a sign of the soil of the land and the homeland.
Blue: It is a calm and introverted color, it draws the viewer in, it means faith and it is a symbol of eternity. Blue is always shady and always has a verb and shows itself in the dark. Blue is associated with the human psyche to influence the actions of the soul and is a sign of calm. Blue is a cool color.
Red: Red is a warm color with an extroverted force. It is the color of power and activity and the color that strengthens the heart. Red is the color of truth, struggle and martyrdom, and is a symbol of life and a symbol of excitement and revolt.
Green: The color is moderate and cold, there is calm in it, in its combination, warm colors and cold colors, yellow and blue are combined in equal proportions. Green is the color of thought, peace and nature.
Orange: It is the color of youth, vitality, celebration and joy and is considered as one of the warm colors.
Purple: Purple is a color that indicates ignorance, helplessness, cruelty and difficulty. This color is mysterious and emotional. It shows a state of fear on a large scale. If the amount of red is more in purple and tends to purple, which is often seen in nature and landscapes. In purple, if the amount of blue is more (purple blue), it induces loneliness. It goes without saying that purple or purple is a color that contains love and spirituality.
Recommended for cleaning Gabbe stains
If the surface has stains on Gabbeh, it is better to use shampoo and saponins to clean it. Because these types of cleansers do not have an adverse effect on Gabbeh, they are also the best traditional cleansers.
Advice to fight moths and prevent moths
As you know, willow is one of the pests of Gabbeh, the best way to prevent corrosion is to expose Gabbeh to the open air. To fight the willow pest and destroy it, it is better to use naphthalene and camphor or camphor solution and goat hair in Shiraz Gabbeh. Gabbeh destroying agents are moisture, heat and fire.
Loche:
If one of the four corners of gabbeh is different from the other corners, the lochi gabbe has this defect due to excessive slacking of pits or inaccuracy of the knitted during cutting and separating the bee from the radar or when the gabbe is removed.
Tip:
In addition to the defects mentioned and the cause of its occurrence should be sought from the stage of preparation of materials and tools and how to weave and weave and select the map, there may be defects in the next stages of work on Gabbeh after completing the above steps, from Sentences should be created in the stage of washing Gabbeh, Darkshi, drying Gabbeh in the sun and using different medicines for washing Gabbeh and taking and paying Gabbeh.
Geographical location of Fars province
Fars province, which is located in the southern half of the country, has dry and mountainous climatic conditions, because in the northwest of this province, the Zagros Mountains and in the northwestern to southeastern regions, the climatic conditions are almost mountainous and desert. So that the northwestern and western parts of this province, unlike the eastern regions, have a mountainous climate and have mild summers and cold winters.
Fars province ends from the north to Isfahan province, from the south to Hormozgan province and from the east to Kerman province and from the west to Bushehr and Chaharmahal Bakhtiari provinces. Most of the arid parts of this province are located in the south and southeast, which increases the amount of aridity in this province. In the southern parts of the province, rivers are scarce and due to the salinity of their water, its inhabitants mostly use aqueducts, wells and springs for consumption and drinking. Although the interior of Fars province is mountainous, it has fertile valleys and very pleasant weather. Fars is one of the few provinces of the Iranian plateau that has forests and rivers such as Mandoshahpour, both of which originate from the Zagros Mountains and Rudkar, which overlooks Persepolis, are among the watery rivers of this province.
Dena and Zardkooh are the highest peaks of the Zagros and its role in the life of nomadic tribes
Zagros is a famous mountain range in Iran that has regular and special elevations and heights that extend from southern Kurdistan to the north of the Strait of Hormuz.
The regular and parallel folds of the Zagros with a length of 1350 km constitute the largest unit of roughness in Iran. The width of these folds is not the same everywhere. The narrowest part of the Zagros in a straight line along the Dez River is 125 km and the widest part is in Fars and around the meridian 54 degrees east is about 275 km. Zagros folds are regular and in most cases their axis is parallel. The highest mountains of the Zagros are walled in the northeastern margin from Shahu (Shahkuh) in South Kurdistan to Dena in Persia, which are the result of faults. The Zagros is divided into two parts: northwest (from Marivan on the border of Iran and Iraq to Persia) and southeast (from Persia to the Strait of Hormuz). Its highest peaks are Dena with a height of 409 meters and Zardkooh Bakhtiari with a height of 4221 meters. The northwestern Zagros is like a wall against the intrusion of moist air mass, which is from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, causing snow and rain in this region.
The high peaks of the Zagros, such as Zardkuh and Dena, are covered with snow most of the year. The flow of rivers in the valleys and plains between the mountains has led to the development of agriculture and the lush heights of the Zagros. The nomadic tribes of Zagros are Qashqai and Bakhtiari tribes and Khamseh and Mamasani tribes.
In what area and by whom was Gabbeh woven?
In terms of originality, we can say: the tribes and nomads of Fars province are among the first pioneers of Gabbeh weaving, which is more than one hundred and fifty years old in Fars province.
In addition to Fars province, Bushehr, Kohkiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces produced the most beautiful gabbehs.
Fars province has three groups of nomads:
1- Qashqai tribes
2- Khamseh tribes
3- Nomads of Mamasani
Among these tribes that live in Fars province, Bakhtiari tribes were also Gabbeb.
Qashqai tribes:
The Qashqai tribe consists of 6 clans and about 90 tribes:
1 and 2-Kashkoli (large and small)
3- Six blocks
4- Shore Valley tribe
Six-block tribe
After the Darre Shouri tribe, the six-block tribe is very skilled in Gabbeh weaving. The Gabbehs are very famous under the name of Shorbakhorloo. They live around the city of Abadeh and are very famous in the Gabbeh texture except for the dark Gabbeh, Hibat Lu and Doqzlu clans of the six-block tribe. In the cold season, they migrate to Farashvand region and Do Jagal rural area and Deirom area and Leopard plain, which are in the whole southwestern part of Farashvand district.
In summer, they migrate to Abadeh, Khosrow, Shirin and Ace and Pas regions.
Madan Persian tribe
This tribe is located in Gabbeh Bafi after the six-block tribe and the Gabbehs of this tribe are not as famous as other tribes. Other hand weavings are woven in this tribe, but Gabbeh, which is one of the hand weavings of this tribe, does not have a high reputation and quality.
– Gheshlagh This tribe is neighboring around Borazjan and Bushehr and next to the valley washing tribe.
– In the summer season, this tribe migrates around Apadana and the eastern parts of Yasuj.
The most important design and role of nomadic gabbehs
As mentioned in the previous discussions, except for the Qashqais, who had their own Gabbeh texture, the Khamseh and Mamasani tribes and the Bakhtiari tribes also weave Gabbeh, and this is no longer limited to the Qashqai tribes, because of all these other provinces that were adjacent to Gabbeh weavers. Learned from them. It is emphasized again that the origin of Gabbeh is unique to the Qashqai people and the same history that the Qashqais have in the context of Gabbeh had Bakhtiari in the texture of Khorsak, and it can be said that another reason was the marriage between Qashqai Turkic tribes and Bakhtiari Lor tribes. Sometimes Gabbeh was woven in Bakhtiari province and maybe sometimes Gabbeh design was used for bear weaving and vice versa and…
The most important design and role that existed among all the tribes and nomads and was used extensively was the milk design, which was sometimes used as a single milk, or a pair of milk or as a suckling in Gabbeh. And it was the only joint project of all those who were Gabbeh weavers, and it can be said that it was also a joint project between Gabbeh and Khorsak. And the lion design was woven a lot during the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah, and since Nasser al-Din Shah was the founder of the lion and the sun in Iran, so the exquisite gabbehs had more of a lion pattern, or the sun lion. It was made mostly of wool and the best type of wool, materials, maps and colors were used in such garlands. Gabbehs with lion motifs and perhaps with motifs of Gabbeh flower, Gabbeh pond, brick Gabbeh and geometric designs, as mentioned, were mostly for the elders and readers or for gifts to the elders of other provinces or as gifts to the rulers of the country. The role of Bakhtiari’s Pradenbeh carpet, which is inspired by Qashqai designs and somewhat inspired by Cubism and French Koblen motifs, may be a reason to prove that the Qashqai and Bakhtiari designs were inspired by each other’s designs and patterns and used them in their textures.
Most of the designs used were mental and geometric and were inspired by nature and their surroundings. In the arrangements, components and objects in Gabbeh, the designs of animals around and around the nomads are mostly used, and each animal has its own symbol. And animals like owls and black cats and mythical animals like ostriches and dragons are not common in Gabbeh. The most important designs and roles of Qashqai tribes are:
1- Dairy design
2- Brick design
3- Gabbeh Pool
4- Gol Gabbeh
5- Provincial plans
6- Tree design
7- Geometric design
8- Cloud design
9- Four seasons plan
1- Milk Design
The most popular and best role among the nomads of the southwestern provinces of Iran is the role of the lion, which has a high place in ancient Iran and in Islamic culture. In the Shiite religion, the lion is attributed to courage, strength, power and other positive traits and attributes to Imam Ali, the first Imam of the Shiites, and has a special respect for Iranians and Shiites. And there is another theory that there was a lot of milk in Persia and because their generation became extinct over time and because the Qashqais were inspired by the nature around them from the designs they used in their handicrafts, that is, the naturalism that existed in the nature of weavers. It was also important to the Qashqais, which is why they used the role of a lion.
The historical significance of the Lion design
The lion has been a symbol of the Iranian people since prehistoric times, especially in historical periods, ie the Achaemenid period. As in the construction of Persepolis (Persepolis) during the Achaemenid period, the role of the lion is a symbol and protector and a sign of power, grandeur, strength and that the greyhound was characteristic of this animal and the family of large cats such as tigers, leopards and به, for example during the Achaemenid rule A large number of Xerxes introduced the governors and rulers of Iran in Egypt to other rulers with the symbol of a lion. In general, in Egypt, the lion was considered an Iranian symbol. Similarly, after the Achaemenid period, during the Sassanid period, the lion was used as the main guardian of the seal, ie the sun, as a mitra, which can be seen on the pottery, coins and buildings of this period. During the Qajar period, the role of the lion was very important, so that during the time of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar, the role of the lion was used in the middle of the Iranian flag. Therefore, it can be concluded that the role of the lion is of special importance to Iranians. It could be for the same reasons that were mentioned and most of the nomads in addition to the Qashqais used this scheme and it can be said that it was a common role of all nomadic weavers, both Qashqai and Bakhtiari, as well as Khamseh in the western neighborhood Chaharmahal Bakhtiari’s northern neighbor and Khamseh’s eastern neighbor use the role of a lion in their handicrafts.
2- Brick or frame design
This role includes designs in which the narrow text is regularly divided into several parts in the form of a frame. Each frame may have a separate design that is in harmony with the other frames or different from them. Maps used inside frames, geometric designs; The design is a flower, chicken and inlaid tree, and the star-shaped drawings decorate the margins of the frames. Small and geometric designs in any checkerboard. Depending on their daily life situation, the weavers of the checkered pattern used white or black, which means that white is a good day for them, and if they had a bad day, they used black, and perhaps in a checkered pattern. Several white or several black colors were placed in a row.
3- Gabbeh pond design
The role used in it is in the form of a thorn in the middle which shows a flower from which the flower leaves and flowers and buds branch. In Fars, it is usually called the bergamot of the pond. It was the yard of old houses, hence it is also called Toranj Hoz.
4- Gabbeh flower design
The role of the rose in Gabbeh is called the Gabbeh flower design, the text and background of which consisted of red flowers with green leaves, and it had a pattern in the margin that the color of the flowers is different from the color of the text and background.
5- Eilat plan
This design, which is popular among the tribes and nomads and is inspired by the natural environment around them, has been woven in the form of Gabbeh. This design is mostly among rhombus, circle, square, rectangle and oval frames, each of which is decorated with Iranian designs such as flowers, trees, plants. Most of the designs used in the weaving of the tribes are woven geometrically and mentally by the weaver, and each design, along with its different and special coloring, belongs to the special culture of the tribes and nomads. Types of Illyrian designs are: 1- Qashqai Ilyati 2- Lori Ilyati 3- Kurdish Ilyati 4- Hibat Lou Ilyati 5- Tafresh Bakhtiari Ilyati
6- Tree design
The role of this design is more than cypress trees, flowers, leaves and animals. The tree has always been important in human life because they could use the tree to meet their needs and use it in different ways in places where the tree is scarce. It was and the people of that border and canvas created its image on handicrafts and handicrafts. Most of the patterns were created in the hands of weavers such as carpets and rugs. Happiness and insane willow have been the manifestation of sorrow and grief. The types of these designs include tree design, animal design with bergamot, survey design, vase design, national design, and elastic and bergamot.
7- Geometric design
8- Cloud design
9- Four seasons plan
* Sources and references are available in the editorial office of Artmag.
