Persian carpets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Persian carpets - Essay Example The increased urbanism and industrial expansion in Iran in the contemporary age has in no way, weakened the Iranians’ association with carpets. Carpets have always been and continue to be the most particular and fantabulous characteristic feature of the Iranian culture and heritage. Iranians’ deep-rooted associated with this insignia of their national heritage brings life to the ambiance of every Iranian home. The history of Persian carpets encompasses a complete account of the way one of the greatest civilizations of the world has evolved and ruled over the world of arts and crafts through something as simple as a carpet. â€Å"From being simply articles of need, as pure and simple floor entrance covering to protect the nomadic tribesmen from the cold and damp, the increasing beauty of the carpets found them new owners - kings and nobleman, those who looked for signs of wealth or adornment for fine buildings† (â€Å"The Persian Carpet Gallery†). Ctesiphon was conquered by the Arabs in 637. The Spring Time of Khosroe was amongst the carpets they retrieved from Iran. This has conventionally been recognized as the most distinct piece of art of its time. The 90 feet square carpet has been described by the Arab historians in these words â€Å"The border was a magnificent flower bed of blue, red, white, yellow and green stones; in the background the colour of the earth was imitated with gold; clear stones like crystals gave the illusion of water; the plants were in silk and the fruits were formed by colour stones† (Kianush). In the 13th century, the Mongols found Persian carpets after their invasion into the country. This changed the artistic life of Iran for the following 200 years. As a result of the devastation caused by the Mongols, the carpet weaving trend saw a decline. However, the conqueror Tamerlane spared the Iranian artisans and led them to Turkistan from where, the Persian carpet art started to flourish again. Tamerlane ’s son Shah Rokh encouraged the carpet weavers and facilitated them with resources to help them increase the production. The Persian carpet art saw a climax when the lavish royal support provided the weavers with the finest materials for carpet making. In 1499, Shah Ismail took measures to establish a national industry in Iran to help the weavers optimize on their skills. Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty helped the industry spread. Persian carpets were brought from the nomads’ tents to the towns and industrialized cities. Establishment of a royal carpet factory in Isfahan and recruitment of artisans to provide the craftsmen with professional designs were some steps that led the Persian carpet art to its apogee. One of the hand-woven Persian carpets from the 5th century B.C. is in the Pazyryk valley. Over the centuries, this carpet has become a little bedraggled, though a thick sheet of ice was originally used to preserve it that kept protecting this carpet for more th an 2500 years. It was in 1929 when Rudenko and Griaznov led a Russian ethnographic mission to excavate the five tumuli. They discovered a magnificent carpet while excavating the fifth tumulus. Experts attribute its origin to Persia because of its obvious resemblance with the antique Persian art. The outer of the two principal border bands is decorated with a line of horsemen: seven on each side, twenty-eight in number -- a figure which corresponds to the number of males