Ghalin History

TITLE: Floral Carpet With Arabesques

ORIGIN: North-East of Iran, Mashhad, Khorasan Province

EOCH. PERIOD: Safavid Empire, Iran

DATE: Second Half of 16^th Century

MATERIAL: Cotton, Wool

TECHNIQUE: Persian knot, 490, 000 knots per sq. m (316 knots per sq.in)

• 70 knots per 10 cm. across
• 70 knots per 10 cm. lengthwise

DIMENSIONS : 375 x 270 cm (147 x 106 in.)

• Warp of Unbleached Cotton
• Weft of Unbleached Cotton and Copper-Colored Cotton
• Wool Pile with Flat-Woven Silver Thread

LOCATION: Collection of the Astan Quds Razavi Museum, Mashhad, Iran

NOTE:

This carpet, adorned with the “Gol Afshan” motif, is likely a creation commissioned by Shah ʿAbbās the Great (the fifth shah of Safavid Iran from 1588 to 1629) for the shrine of Imam Reza, the 8th Imam of Shiites. This initiative aligns with the Safavid era’s promotion of the Shiite religion in Iran. Notably, this carpet provides supporting evidence for the existence of carpet-weaving workshops in regions beyond northwest and central Iran during the Safavid period.

The design of the carpet stands out for its remarkable sense of “liveness.” This dynamic quality is achieved through the use of silver leaves as the primary material, intricately incorporated throughout the entire carpet, imparting a distinctive relief effect to the design.