In the northern part of Laleh Park, after passing the Museum of Contemporary Art and Laleh Park Bazaar, we meet the Tehran Carpet Museum. The Carpet Museum can be considered as one of the most valuable museums in Tehran, that unfortunately is less paid attention to. The garden around the building is beautiful.
The main building of the Carpet Museum
After passing through the garden around the museum, we reach the main building, that is one of the most beautiful examples of modern architecture in Iran. This building was designed and built in 1977 by Farmanfarmayian. The successive external columns have a slight angle to the building, which completely distinguishes the museum building from other buildings. Each pair of columns is reminiscent of a carpet hanger that is executed in an abstract and modern way. Now, if one does not understand the meaning of the carpet, one can enjoy the visual beauty of the building and its extraordinary combination with the mountains behind. The museum building has two floors, the lower floor is a permanent exhibition and the upper floor is a place for temporary and periodic exhibitions.
Enter the Carpet Museum
After passing through the modern and large door of the museum, you will reach the ticket office. There are health services in front of the ticket counter. Going through this corridor, you will reach the first part of the museum. Here are seven exquisite carpets hung on the wall, each with a detailed story. The pool house is located in the middle of this part, which shows the architect’s attention to the traditional principles of Iranian architecture. However, the pool house is usually empty of water and does not work. A permanent store of books and handicrafts can also be found in this area.
Carpet Museum, Bakhtiari Carpet
This carpet has not been deprived of Isfahan carpet weaving tradition and has special curvature and elegance. Most Bakhtiari carpets follow the frame or brick pattern. The rural simplicity of this design is very attractive and attractive. These maps follow a single pattern of repetitive designs. Duplicate patterns usually have a single shape, but the interior design changes with color. The Bakhtiari carpet in question has only one axis of vertical symmetry and it cannot be folded symmetrically on the horizontal axis. That’s why looking at this rug will give you the feeling of moving forward.
Small arrow heads like this intensify the sense of progress. For this reason, this rug is not suitable for spreading in the middle of the hall, and these types of rugs are mostly spread at the entrance point of a large hall that goes inside the hall or the entrance corridors. In this way, the carpet shows the movement of the guests and guides them inwards. This is a kind of polite greeting to guests. So wherever you see the frame design, you can most likely recognize the carpet as Bakhtiari. Of course, the opposite is not true, and not all Bakhtiari carpets are made of bricks and frames, and there are more diverse designs in the Bakhtiari carpet weaving industry. In other words, the brick carpet is probably Bakhtiari, but the Bakhtiari carpet is not necessarily brick. Bakhtiari carpet knots are Turkish or symmetrical. The shape of the rug is similar to the patterns used in kilims.
Carpet Museum, Isfahan Carpet
Isfahan carpet is also called Shah Abbasi carpet. Because the carpet weaving industry in Isfahan was launched by Shah Abbas. To identify the map of Isfahan, you can use the architectural effect in the carpet map. The different parts of the carpet are very similar to the architecture of the roof during the Safavid period. Sometimes Isfahan carpet weavers copied the exact role of the roof of the building for the design of the carpet. In this way, the design on the ceiling was symmetrical with the design of the carpet, which is a very attractive creativity. This rug has two axes of vertical and horizontal symmetry and is ideal for spreading under the central plastering of the main hall. Isfahan carpets can have a density of eighty ridges or even higher, that justifies its location in the center of the building. Carpet knots are made in Persian or asymmetrical. Creativity such as embossing is also common in Isfahan.
Carpet Museum, Mashhad Carpet
The main feature of this rug is that it does not have a special general design and is full of details. Minimalism in the design of this carpet makes it one of the most beautiful and hearty rugs in the whole collection. You may imagine the carpet without a design from a distance, but up close the high volume of details will surprise you. Also, the lines of symmetry in this carpet are vertical and horizontal. Minimalism with many details is one of the main features of Khorasan carpets. Also, most Khorasan carpets are very heavy and thicker. Both Persian and Turkish knots are common in Khorasan. Uncle Oghli, Khamenei, Zarbaf and Velvet weavers are the most important carpet weavers in Khorasan. The general color of Khorasan carpets is dark with low color variety, which adds to its glorious simplicity.
Carpet Museum, Kerman Carpet
Kerman carpets are divided into two main categories: urban carpets and nomadic carpets. Wherever you see a carpet that referred to Iranian stories, historical figures, Shahnameh narratives, as well as mythical animals and people, you can say with a good approximation that the carpet is the texture of Kerman. Most of the time you will be right. One of the interesting carpets in this collection of Kerman carpets is related to the time of Ahmad Shah Qajar, who has gathered important historical figures, from Shah Abbas to Alexander and Napoleon in one garden. In the lower and middle part of the carpet, the image of Ahmad Shah Qajar can be seen. The names of the characters are marked with numbers around the carpet. This rug has neither vertical nor horizontal symmetry. Due to the image of the king on it, even at the same time, it was not spread on the ground and was mostly hung on the wall in the form of a curtain. For this reason, there is no need for a line of symmetry in this carpet. The knots of the carpet are Persian.
Carpet Museum, Tabriz Carpet
Unlike the low-key Mashhad carpet, this carpet is full of patterns. The role of animals can also be seen in this carpet. At first glance, the carpet design has vertical and horizontal symmetry. But when we look at it more closely, we notice that the colors of the upper and lower parts, as well as the right and left parts of the carpet are different.
In this way, the top right role is the same as the bottom left, and the bottom right role is the same as the top left. By looking more closely at the role of the carpet, you can also find exceptions that have broken this rule as well. In this way, the viewer can be entertained by discovering animals in this crowded garden as well as finding differences in color and design. This rug is not suitable for the main hall and the place of formal conversation and can distract the listener.
But for the waiting room, the guest room or wherever the guest is supposed to be alone, it is ideal and can keep him busy for a short time. Also, wherever you find writing, calligraphy or poetry on the carpet, be sure that the carpet is the work of Tabriz. This rule does not include annotations and names written on Kerman carpets. Apart from urban carpets such as Tabriz, Azerbaijani carpets also include nomadic carpets such as Shahsoon and rural carpets such as Mehraban carpets. The knot in these rugs is generally symmetrical Turkish, but Persian Korean weaving is very common in the top and bottom of the carpet as well as in kilim weaving at the top and bottom of the rug.
Carpet Museum, Kashan Carpet
Kashan carpet is one of the most important carpet weaving schools in Iran, which is registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Kashan carpet, especially the majestic carpet of Kashan, along with Basri carpet (Pasargadi or Baseri) is world famous. The use of various colors and also benefiting from the wonderful combination of colors, are the reasons for the popularity of Kashan carpets. Toothed foliage and toothed bergamot are the characteristics of Kashan carpets. Animal hunting ground is also one of Kashani’s traditional designs. Master Hossein Kashi and Haj Mullah Hossein Mohtasham are two examples of famous carpet weavers in Kashan and Iran. This human cultural heritage is categorized in the list of heritage needs attention. In the Iranian Carpet Museum, you can find excellent examples of tile carpets.
Carpet Museum, Qashqai Carpet
One of the most attractive patterns of carpet weaving in Qashqai is the traditional design, without a pattern, mental and irregular, which is not found anywhere else. The mental texture of the Qashqai carpet can be compared to the improvisation of a master musician. Achieving a complete design without a previous plan shows the mastery and mastery of the carpet weaver. Qashqai carpets are generally small and the low density of the number varies between 15 to 20 ridges and in high samples varies up to 50 ridges. Saneh carpet, Sanandaj weave with low density but excellent coloring and Farahan carpet, Markazi province are other important parts of carpet weaving in Iran. The carpets of Markazi, Qashqai and Saneh provinces had less aristocratic and courtly use. One of the most exquisite carpets in the museum is a silk and silver carpet from Qom.
