Bakhtiati carpets

Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari is a region in southeastern Iran. The capital of this region is Shahr-e-Kord. The province’s history is most closely linked to the Bakhtiari tribe. People in this province have a subsistence economy. They have a great reputation on producing excellent carpets called Bakhtiari. Because of the mountainous area, it is a good location to produce raw materials for manufacturing. Carpets in tribal life are regarded as a luxury good giving prestige to those who own them.

Carpet frames are usually horizontal apart from those provided by the government for tribes. It is important to state that the knotting tribes in this region uses Turkish knots with double weft and fine wool to produce fine carpets, but those that are located in Shahr-e-Kord use Persian knots with single weft.

Bakhtiari patterns are subjective, and knotters use their imagination to create them. This is the reason why sometimes it is possible to notice small differences on two similar carpets. Some main designs are in cashmere pattern, vases and trees, corner medallions and multi panel.

One of the main characteristics of the Bakhtiari is the color choices. Tribal women while moving from one place to another collect plants that will be useful for tinctures. This is the way tribes naturally dye threads. Recently more chemical colors are being used for carpet production in the Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari region, especially if the carpet is in red, light and dark blue, green, orange and yellow.

Bakhtiari carpets come in different sizes and shapes. It is used to produce carpets in sizes 1.30m x 2.40m or 2.5m x 3.40m. It is also possible to find large or square carpets. When washing Bakhtiari, special products should be used because of color sensitivity. It is best to outsource carpet washing to specialists.