02506 Hamadan From West Persia 445 x 386 cm

Antique Hamadan Rugs (also spelled Hamedan ) – Hamadan is the capital of an eponymous province, and it’s one of the oldest cities in Persia. It’s also one of Persia’s most productive and diverse weaving centers. Over the years, many refugees, minorities and ethnic groups have inhabited the area. Like other cities in the western part of Persia, Hamadan produced fine, coarse carpets that are made with the symmetric Ghiordes or Turkish knot. Due to the sheer number of villages in the province of Hamadan and the area’s ethnic diversity, many unique designs are featured in these regional rugs.
Traditionally, Hamadan has been a center for commercial carpet production. Unlike other areas that incorporated westernized styles, antique rugs from Hamadam feature localized designs that are occasionally limited to individual villages. The fragmented ethnic groups that have historically lived in Hamadan include Kurds, Azeri Turks and Islamic people. Antique Hamadan rugs traditionally favor angular designs although large-scale arabesques and curvilinear motifs are also found. They are closely related to rugs produced in the neighboring areas of Bibakabad, Shiraz, Lilihan and dozens of cities that produce local styles.
Regional rugs incorporate the curve-linear designs of central Persia and the angular symbols of the Caucasus in an elegant, classic manner. The single-weft structure used in Hamadan produces a coarse yet substantial surface. Regional rugs incorporate rich blues and dark scarlet reds that use ivory and soft neutrals for contrast. The classic style of antique Hamadan rugs makes them versatile design pieces and perennial favorites that are beloved by collectors and designers.
Antique Hamadan (Hamedan) rugs, generally produced in scatter sizes drew extensively upon the tribal weaving traditions of Iran. Initially an offshoot of Kurdish village weaving in the area, Hamadans became one of the most widely exported types of small Persian rugs in the earlier twentieth century because they encompassed such a wide range of tribal designs and decorative effects. All natural dyes are paramount for the carpet to have more than just decorative value. Beyond that, various dyers had varying levels of skill and invested different lengths of time in dyeing the yarns.  The “quality of color”–its radiance and level of nuance within each color–is centrally important.  Certain rare colors such as Tyrian purple, saffron yellow, cochineal rose and greens add to the carpet’s value.