Afshar is a handwoven rug style produced by the Turkic

Afshar tribe Afshar ( az, Əfşar افشار; tr, Avşar, ''Afşar''; tk, Owşar; fa, اَفشار, Āfshār) is a tribe of Oghuz Turkic origin, that split into several groups in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan. During the Seljuk conquests of the 11th century ...

, a semi-nomadic group principally located in the mountainous areas surrounding the modern region of

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

. An additional population of Afshar tribes-people is located in the

Kuchan Quchan ( fa, قوچان ' ; also Romanized as Qūchān and Quçan; also known as Khabushan, Gochan) is a city and capital of Quchan County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. It is located due south of the border city of Ashgabat. At the 2006 ce ...

area in Razavi Khorasan Province of Iran and city of

Kerman Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...

. Carpets in the Afshar style are known for their stylized floral geometric designs, tribal artistry, and a characteristic palette of rust and blue color tones.

History

Since the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

period, the Turkic tribal group Afshar migrated from their origins in Central Asia to settle in

Azerbaijan republic Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, and

Eastern Turkey The Eastern Anatolia Region ('' tr, Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ. It is bordered by the Black Se ...

. This background has led to the inclusion of regional influences on Afshar weaving, resulting in a distinctive aesthetic that incorporates elements of several village and nomadic Persian rug styles, as well as Southern Persian design influences. Caucasian rug influences are also strongly felt.

Design

Antique Afshar rugs from the 19th century are characterized by their quality of craftsmanship and wool. Colors are saturated: deep

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

carnelian Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a brownish-red mineral commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker (the difference is not rigidly defined, and the two names are often use ...

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

and

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

tones predominate. While complex repeating all-over designs are prevalent, Afshar weavers also drew upon Southern Persian carpet imagery, with

boteh The boteh ( fa, بته), is an almond or pine cone-shaped motif in ornament with a sharp-curved upper end. Though of Persian origin, it is very common and called buta in India, Azerbaijan, Turkey and other countries of the Near East. Via Kashm ...

motifs, shrub and occasionally "

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...

" compositions also encountered. Kurdish influences are evident in angular medallion format rugs, as well as in the general spontaneity encountered in several original flower and bird designs. Afshar rugs are usually found in the area size format, ranging in size from 3 ft x 4 ft to 4-5 ft x 7 ft. Larger room size pieces are seldom encountered.Winitz, Jan David (1985). ''The Guide To Purchasing An Oriental Rug'': Publishers' Group West, pp. 22. Longer corridor carpets (5 ft x 10 ft) are occasionally found, as are the small mats and

bag face A Nomadic bag is a bag woven by various nomadic tribes of the Middle East and Central Asia for utilitarian and decorative purposes. Hand knotted carpets and hand woven kilims (flatwoven textiles) were made by various nomadic tribes of the Middle E ...

s consistent with their nomadic tribal heritage.

References

{{reflist Persian rugs and carpets Afshar tribe