Reza T. Ahmadi, 'Symbolism in Persian Rugs'
Rezu T. Ahmudi
SYMBOLISM IN PERSIAN RUGS
It is a common mistaketo assumethat Oriental rugs can be The above analysissuggests that form, as well as the most identihedby their designsor synbols alone.While it is true basic organization of the rug, is influenced early on by that certain symbols are ciosely associatedwith specific lo- theme. calities or weaving groups, it would take an exceptionally One of the most common themes in Persianrugs is confidentperson to identify a rug without confirming their Floral. The image of a lush gardenis one that is deeply opinion by carefully checking the weave, materials, and rooted in both the religious and cultural heritage of the dyes. This is especially true today, due to a substantial Persiandesign. In a region of the world where water is a number of high-quality Persian copies coming onto the precious commodity, it is perhapsnot surprising that the market from India, Pakistan,and the Balkan countries.This garden,with an abundanceof flora and fauna, is the Mus- article attempts to discussthe most common design ele- lim symbol of paradise.The weaverswere fufther inspired ments and symbols used in Persianrugs, their meanings, by their belief in the Islamic afterlife[3], which promises and the region of the origin. This discussionof themesand that the faithful will dwell in paradise.Floral themes are symbolswill hopefully serve as an aid in the identihcation generally divided into three categoriesof All over floral, ofPersianrugs. Garden, and Panelleddesign [4]. All over floral designs The symbols and designsof the rug do give informa- feature floral forms without the addition of a medallion, tion about its weaver. What was sheihe wishing to say vase,or other primary motif. The All over floral design is through the selection of symbols and design? Were they not, strictly speaking,a design.Rather, it is the name used selectedpurely for aestheticreasons or were they influ- to describeany pattem that has no focal point. Garden de- encedby factors in his/her personal life, culture, or relig- sign is usually basedon the formal gardensof ancientPer- ion? Or, perhaps, the weaver was trying to connect sia with their abundanceof flora separatedby pathwaysand to the past by using symbols that hold ancient,traditional ornamentalpanels. ln Panelled design the field is divided meanings. into panelsor compartmentscontaining individual motifs. Over the years many different design elements and The Herati design derives its name from the town of motifs have been used in Persianrugs. Some have had spe- Herat (now in Afghanistan),where it is said to have origi- cial symbolic significanceattributed to them. The mystique nated.It is composedof a singlefloral headwithin a dia- of Persianrugs owes a lot to the tales and fablesthat have mond framework flanked by four outwardly curling leaves. been built up around the different design elements.Even It is a motif widely usedin Persia,and it is thoughtto sym- though designs,motifs, and colors have little or no particu- bolize the small fishes that, at the time of the full moon, lar significancetoday, there are traditional interpretations come up just beneaththe surfaceof the water to swim in associatedwith them. According to early historians[1], the the moon's reflection[5]. It is sometimes referred to as tribes from whom the Saljuqswere descendedused heraldic Mahi (Persian word for fish). The motif is usually em- devices derived from zoomorphic and totemic motifs, as ployed in either an all over medallion-and-cornerformat. well as the tamgha (brand mark) employedby eachtribe to Rugs with Herati theme are made by numerousworkshops identify their flocks. throughout Persia, but are most closely associatedrvith Religious and political turmoiis have had significant those from Khorassan,Kurdistan, Farahan,Hamadan, and influenceson the design and symbols of the Persianrugs. Tabriz. Symbols with a deep religious meaning for one group or One more design,originated in Persia,is calledBoteh. sect may have a completely different meaning for another. Its origins are extremelyobscure, and there is still consider- A human or animal figure was rarely woven into a rug able debateas to whetherit was first usedin Persiaor India. made by Sunnite Moslems; they were strict in their inter- A. Jerehian [6] suggeststhat it may have come to Persia pretation of Koran law forbidding the use of figures that via ancientEgypt as an ear of wheat, representingimmor- represent living creatures[2]. However, D. Black argues tality. The Boteh motif is commonly used acrossthe base that this is a misconceptionand although the ban is influ- of the prayer arch togetherwith flowers as part of the sym- encedby religion, it is rare, but not unknown, to find living bol for the gardenofparadise. ln the greenhighland areaof forms representedon rugs made for use in the mosque.By Seraband,located in the West-southrvestof Persia,weavers contrast,the Shiite Moslems freely used figures of humans seldom use any other pattern, so that the name Seraband and animalswoven in the prayer rugs used in the mosques. has come to be used not only for piecesproduced in this REZA T. AHMADI. Symbotismin persian Russ 63
region, but to describe the allover Boteh design It de- rives [7]. seeing-deity.It is berievedthat the design its name from the persian word for ..a is basedon the cluster of lotus flower which has.always leaves"which it only partially resembles. been relarded"muo as sacred, Someresearchers growing as have suggested it doeswith its ,oóts in rank and its that it-represóntsa stylizeJ version of such blos_ diverse som turnedto heaven. objectsas a pine-con., u .ypi.r, tiee, a leaf, a foe_ the theoriesconcerning tus,.a male sperm and Zoroastrian flame , ...Considering the origin of me_ [g]. We s.e tt e dallion, the solar symbols design in western tie, and there seemto be tË earliei, together is no à.nying its interna- with cerrain tionalappeal. zoomorph.icsigns. As D. Black U.fiór"íiiSl, the traditional Asian ideas about Prayer rugs have been used in the inlu..se seems to Muslim countriesfor have developedquite centuriesand are an integral naturally from simpteobservation. He part ofthe religiousexperience argues of the Islamic that in very early times *.n, *Ëo watched world. An orthodox MosleË is expected the sun to nse ln the east and then pass overhead pray 5 times a day on a clean spot facing from east to west, the Hoiy city of acquireda senseofdirection. Mecca. The designaffords an extremely Then,as they facedthe risini íonvenient way of sun at dawn with their ensuringthat this direction_is arms outstretchedin anticipationof i obeyed.in its simplestfá; new the prayer day, the bilateralsymmetry of their bodies rug is a rectangledesign woven parallel would have to the made them aware of the other principal edges.ofthe rug. The most common version directions, north has its corners and south. This led to the. angled off at one end to drawing of àross_shup.Aá.rljn, form a pointed arch, a mihrab. to represent Prayer the four Directions and, by extension, rugs made by nomadic trites or in small persian ïhe villages World_itself.Then, later, when they thoug'ht often have centerswhich are either plain of the four in_ and un_ termediatedirections, the decoratedor are filled with X upon the cóss graduallyde_ small stylizedno*.., and stars, veloped or they into the symbol of an eighGpetalled may have a stylized tree áf life, symbolic Ílower which of the has been used at the center of rig garden of paradise.According to Bosley, meOattitnsto mark the iï" t.". of life focal point of Creation. representseternal life This [9]. design ij woven mainly in Schurmann the towns of Isfahan, , Y [16] divided the medallions into two eum and TabÁz where they proáu.. broad remarkably categories:medallion-and-corner anJ Àmulet/medal- lifelike trees. The trees grow from the base of Iion. Medallion-and-corneris sometimes the rug, startingjust within its bordeÀ and "book-cover" reÍèrredto asthe continuingto fill or Koran the entire field. The leafy design evolved au.lng the fifteenth branchesare spreadand dotted and sixteenth rvith flowers centuriesfrom leathercovers used to bind and birds. Often there will be à-rtr.urn or pool the This type of medallionwas inspired at the foot of the tree and, perhaps,a few _{31.ttZJ by the in_ small animals. slde.ol a mosquedome. The tree-of-life is based Amulet possessesan overtly he_ on on. of the oldestand most uni_ raldic versal quali_tyand appearsto come from some of all religiousand.mythological symbols, pre_datin! ancienttribal emblem[18]. The Amulet Medallion both Islam and Christjanity F..f...í.", ..tree_oÍ._ is distinguishedfrom [10]. to a medallion-and-comerschemes Iife" as the connectinglini Letween by the totemisticquality of the human and heav_ the forms and frequent enly worlds are found repetitionof the dominantrnotif. in diverse cultures throughout Iollowing Europeand are the meaningsof some of the symbols Asia. In Islam it symbolizesthe bridge Uei".en rugs. meaningi which paradise,the world of men and the world :::.9_ iï f.r:ian have been'passed abové[l l], and oownrnrough thousands still retainsa religioussignificance. ofyears[19]: Vase is applied The restingeagle - to a number of compositionsusing a the high-mindednessof the spirit; vaseor group The eaglein _ of vasesas the principal designelement. ihe flight good fortune; motif was probably The hunting-dog_ introduceàinto persiafïom China glory and honor; rvhereit had [12], The leopard- beenused for centuriesu, u ,yrnbol of peacï bravery: and_tranquilityand The lion - power; has subsequentlyUeen aáaptea intáct by the lslamic weaver. ,,onà The peacock- protection: It is a *uy;, a.rign, ánd the vaseis Divine shapedlike a The phoenix- Grecianurn [13] which mai;r;"y not have immortàlitv: handles.The Thesun - radianr vase is at the foót of the rui Èeneattran arch_ lighr.lucidity: riay and is filled The tree oflife - with flowers,usually wfth roses,with the understanging,t.uth tallest flower in the The blade of rhe sword _ center reaching up towards t't. top of stiengih,viritity; the arch - a The heron- variation of the tree_Jf_hi-eJ.rign. Vase sym_ Divine srace: bols generally Feathersor entwined,6irds_ are found in two forms, ftoratïase or Zel_i conjugal happiness; )u ttan. The fish - undying rove; The depiction The dove- peace; of peopleand animalsis far less com_ mon In rhe The camel- Bast that it is in the West. pictorial designs wealth,happiness; basedon scenes Cypresstree - taken from life, history, or mythology áre life afteideath. Iargely confined to workshop rugs froá'persia, in particu- P..Lieb-etrau suggeststhat lar. Kerman, Tabriz, and Kashanl Hunting [20] many of these symbols design ieatures .uy held pafticular ertherhuman figures lly. a meaninglong ago, but, in all engagedin a formal fruni o. predatory probability, animals.pursuing they were simply rn.unï to ,ËprËsent their prey and is frequentlyiound animals, in eum fruits. and plants. The and Isfahanruss. .1.:*:::: schotarfrrth; implies that repetitions A Medallion design can be llr-l lnnu..labte throughoutthe centuiies,most anything based around a or rnesemotits Jominantcenrral formlnd i. rh. have lost any originally intendedmeaning ;;;;-fi?ffiuy encoun_ they may have had. teredscheme in rugs.It is use.din every Each weáver ófrung.atfr.," Iittle by lit_ .on..iuáUt",t_,up. tle to servehis/her own purpose. .ind perhapsthe most popular single'element How*ever,there are those, .is in the Ori_ amongthe studentsof persian 3ntal rug. repertoire. Ac-cording the symbolismsin rugs,who tJ ;. SumÀers[14], the take a different centerpoint of the view. medallion rJpresentsthe eye of an all_ o4 fY[onuscripta C)rientÀlia. vor-.3No. I MARCH1ee7
Historians like Wilhelm von Bode[21] and Arthur It shouldbe addedthat nowadaysa nomadic or a semi- Upham Pope1221, agree that the symbolism in rugs is al- nomadicweaver would tend to weave either what he/she most unintelligible.As with all ideographics,the meanings sees, translating it into characteristic formats, or what contain variations and ambiguities.Each sign taken by it he/she has been taught. The village weaver, on the other selfcan be translatedafter a fashion,but the associationand hand, typically weaves what is ordered, according to the combination of many of them, according to the mode in cartoon.Each rug is a separatework of art and should be which they are set,is practicaliy a lost language. consideredindividual ly.
Notes
l.SeeThelvlacmillanÁtlasofRugsandCarpets,ed.D.Black(NewYork, 1985),pp.26-11 . 2. J. Summers,Oriental Rtrgs:The lllustrated Gride, (New York, 1978),pp. 37-811. 3. H. Flaack,Orientol Rugs:An Illustrated Guíde (London, 1960),pp.32-9. 4. L. Allane,Oriental Rugs:A BuyersGuide (New York, 1985),pp. 8l-9. 5. C. Bosley, Rttgsto Riches:An InsidersGuíde to Oriental Rugs (Nerv York, 1980),pp. 68-17 . 6. A. K. Jr.Jerrehian, Oriental Rug Printer(Philadelphia, 1990), pp.37-8. 7. SeeBosley, op. cil. 8. Idem.',U. Schurmann,OrientalCarpets (London, 1979), pp. 15,27-8. y. Seeboslev- or. clr. 10. Allane, op cí't. I I . SeeR. De Calatchi,Oriental Carpets(Secaucus, 1967). 12.See Allane, op. cit. 13.Bosley, op. cil. 14.J. Summers,Oriental Rugs:World Buyers'Guide (New York, 1994),pp.33---43. 15. SeeThe lv[acmillanAtlas. 16.Sclrurmann, op. cit. 17. Summers,Oriental Rugs:LI/orld Buyers'Guide. 18.Schurmann. op. cit. 19. De Calatchi,op. cit.; Summers,op. cit.; Thelr[acmillan Atlas. 20. P. Liebetratt,Oriental Rugsin Coloar (New York, 1980),pp. l8-9. 2l . W. von Bode.Antiqtte Rugsfrom the Near East (Braunschweig,I 958), pp. 8l-2. 22.A.U. Pope,I SurveyofPersianArtfromPrehístoricTimestothePresent(London-NewYork, 1938),iv.pp. 112-3. RUSSIANACADEMY OF SCIE,NCES THE INSTITUTEOF ORIENTALSTUDIES ST.PETERSBURGBRANCH
ryllonusc uipti C)rientollia
./nternationol -/ouv nol Íov ()eientnl rY.|,nnrlscript Qeseaecll
Vol. 3 No. 1 March 1997
76e9e\ .J t. /t eters bq rg - $ elsinki '^a
.1 ,: -! ^ ,l
CONTENTS
Bibliography of Books and Articles by Ronard Eric Emmerick. compiled by M. Maggi . TEXTS AI{D MANUSCRIPTS..DESCRIPTION AI{D RESEARCH 6 M. Maggi. Two Reinterpretationsin the Khotanese Sudhandvaddna. 6 M. Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya. TibetanEighth-Century Documents on Wood from Miran 9 o. Akimushkin. The Library-workshop (kitabkhàna)of Báysunghur-Mirzàin Herat T4 TEXTAND ITS CULTURALINTERPRETATION . . , IJ
E. Rezvan. The our'án and Its World: pre-Islamic II. The Miracle of the Book (The our'án and Literature) . l) PRESENTINGTHE COLLECTIONS JJ
T. Pang. Manchu Collectionsin paris JJ
OMENTAL MAI'{USCMPTSAND NEW IAIFORMATIONTECH]VOLOGIES . 40 val. Polosin, petersburg E. Rezvan.To thecD-RoM Editionof the st. ArabicBible 40
PRESENTINGTHE MAAIUSCMPT 48 A. Kabanoff. On an Anonymous Manuscript Higashi Ezo iko 48
OMENTAL ICONOGRAPHY..SEMANTICS , . 5l K. Samosyuk. The Guanyin Icon from Khara-Khoto 5l Reza persian T. Ahmadi. Symbolismin Rugs . 62 BOOK REVIEWS. 65
CoLoUR PLATES
Front cover: Winding up threadsinto balls, 17.7x26.5cm,an illustrationto the anonimousmanuscript Hígashi Ezo iko, Manuscriptfund of the St. PetersburgBranch of the Instituteof OrientalStudies. Back cover: Plate l.The Ainu lol9m,3j,2 \26:5 cml an illustrationto the anonimousmanuscript Higashi Ezo iko, Manuscriptfund of theSt. Petersburg Branch of theInstirute of OrientalStudies. Plate 2. The weaving.pro_cess(attush-kar),-lg.Zxza,S cm, an illustrationof the anonimousmanuscript HigashiEzo iko, Manuscriptfund of the St. PetersburgBranch of the Instituteof OrientalStudies.