“Northwest Persia” is an expression used to describe a diverse group of ancient Persian carpets made in numerous villages that during the 19th century occupied an extensive area west of Tehran, north of Bidjar and south of Tabriz. Artists from these villages employed patterns and styles from different areas and influences, creating rugs that are unique but at the same time share certain similarities in the design, basis and dyeing techniques of their rugs.
The artists of the ancient carpets of Northwest Persia also share a common history. Over the course of a millennium, they witnessed invasions by Turks and Kurds and the arrival of immigrants from the Caucasus to Persia after the 19th century Russian invasion. The Shahsavan with their more than 40 clans also settled in the region with their flocks of sheep.
The area, originally belonging to the country of Azerbaijan, was annexed by Persia in 1500. A mixture of peoples and their cultures that arrived over the following centuries resulted in groups that mixed and adopted each other’s practices. The carpet artists of Northwest Persia were greatly influenced by the carpets made in the Caucasus Mountains, with their robust geometric designs and a multitude of ancient motifs found in some of its 85 ethnic groups. This caused the more tribal designs to mix with the more curvaceous floral patterns of the Persian workshops of Tabriz, for example, and gave rise to a distinctive carpet that features geometric figures with floral patterns. The manufacture of carpets in the Northwest region of Persia was also influenced by carpets made by the Turks who inhabit neighboring areas and who also brought their own influences, mainly the bold use of colors. So the artists of Northwest Persia were great adapters, often using patterns and motifs from various surrounding areas which they skillfully combined into a single carpet.
The smallest villages that dot the rugged landscape of Northwest Persia have contributed to this incredible legacy with their own textile arts. However, without the possibility of attesting the provenance that identifies exactly in which village the carpet was made, unlike what can be done with carpets produced by its most famous neighbors such as Tabriz, Bidjar, Heriz, etc. Thus, when a rug is labeled ‘Northwest Persia’ it simply means that it was woven in this wider region, without a specific attribution of the village in which it was made. Perhaps for this reason, carpets from Northwest Persia have received little attention, despite showing qualities and creativity of the highest artistic level.
