Carpet Museum of Iran, showcase of traditional artisans’ creativity

The raw materials used for weaving carpets are wool and thread, which quickly deteriorate due to moisture and that is why no ancient carpets have survived the ravages of time.

Archaeologists have only discovered pieces of ancient carpets. The only good example is a piece of rug discovered in 1949 in Pazyryk, the site of 40 wood-lined pit tombs (circa 500 to circa 300 B.C.) in the Altai Mountains of central Asia, containing the tattooed bodies of nomadic chieftains of the eastern Steppes and grave goods, all well-preserved in a frozen state.    

The Carpet Museum of Iran was established in 1977 for the revival and promotion of the craft and for research into its historical background in Iran.

The construction of the museum began in 1975. Experts were dispatched to different countries to collect carpets and purchased 275 carpets and kilims from foreign and domestic markets, other museums, and the Golestan Palace Museum.

After gathering a collection of rare carpets from the 16th century to the present day, the Carpet Museum of Iran opened its doors to the public.

It continues to acquire new carpets for its collection, thus improving the museum.

The Carpet Museum of Iran was constructed using a modern architectural style and is located in Laleh Park in Tehran.

It has two halls covering an area of 340 square meters. The ground floor hall hosts the permanent exhibits and the upstairs hall is used for rug and kilim fairs.

The museum’s permanent collection of Persian carpets includes numerous masterpieces from different parts of Iran such as Azarbaijan, Isfahan, Kashan, Arak, Chahar Mahal-Bakhtiari, Khorasan, Kerman, and nomadic regions.    

The museum also has a film hall, which screens films on weaving and designing carpets and related topics, and a library with over 7,000 books, publications, and research papers on Iranian carpets.

In addition, the museum offers classes on carpet weaving, design, and repair and awards certificates to graduates.

A workshop has also been established to repair rare Persian carpets in private collections.

AP/HG

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MNA