spirituality 12.pdf

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spirituality - lesson 12: carpets

the pazyryk carpet, circa 2/3 B.C

carpet weaving is a complicated art form. it displays a high level of talent andcreativity by people who, after months of hard work on each one, remainpractically unknown.

it was probably through the nomads of middle asia that the craft of carpet makingspread. anatolian carpets are one of the earliest know periods of productionstemming from its nomadic history, these carpets were most likely to be kilimrugs, that is they were flat woven, but of course this did develop into carpets with

a pile. the communities of the iranian plateau were primarily raising cattle andsoon became accustomed to using the wool from the livestock to create clothing.eventually the material was utilized to create carpets with the aim to add comfortand warmth to their tents, something to replace the hides of animals formerlyused for floor coverings. sheep, goat and sometimes camel hair would be turnedinto threads and knotted together, a beater (a knife consisting on many blades),would be used to tighten the knots. shears would then clip the wool to create thepile. dyes made from mineral pigments, crushed insects, flowers and vegetableswould be used to give rich coloring to the carpets.

the earliest example of a knotted pile rug is the pazyryk carpet which dates back

to the earliest islamic periods (2 or 3 B.C) and the reign of sassanian khusarau I.the carpet in question, with over 36,000 knots per 10cm sq, was found preserved


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in siberian ice of the altai mountains near mongolia, along with a mummifiedhorse, a wheeled cart and other items.

detail of the pazyryk carpet

over time the practice of creating carpets filtered into much of the islamic worldand spread west during the 14th century by italian merchants. by the sixthcentury persian carpets were being produced in silk and were renowned in royalcourt circles. in the 16th century, during the safavid dynasty the production ofcarpets was a state enterprise, it is only then that carpets began to be signed anddated, elevating carpets to a new level of importance. carpets had becomeartworks.

middle eastern cultural references as a result of the highest skill and intricacythese carpets have become one of most renowned islamic arts. with every stitchanother layer of meaning is applied to what would otherwise be a domestic

comfort. the islamic carpets are a celebration of a long history and ultimately areaids to the contemplation of spiritual forces. carpets are mentioned throughoutthe qur'an, as furniture of paradise.

each society has used the format of carpets for slightly different means. in tibetlama artists were key in creating myriad carpet designs and yet they were notintended for religious use. instead they were supposed to be used to create anauspicious environment that would emanate good fortune and connect to theunknown and powerful forces around.


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the ardabil carpet, iran, circa 1539

detail of the central medalian of the ardabil carpet which is inscribed just abovethe signature and date is a persian couplet from a ghazal, or ode, by 14th

century poet hafiz: 'I have no refuge in this world other than thy threshold myhead has no resting place other than this doorway'


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prayer rugsespecially those found in turkey, are characterised by rich and minutely detaileddecoration. a traditional prayer carpet has a 'directional' design, with an obvioustop and bottom. the design relates to its religious function, with an arched mihrab.they are an important part of islamic religion, the act of sitting upon them inrespectful to allah. cleanliness during prayer is essential and a rug goes someway to achieving this, just as one must remove shoes in an islamic mosque.

niche carpetswere (and still are) made for muslim prayers, with the directional 'mihrab' (aniche/small alcove) in the center. often a pendulum of light hung from the centrewoven arch. these types of depiction signal the development of inspiration fromnature to reflecting themes within religion as well. the presence of a mihrab andlantern refer to the part of a islamic mosque that locates the direction of meccaand are symbolic of allah, as a guiding light.

patternwhilst there are some carpets that carry religious texts it is mainly though

patterns and transcendental symbolism that spiritual meanings are expressed.

styles can be divided into two different types; floral designs and geometricpatterns. floral patterns, which mostly occur in the carpets of persia and india,can range from images of gardens, flowers and trees, different types of birds andanimals to hunting grounds and scenes of battles and legendary / rare creatures(the yellow deer for example). the depiction of exotic gardens and landscapesprovides a metaphor of the soul's search for paradise.

in safavid persia the use of wild animals and animal combats often symbolizetemporal authority and power or man's spiritual struggles. however, in an ancient

religion called mithraism the lion, which can be found in many pre-islamiccarvings, was associated with the sun and fire. it was then perceived as a moralcleanser, not a symbol of strength as the lion is most commonly connected withtoday. this form of symbolism predates islam to a time in ancient persia wherewater was scarce and therefore sacred, to pollute it was a great sin - the lion wasa symbol of purifying forces. an old story tells of how iman ali saved a lion on hisway back home from battle. the lion then followed iman ali where ever he wentacting as a protector. this tale offers some explanation of how the symbol of thelion became a sign of sovereignty, power and protection.

with both floral and geometric designs a carpet will usually be made up of twoparts. the main part is the context which is enclosed by borders of patterns to

help reveal the beauty of the central part.


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floral style patterned persian rug


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a seljuk carpet, 19th century


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a seljuk carpet, 16th century

geometric patternsare predominantly found in caucasian and turkoman rugs, and in the rareoccasion that floral themes are used they will usually appear very stylized andrectangular. these shapes are the oldest form of islamic patternation and stemfrom the tribal weaving of nomads and villages. the motifs can be described asaniconic, meaning they are symbolic of a DIVINITY but not representational.they are probably based on classical greek formations, but developed by theintellectuals in islamic cultures - scientist, mathemeticians and astronomers.

the forms are usually based around a circle, and stemming from that - thesquare, the triangle and the hexagon. due to their structure they have the

possibility of being repeated endlessly, representing the infinite nature ofGODNESS AND DIVINE CREATION. a lot of carpets will contain a central circlebeing symbolic of the eternal essence of GOD.

the triangle represents the hunab consciousness and principle of harmony. thesquare is symbolic of physical experience and the material world, whilst thehexagon speaks of heaven. another very common symbol that is usedthroughout islamic art is the star which is attributed to equal radiation andsymbolic of the spread of islam.

carpets represent a huge part of islamic culture, display the art of celebrating

beliefs and transmitting culture through the generations with out anyrepresentations of a GOD. all motifs, due to or aside from their seeming


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complexity strongley evoke the islamic idea of omnipresent unity. the logicunderlying such complex decoration expresses the inherent islamicunderstanding and vision of the order and logic within the universe.

a tabriz prayer carpet, north west persia, late 19th century


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persian carpet with inscriptions from the qur'an, 16th cenury

examples of anatilian konya rugs, 13th century


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--exercisecreate a carpet which can reflect your inner beliefs, being religious ones orinvolve other spiritual research. focus on decoration. your pattern should beconsidered you might want to exercise and share your creation or thoughts onthe discussion area.

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