Mashad rugs, Mashad carpets
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Mashad rugs, Mashad carpets |
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Mashad is a city of north eastern Iran. It derives its name from the Arabic "Al-Mashad" - mausoleum. This gives a hint as to the origins of the city - it is an important place of Shi'a pilgrimage. It contains several significant tombs. The mosque, with its tomb chanber surmounted by a gilded dome, is only one of many ancient buildings dating from the sixteenth century or earlier. Since the city is situated close to the Afghan border, the population is mixed and includes Afghans, Turkmens, Indians and Jews.
Although now near the frontier, Mashad's position was once more central, when the Persian empire extended further east. It was part of a network of cities extending into central Asia: Merv, Tashkent, Samarkand and Herat. As a result, the carpets of Mashad are subtle and sophisticated. The reds used are particularly distinguishable, a purplish red derived from cochineal is preferred to the more usual madder root.
The designs are intricate and are often based on classical prototypes. The carpets are often signed, in a cartouche in the middle of the border at one end. A peculiarity of Mashad carpets is that they often introduce a narrow band at the end when they begin to weave, with all the colours they plan to use. The most famous Mashad weaver, working around 1900 was Amoghli.