symbolism in persian rugs - Islamic manuscripts

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though designs, motifs, and colors have little or no particu- lar significance today, there are traditional interpretati
Rezu T. Ahmudi

SYMBOLISM IN PERSIAN RUGS It is a common mistaketo assumethat Oriental rugs can be identihed by their designsor synbols alone. While it is true that certain symbols are ciosely associatedwith specific localities or weaving groups, it would take an exceptionally confident person to identify a rug without confirming their opinion by carefully checking the weave, materials, and dyes. This is especially true today, due to a substantial number of high-quality Persian copies coming onto the market from India, Pakistan,and the Balkan countries.This article attempts to discuss the most common design elements and symbols used in Persianrugs, their meanings, and the region of the origin. This discussionof themesand symbols will hopefully serve as an aid in the identihcation ofPersianrugs. The symbols and designsof the rug do give information about its weaver. What was sheihe wishing to say through the selection of symbols and design? Were they selectedpurely for aestheticreasonsor were they influenced by factors in his/her personal life, culture, or religion? Or, perhaps, the weaver was trying to connect to the past by using symbols that hold ancient,traditional meanings. Over the years many different design elements and motifs have been used in Persianrugs. Some have had special symbolic significanceattributedto them. The mystique of Persianrugs owes a lot to the tales and fables that have been built up around the different design elements.Even though designs,motifs, and colors have little or no particular significancetoday, there are traditional interpretations associatedwith them. According to early historians[1], the tribes from whom the Saljuqswere descendedusedheraldic devices derived from zoomorphic and totemic motifs, as well as the tamgha (brand mark) employedby eachtribe to identify their flocks. Religious and political turmoiis have had significant influenceson the design and symbols of the Persianrugs. Symbols with a deep religious meaning for one group or sect may have a completely different meaning for another. A human or animal figure was rarely woven into a rug made by Sunnite Moslems; they were strict in their interpretation of Koran law forbidding the use of figures that represent living creatures[2]. However, D. Black argues that this is a misconceptionand although the ban is influencedby religion, it is rare, but not unknown, to find living forms representedon rugs made for use in the mosque.By contrast,the Shiite Moslems freely used figures of humans and animalswoven in the prayer rugs used in the mosques.

The above analysissuggeststhat form, as well as the most basic organization of the rug, is influenced early on by theme. One of the most common themes in Persianrugs is Floral. The image of a lush garden is one that is deeply rooted in both the religious and cultural heritage of the Persiandesign. In a region of the world where water is a precious commodity, it is perhaps not surprising that the garden,with an abundanceof flora and fauna, is the Muslim symbol of paradise.The weaverswere fufther inspired by their belief in the Islamic afterlife[3], which promises that the faithful will dwell in paradise.Floral themes are generally divided into three categoriesof All over floral, Garden, and Panelleddesign[4]. All over floral designs feature floral forms without the addition of a medallion, vase,or other primary motif. The All over floral design is not, strictly speaking,a design.Rather, it is the name used to describeany pattem that has no focal point. Garden design is usually basedon the formal gardensof ancientPersia with their abundanceof flora separatedby pathwaysand ornamentalpanels.ln Panelled design the field is divided into panelsor compartmentscontainingindividual motifs. The Herati design derives its name from the town of Herat (now in Afghanistan),where it is said to have originated.It is composedof a single floral head within a diamond framework flanked by four outwardly curling leaves. It is a motif widely usedin Persia,and it is thoughtto symbolize the small fishes that, at the time of the full moon, come up just beneaththe surfaceof the water to swim in the moon's reflection [5]. It is sometimes referred to as Mahi (Persian word for fish). The motif is usually employed in either an all over medallion-and-cornerformat. Rugs with Herati theme are made by numerousworkshops throughout Persia, but are most closely associatedrvith those from Khorassan,Kurdistan, Farahan,Hamadan, and Tabriz. One more design,originatedin Persia,is called Boteh. Its origins are extremelyobscure,and there is still considerable debateas to whether it was first used in Persiaor India. A. Jerehian [6] suggeststhat it may have come to Persia via ancientEgypt as an ear of wheat, representingimmortality. The Boteh motif is commonly used acrossthe base of the prayer arch togetherwith flowers as part of the symbol for the gardenofparadise.ln the greenhighland areaof of Persia,weavers Seraband,locatedin the West-southrvest seldom use any other pattern, so that the name Seraband has come to be used not only for piecesproducedin this

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region, but to describethe allover Boteh design[7]. It deseeing-deity.It is berievedthat the design rives its name from the persian word is basedon the for ..a cluster of lotus flower which has.alwaysbeen relarded leaves"which it only partially resembles. as sacred, "muo Someresearchers growing as it does with its ,oóts in rank have suggestedthat it-represóntsa stylizeJ and its blos_ version of such som turnedto heaven. diverseobjects as a pine-con., u .ypi.r, tiee, a leaf, a foe_ the theoriesconcerningthe origin of me_ tus,.a male sperm and Zoroastrian flame , ...Considering [g]. We s.e tt e dallion, the solar symbols seem to be tË earliei, together design in western tie, and there is no à.nying its internawith cerrain zoomorph.ic signs.As D. Black U.fiór"íiiSl, tional appeal. the traditional Asian ideas about the inlu..se Prayer rugs have been used in Muslim seems to countries for have developedquite naturally from simpte centuriesand are an integral part ofthe religious observation.He experience arguesthat in very early times *.n, *Ëo of the Islamic world. An orthodox MosleË watched the sun is expectedto nse ln the east and then pass overheadfrom pray 5 times a day on a clean spot facing east to west, the Hoiy city of acquireda senseofdirection. Then,as they Mecca. The designaffords an extremelyíonvenient facedthe risini way of sun at dawn with their arms outstretchedin ensuringthat this direction_isobeyed.in anticipationof i its simplestfá; new day, the bilateralsymmetry of their bodies the prayer rug is a rectangledesign woven would have parallel 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.drawing of àross_shup.A angled off at one end to form a pointed á.rljn, arch, a mihrab. to representthe four Directions and, by Prayer rugs made by nomadic trites or extension, ïhe persian in small World_itself.Then, later, when they thoug'ht villages often have centerswhich are either of the four in_ plain and un_ termediatedirections,the X upon the decoratedor are filled with small stylized cóss graduallyde_ no*.., and stars, veloped into the symbol of an eighGpetalled or they may have a stylized tree áf life, Ílower which symbolic of the has been used at the center of rig meOattitns garden of paradise.According to Bosley, to mark the iï" t.". of life focal point of Creation. representseternal life [9]. This design ij woven mainly in Schurmann[16] divided the medallions the towns of Isfahan, eum and TabÁz where into two , Y they proáu.. broad categories: medallion-and-corner remarkably lifelike trees. The trees grow anJ Àmulet/medalfrom the base of Iion. Medallion-and-corneris sometimes the rug, startingjust within its bordeÀ and reÍèrredto as the "book-cover" continuingto fill or Koran design evolved au.lng the fifteenth the entire field. The leafy branchesare spread and dotted and sixteenthcenturiesfrom leathercovers rvith flowers and birds. Often there will be usedto bind the à-rtr.urn or pool This type of medallionwas inspiredby the at the foot of the tree and, perhaps,a few in_ _{31.ttZJ small animals. slde.ol a mosquedome. Amulet possesses The tree-of-life is basedon on. of the oldest an overtly he_ and most uni_ raldic quali_tyand appearsto come from some versalof all religiousand.mythological ancienttribal symbols,pre_datin! emblem [18]. The Amulet Medallion is distinguishedfrom both Islam and Christjanity ..tree_oÍ._ [10]. F..f...í.", to a medallion-and-comer schemesby the totemisticquality of Iife" as the connecting lini Letween the human and heav_ the forms and frequentrepetitionof the dominant enly worlds are found in diverse cultures rnotif. throughout Iollowing are the meaningsof some of Europeand Asia. In Islam it symbolizesthe the symbols bridge Uei".en rugs. meaningi which have been'passed paradise,the world of men and the world :::.9_ iïr n rf.r:ian abové [l l], and o o w n o u g h t h o u s a n dosf y e a r s[ 1 9 ] : still retainsa religioussignificance. The restingeagle- the high-mindedness Vase is appliedto a number of compositions of the spirit; using a vaseor group of vasesas the principal The eaglein flight _ good fortune; designelement.ihe motif was probably introduceàinto persia The hunting-dog_ glory and honor; fïom China [12], rvhereit had beenused for centuries The leopard- bravery: u, u ,yrnbol of peacï and_tranquilityand has subsequentlyUeen The lion - power; aáapteaintáct by the lslamic weaver.It is a ,,onà*uy;, a.rign, The peacock- Divine protection: ánd the vaseis shapedlike a Grecianurn The phoenix- immortàlitv: which mai;r;"y [13] not have handles.The vase is at the foót of the rui T h e s u n- r a d i a n lri g h r .l u c i d i t y : Èeneattran arch_ riay and is filled with flowers,usually The tree oflife - understanging,t.uth wfth roses,with the tallest flower in the center reaching up The blade of rhe sword _ stiengih,viritity; towards t't . top of - Divine srace: the arch - a variation of the tree_Jf_hi-e The heron J.rign. Vase sym_ bols generallyare found in two forms, ftoratïase Feathersor entwined,6irds_ conjugal happiness; or Zel_i )u ttan. The fish - undying rove; The dove- peace; The depictionof people and animalsis far less com_ mon In rhe Bast that it is in the West. pictorial The camel- wealth,happiness; designs basedon scenestaken from life, history, Cypress tree - life afteideath. or mythology áre Iargely confined to workshop rugs froá'persia, in particuP..Lieb-etrau[20] suggeststhat many of lar. Kerman, Tabriz, and Kashanl Hunting these symbols design ieatures .uy held a pafticularmeaning long ago, but, ertherhuman figures engagedin a formal in all lly. fruni o. predatory probability, they were simply rn.unï animals.pursuingtheir prey and is frequently to ,ËprËsentanimals, iound in eum fruits. and plants. The schotarfrrth; implies and Isfahanruss. that .1.:*:::: repetitionsthroughoutthe centuiies,most A Medallion design can be anything llr-l lnnu..labte based around a Jominant cenrralformlnd i. rh. ;;;;-fi?ffiuy encoun_ or rnesemotits have lost any originally intendedmeaning they may have had. Each weáver ófrung.atfr.," teredscheme Iittle by lit_ in rugs.It is use.d in every.on..iuáUt",t_,up. tle to servehis/her own purpose.How*ever,there are those, .ind perhapsthe most popular single'element .is in the Ori_ amongthe studentsof the symbolismsin persian 3ntal rug. repertoire. Ac-cording tJ ;. rugs,who SumÀers [14], the take a different view. centerpoint of the medallion rJpresents the eye of an all_

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Historians like Wilhelm von Bode[21] and Arthur Upham Pope 1221,agree that the symbolism in rugs is almost unintelligible.As with all ideographics, the meanings contain variations and ambiguities.Each sign taken by it selfcan be translatedafter a fashion,but the associationand combination of many of them, according to the mode in which they are set,is practicaliy a lost language.

C) r ientÀlia.

H vor - .3No.I M AR C 1ee7

It should be addedthat nowadaysa nomadic or a seminomadicweaverwould tend to weave either what he/she sees, translating it into characteristic formats, or what he/she has been taught. The village weaver, on the other hand, typically weaves what is ordered, according to the cartoon.Each rug is a separatework of art and should be consideredindividually.

Notes l . S e e T h e l v l a c m i l l a n Á t l a s oRf u g s a n d C a r p e t s , e d . D . B l a c k ( N e w Y o r k1 ,9 8 5 ) , p p . 2 6 - 1 1. 2. J. Summers,Oriental Rtrgs:ThelllustratedGride, (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 Insiders Guíde to Oriental Rugs (Nerv York, 1980),pp. 68-17 . 1990),pp.37-8. OrientalRug Printer(Philadelphia, 6. A. K. Jr. Jerrehian, 7. SeeBosley,op. cil. Carpets(London,1979),pp. 15,27-8. 8. Idem.',U. Schurmann,Oriental y. Seeboslev-or. clr. 10. Allane, op cí't. I I . SeeR. De Calatchi,Oriental Carpets(Secaucus,1967). 12. SeeAllane,op. cit. 13.Bosley,op. cil. 14.J. Summers,Oriental Rugs:WorldBuyers'Guide(New York, 1994),pp.33---43. 15. SeeThe lv[acmillanAtlas. 16. Sclrurmann, op. cit. 17. Summers,Oriental Rugs: LI/orldBuyers'Guide. 18. Schurmann.op. cit. 19. De Calatchi,op. cit.; Summers,op. cit.; The lr[acmillanAtlas. 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. (London-NewYork, 1938),iv.pp. 112-3. 22.A.U. Pope,I SurveyofPersianArtfromPrehístoricTimestothePresent

RUSSIANACADEMY OF SCIE,NCES THE INSTITUTEOF ORIENTALSTUDIES BRANCH ST.PETERSBURG

ryllonuscuipti C)rientollia ./nternationol -/ouv nol Íov ()eientnl rY.|,nnrlscript Qeseaecll

Vol. 3 No. 1 March 1997

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CONTENTS Bibliography of Books and Articles by Ronard Eric Emmerick.

compiled by M. Maggi .

TEXTSAI{D MANUSCRIPTS.. DESCRIPTIONAI{D RESEARCH

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M. Maggi. Two Reinterpretationsin the KhotaneseSudhandvaddna. M. Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya.TibetanEighth-CenturyDocumentson Wood from Miran o. Akimushkin. The Library-workshop (kitabkhàna)of Báysunghur-Mirzàin Herat

6 9 T4

TEXTAND ITS CULTURALINTERPRETATION . . ,

IJ

E. Rezvan. The our'án and Its World: II. The Miracle of the Book (The our'án and pre-Islamic Literature) .

l)

PRESENTINGTHE COLLECTIONS

JJ

T. Pang. Manchu Collectionsin paris

JJ

OMENTAL MAI'{USCMPTSAND NEW IAIFORMATIONTECH]VOLOGIES .

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val. Polosin,E. Rezvan.To thecD-RoM Editionof the st. petersburg ArabicBible

40

PRESENTINGTHE MAAIUSCMPT

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A. Kabanoff. On an Anonymous Manuscript Higashi Ezo iko

48

OMENTAL ICONOGRAPHY..SEMANTICS, .

5l

K. Samosyuk. The Guanyin Icon from Khara-Khoto Reza T. Ahmadi. Symbolism in persianRugs .

5l 62

BOOK REVIEWS.

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CoLoUR PLATES Front cover: Windingup threadsinto balls, 17.7x26.5cm,an illustrationto the anonimousmanuscriptHígashi Ezo iko, Manuscriptfund of the St.Petersburg Branchof the Instituteof OrientalStudies. Plate Plate

Back cover: l.The Ainu lol9m,3j,2 \26:5 cml an illustrationto the anonimousmanuscriptHigashi Ezo iko, Manuscriptfundof theSt.Petersburg Branchof theInstiruteof OrientalStudies. 2. The weaving.pro_cess (attush-kar),-lg.Zxza,S cm, an illustrationof the anonimousmanuscript HigashiEzoiko, Manuscriptfund of the St.Petersburg Branchof the Instituteof OrientalStudies.