The Lion Rug of Fars – Weaving Traditions Alive in a Modest Qashgai Home Today
LION RUG (Gabbeh-ye-Shiri) A powerfully symbolic rug, originally placed in a Khan’s tent signifying bravery and purity, protector of the the tribe. Fars Province was known in the 12th century as the ‘lion mine’ of Persia as it was a breeding ground for lions. These weavers may have never seen a lion. Their creativity comes […]
“Our History” by Chris Walter – The Turkomans of Northern Afghanistan
This article originally appeared in the magazine “Oriental Rug Review”. “Our History” by Chris Walter There are no other people on earth for whom rugs, rug making, and the whole culture of rugs are more central to their existence and perception than the Turkomans. There is scarcely a Turkoman family to be found, at least […]
Better in the Getty – ARDEBIL
The land of the Persians, known to Europeans for centuries as Persia, is fractured by mountain ranges, made inhospitable by deserts, yet rich in fertile plains, forests and jewel-like gardens. Home to the most sublime architecture in the world, and a breeding ground for poets, empires, mathematicians, astronomers, mystics and saints, it has an enduring and […]
Mamluk
The great Mamluks are one of the least-known empires in history. They were blue-eyed Cossacks, guards of the Egyptian Palace who took control of the whole of the Arab East Mediterranean and ruled from 1250 to 1517. Artists were imported from across the known world and a great flowering ensued. Their weaving in particular shows […]
Quick Tomato Kasundi
Indigofera Tinctoria
For a long time it was presumed that both the seeds for the indigo-bearing plants and the knowledge of how to turn them into a dye the colour of the night sky had blown west with the winds of trade; from India to the Middle East and Africa. People discovered the process independently, and at […]
Buzkashi
Afghanistan is many things to many people but to me two things define it. Islam and the horse. As a young merchant, among my first purchases were a print of the Islamic mystical horse Buraq, and a Turkoman saddle cover. The energetic equestrian sport of Buzkashi is played in sight of mountains that proclaim loudly, […]
Khoresht Karafs (Persian Celery Stew)
Ingredients: 1 whole celery 2 large onions 6 cloves garlic 3 cups fresh parsley (chopped) 1.5 cups fresh mint (chopped) 1 tsp tumeric 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp ground cardamon 3/4 tsp ground cumin A good pinch of saffron bruised & brewed in a small amount of hot water (1Tbsp) […]
How I fell for a career in Persian Carpets
‘Where do I start?’ She suggested the stories of my search for business in Herat, Western Afghanistan when I was young and inexperienced. So . . . It was a time of relative peace before the USSR and USA fought over Afghanistan. This was my second visit to Herat, the first as a merchant. The year before, […]
New Rugs – Washing & Clipping Stage – Video
SOFREH of the Zagros
QASHGAI SOFREH Handmade in Southern Persia 100% Handspun Sheep Wool Zagros Mountain Area “SOFREH” is one of the most important and frequently used textiles of a nomadic family, the Sofreh is used in the making and storing and serving of bread, the square size of the Soffre is important as it has to be used […]
Marrakech to Azilal and back. July 2019 – A Pictorial View
