Carpet Museum of Iran
The Iranian Carpet Museum is a fascinating blend of history and art, showcasing the world-renowned Iranian carpets. It’s the go-to place for anyone who wants to see the best of Iranian carpets. The museum was commissioned by Farah Pahlavi in 1356, to display the exquisite Iranian hand-woven carpets. This museum is located in Tehran, beside Laleh Park. Besides carpets, the museum also exhibits rugs and other artifacts. One of the most intriguing aspects of the art of Iranian carpet weaving is the relationship between the creator and the world around them, which is beautifully reflected in the works on display.
Effects of Iranian Carpet
Writers from various countries wrote about Iranian carpets during the Sassanid and Achaemenid dynasties. Xenophon, a Greek historian, mentioned in the Cyropaedia that Iranians used carpets to make their feet and beds soft. The oldest known carpet in the world is the Pazyryk rug, which is approximately 2,500 years old, and was found in southern Siberia in 1949. It is believed to have been made in Iran during the Achaemenid period. Carpet weaving has been present in Iran since the Achaemenid period and has undergone significant development since the fifth century BC. During the Sassanid period, Iranian wool carpets were imported to China and were recorded in the Chinese calendar. The Baharestan carpet in White Palace was renowned for its magnificence and was one of the treasures of Sassanid king Khosrow Parviz. Post-Islamic literature also reflects on its splendor.
Carpets and Rugs of Carpet Museum of Iran
The Museum Carpet of Iran showcases 135 Iranian carpet masterpieces, ranging from the 9th century to contemporary times. The ground floor exhibition hall displays weaves from significant carpet weaving centers such as Kashan, Kerman, Isfahan, Tabriz, Khorasan, Kurdistan, and more. The museum boasts 150 historical and exquisite carpets, including the finest-woven carpet from Amo-oghli’s workshop during the Pahlavi period. This carpet has 120 rows and features Afshan designs, displaying national spiritual figures in military uniforms holding rifles and handguns, accompanied by a cartridge train. The museum also displays Baysunghur Shahnameh pictorial carpets, showcasing Iran’s rich literature, myths, religion, culture, and art. The region-specific rugs and carpets from Kurdistan province are impressive due to their high-quality weaves, woolen carpet weaves, and heavy weaves. Notably, the museum’s Herat carpet depicts a fish, rooted in Iranian culture and beliefs. It is the only carpet in the museum with a realistic design of a fish, representing the Mithraism belief that Zarathustra sat on a lotus and was guided to the surface of the water by four fish. Carpet weaving artists have created this design with great popularity.
Museum architecture
The building of the Carpet Museum of Iran comprises two halls that are utilized to showcase hand-woven and game carpets. Its exterior is designed in a way that it resembles a carpet loom. The ground floor hall is reserved for a permanent exhibition, while the upper hall is intended for presenting temporary exhibitions of rugs and carpets.
The museum also has a library with approximately 3,500 books in Persian, Arabic, French, English, and German languages for those interested in carpet studies, Iranian art, and literature.
Visiting Hours
Visitors can come to the museum any day of the week except Monday. During the first half of the year, the museum is open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. During the second half of the year, it is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
