The Handmade Carpet Chaleshtor is one of the best hand-woven carpets in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, which is very popular in the domestic and even foreign markets of Iran. The carpets of this more challenging design can be introduced as the symbol of carpet weaving in this area, which, in addition to their antiquity and authenticity, also have a unique beauty.

In this article, after a general review about the history of the more challenging hand-woven carpet, we are going to examine the characteristics of the hand-woven carpets of this region, and at the end, we will also provide explanations, so that if you are planning to buy carpets from this region, you can make the best choice. Have the choice.

The history of handwoven carpet is more challenging

Chaleshtor is one of Shahrekord districts in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Challenger, as it is known, is composed of the combination of two words “Challenge” and “Tor” which means “Battlefield”.

Chaharmahal and Bakhtiar provinces generally include two main areas connected to each other; The area of ​​this province between the Zagros mountains and Khuzestan is known as Bakhtiari, and the eastern part of it, which is between the Zagros mountains and Isfahan, is known as Chaharmahal.

Bakhtiari and Chaharmahal are ethnically and racially close to each other, but their way of life is completely different, and this is the reason why the carpet weaving, which is derived from the people’s way of life, is also influential, and the texture of the carpets of these two regions is completely different. :

Bakhtiari handwoven carpets are produced and woven in the southern and western part of this province and mostly by Bakhtiari nomads. One of the main features and characteristics of Bakhtiari carpets is the presence of abstract and symbolic motifs, which gives the weaver more power to design and weave the fabric with his imagination and mind. Bakhtiari carpets are placed in the nomadic style of Iranian carpets.

However, the Chaharmahal carpets, which are woven in the eastern and northern parts of this province and are the result of the hands of rural and urban weavers, are placed in the style of rural handwoven carpets, which, unlike Bakhtiari carpets, have their designs and plans determined in advance and are based on soft lines and It is gently formed.

More challenging, Shalamzar, Farrokhshahr (Qahfarrokh) are among the areas that are interesting to know are located in Chaharmahal region, but the style of their carpet weavers is derived from Bakhtiari carpets, which are woven in a village style, and according to researchers, nearly 800 It is years old, and for this reason, it is considered one of the main centers of carpet weaving in this province, which has a world reputation.

The characteristics of handmade carpets are more challenging

In the more challenging hand-woven carpets, they are woven in different designs; The clay design, Lakh Taranj, Shikargahi, simple floor, cedar and pine, Hakei, Qabi and Gul Mina designs are among the most important of these designs. For this reason, we will examine the more challenging features of the clay carpet for you.

1. Raw materials and more challenging carpet dyeing

Definitely, if we want to express one of the special characteristics of the handmade carpet, it is more challenging; High-quality raw materials and wonderful dyeing have made the carpets of this region high quality and lively.

The primary material for weaving more challenging carpets is cotton and the piles are made of sheep’s wool, which due to the climate and weather conditions of this region suitable for animal husbandry, has made the quality of the wool used for carpet weaving to be very suitable.

In addition to high-quality wool, the use of natural plants for dyeing has doubled the beauty of carpets in this region. Walnut skin, lemon juice, runas, pomegranate skin, and hair leaves are among the main natural ingredients.

The variety of colors used in the texture of more challenging carpets is very high (between 22 and 28 colors for each carpet), among which light blue, light lacquer, cream and white, light green, brown and orange are the main ones. These are the colors.

The special feature of handwoven carpet is more challenging

One thing that can be said to happen only in the more challenging ones is the special method they use for dyeing; To dye the cream in this area, it is done in this way that the creams are placed in a container full of vegetable pigment for about a week so that the creams are colored by the heat of the sun, and then they are heated in cow’s urine to stabilize the color of the creams. For lighter colors, new creams are placed in the effluent of previous creams mixed with buttermilk, so that this effluent may be used in four stages for dyeing.

For Ronasi colors, in this area, the raw material or cream is soaked in hot water for 72 hours, and after this time, when the Patil cream is removed, it takes on a buttery, body, or floral color. Then the cream is kept floating in the running water of the springs for as long as desired. The cream gradually darkens by absorbing the salts in the water, and according to the needs of the weaver, he pulls the cream out of the water.

2. More challenging carpet texture

Dar Qali, which is used to weave more challenging handwoven carpets, is vertical, like all rural carpets, which is usually without a straight face and with a koji. Daftin, kerkit and scissors, knife and semi-agricultural equipment are among other equipments used for carpet weaving in this region.

The knots used to weave the carpets of this area are symmetrical or Turkish knots, which are tied with different thicknesses without using a hook (by hand).

An interesting point that should be mentioned about the more challenging carpets is that most of them are woven in the form of “two piles” and “three piles” with cotton (cotton) skeins. Three-ply carpets are in such a way that after two thick and thin piles are folded, the third pile, which is generally made of polyester or multi-layer cotton, is piled and beaten until the previous two piles sit well in the carpet, and then They remove the weft from the piles. This action causes the carpet to be beaten and is only prevalent in the more challenging.

Read more: Chale hand-woven carpet Comparison of cotton, wool and silk types

3. The dimensions and index of the handwoven carpet are more challenging

In general, carpet weaving in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province is small in size, of course, large-sized carpets are also woven in limited numbers, and sometimes square carpets are also seen among them.

In more challenging as well

The common dimensions for carpet weave are 6, 9, and 12 square meters, and smaller dimensions are also found sporadically.

The weaving of fine carpets rarely happens in more challenging cases and only in the case of sefaz, and the common number of carpets in this region is between 25 and 30, which today has increased a little, and sometimes it is seen in the number of 40 to 45. (Rajshmar refers to the number of woven knots per 7 square centimeters of the carpet, the higher the number, the finer the carpet becomes)

4. More challenging carpet buying guide

In general, hand-woven carpets are considered more challenging except for special and first-class carpets, which are among the centers of fine carpets in Chaharmahal province. You are handmade at a cheap price. It is not a good place to challenge. But if you are looking for high quality carpets with very beautiful colors, the carpets of this area can be an ideal option for you.

We said that the quality of weaving and dyeing of carpets are more challenging than Iran’s very good options, but the point that you need to pay attention to before buying carpets from this region is that today, unfortunately; The presence of unskilled weavers, the use of inappropriate maps and designs, and the lack of up-to-date designs have caused the carpets of this region to face a slight stagnation.

In this article, we tried to check all the necessary points about the more challenging hand-woven carpet for you, so that if you intend to buy hand-woven carpets from this region, you can do so with complete information.