Indian Kashghuli | 123 x 83 cm | Nr. 15-62967

Indian Kashghuli

Delivery time	1-3 days
Dimensions	123 cm x 83 cm (= 1.02 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
knots	130000
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

The Ghashghai, an important nomadic people, have lived in the south of Iran, in the province of Fars, for centuries. All in all they consist of seven tribes. The most significant of the Ghashghai tribes – at least as far as rug production goes – are the Kashghuli (also Kaschguli, Kashguli, Qashguli).

The hand-knotted rugs of the Kashghuli enjoy an outstanding reputation in Europe too. They usually have a deep pile and are hand-knotted with Turkish knots from the hard-wearing wool of fat-tailed sheep breeds.

By now most of the Ghashghai have settled and are known as the main producers of Persian Gabbeh rugs. It is only because the Ghashghai have become largely settled that they can also make rugs in large formats. The few clans still living as nomads head up to the summer pastures in the Zagros Mountains twice a year. In autumn they return to their milder winter quarters down in the valley. The Ghashghai have a reputation for being especially proud, hard-working and honourable. Even though the Ghashghai appear less wild and warlike today, they still have an influence on Iranian domestic politics that should not be underestimated.

The demand for traditional patterns has meant that the Kashghuli in particular have for some time been knotting their traditional tribal patterns once again. These are, however, constantly reworked with new, contemporary design ideas and a wider range of colours.



The pattern of this rug is inspired by the pattern of classic Indian Kashghuli rugs. This rug, however, was knotted in India.

Exactly when rug production in India began is unknown. The first rugs in India were probably made during the cultural flowering of the Mughal dynasty in the middle of the 16th century. In the middle of the 19th century, with the decline of the Mughal dynasty, Indian rug production fell into crisis. European companies whose only aim was export to the West took the place of the traditional court manufactories. Very similar rugs were produced in different towns, and standardisation set in. Today, the designs of hand-knotted Indian rugs can scarcely be attributed to individual regions. Instead, the workshops have come to specialise in rendering European and traditional Iranian designs adapted to Western taste. In terms of quality, rugs from India benefit from the long tradition of craftsmanship and the high quality of Indian materials.