A Brief History of Qajar Dynasty Carpets

The Qajar dynasty (also anglicized as Ghajar or Kadjar) was an Iranian royal family of Turkmen origin who ruled Persia (Iran) from 1794 to 1925. The Qajar family took full control of Iran in 1794, deposing Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last of the Zand dynasty, and re-asserted Persian sovereignty over parts of the Caucasus. In 1796 Mohammad Khan Qajar was formally crowned as Shah. After Nader Khan became Shah of Iran in 1736, he destroyed Isfahan, and Persian rug-making entered a period of drought. The only people making rugs in Persia at this time were nomads and craftsmen in small villages. Rug-making didn't pick back up again until the beginning of the Qajar dynasty's period of power. The Qajars valued craftsmanship. Nasser e-Din Shah, who ruled from 1848 to 1896, forbade the use of aniline dyes in rug-making, because these dyes were not colorfast. At the tail end of the Qajar dynasty, in the late 19^th century, export of Persian rugs began. Companies from the U.S., England and Germany built factories in Iranian cities and started producing their own Persian rugs. Merchants exported rugs from Tabriz to Istanbul, and from there into Europe.

Sources and inspiration: Bérinstain, Valérie, et al. L'art du tapis dans le monde (The art of carpets in the world). Paris: Mengès, 1996. Print.; Jerrehian Jr., Aram K.A. Oriental Rug Primer. Philadelphia: Running Press, 1980. Print.; Herbert, Janice Summers. Oriental Rugs, New York: Macmillan, 1982. Print.; Hackmack, Adolf. Chinese Carpets and Rugs, Rutland and Tokyo: Tuttle, 1980. Print. ; De Moubray, Amicia, and David Black. Carpets for the home, London: Laurence King Publishing, 1999. Print.; Jacobsen, Charles. Oriental Rugs A Complete Guide, Rutland and Tokyo: Tuttle, 1962. Print.; Bashir, S. (n.d.). Personal interview.; Web site sources and dates of consultation vary (to be confirmed). Without prejudice to official usage.