[Al-BAB] Distanced by 6,000 miles and two decades, the two shops shared a link to rugs and carpets hailing from ever more distant places: Turkey and Turkmenistan, Isfahan and Kashan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, India and Afghanistan. Here was a 19th century Kashan from Central Persia, a weathered yet still graceful survivor (two World Wars, three Middle-Eastern wars, and multiple generations of small and large feet).
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Some related posts from Technorati and Google.
[Glory of Persia] The Safavid Empire: In 1722 Afghan invaders under Mahmoud, a former Safavid vassal in Afghanistan, captured Esfahan and murdered Shah Sultan Hossein. The Afghan invasion was disastrous for Iran, which consequently in 1723 the Ottomans took advantage of the disintegration of the Safavid realm and invaded from the west, ravaging western Persia as far as Hamadan, while the Russians seized territories around the Caspian Sea.
[R. John Howe: Textiles and Text] Daniel Walker: “Classical Fragments”: of the oriental carpet might begin in the 15th century, peak in the 16th century and 17th centuries, and decline during the 18th century. He said that he had tried to limit himself to pieces estimated to be pre-1800 but that this next fragment likely spilled over that time line and he decided to make an exception in this case because it was such a tantalizing bit of a much larger pattern.
[bmi voyager] The rug bug: For anyone who wishes to buck the trend and spend less money in the process, Davies points to three styles that are currently out of fashion and thus offering good value: Isfahan, Kashan and Tabriz, all Persian designs. They have fallen in price over the last 15 years and start at about £1,500 to £5,000.
Reflected tags on Technorati: Blog, Persian Rugs, Iran Reviews