TEHRAN—Malayer in Hamedan province, has been the cradle of Iranian art and creativity in carpet weaving since the olden times.

It is not only one of the largest hand-woven carpet production hubs but also has a special status in the history of the Iranian carpet industry with its unique diversity in patterns, colors, and weaving styles. 

Carpet weaving is not simply a profession or industry but also a portion of the cultural and social identity of people of this land; a heritage which has survived in small rural workshops and old houses and has been passed down from generation to generation, ISNA reported.

Every region of Malayer has its own identity: From the elegance of Shahribaab and Jozan to the geometric-nomadic originality of Mishan and the enduring patterns of Musa Khan and Hosseinabad. This unique diversity has turned Malayer into a living museum of Iranian carpets; the place where a foreign customer can observe various authentic Iranian designs and patterns side by side in just one trip. 

Malayer’s color palette, from lacquer and turquoise to olive and cream, combined with the durability of Turkish knots and the use of cotton warp and weft, has created carpets that are both beautiful and artistically elegant, as well as strong and durable. 

Many ancient patterns like Mishan rugs are currently kept at the world’s reliable museums and palaces. The fame of the art of Malayari weavers has spread throughout the world.

But the importance of Malayer carpets is not limited to their artistic aspect; this art industry plays a decisive role in the regional economy and the country's non-oil exports.

The markets of Europe, West Asia, East Asia, and even the United States have been customers of Malayer carpets for years, but they struggle with obstacles such as the lack of a single brand, sanctions, and the lack of standard raw materials.

Hamidreza Forouzanahsan , head of Hamadan Hand-Woven Carpet Production and Exporters Association, stated that Malayer is not just a carpet weaving center, but also a cluster of independent centers with diverse design identities. Malayer is the first city in Iran that has the highest number of weavers, diverse colors and patterns, he added.

He said each of the local carpeting weaving centers is active in forms of household or rural workshops. Overall, the number of weavers has decreased compared to the past, and there are about hundreds of active weavers in the villages and city of Malayer, but this number is much lower than in the 1980s and 1990s, he pointed out. 

Mishan pattern is one of the oldest carpet patterns of Malayer with diverse designs like geometric, floral, special fish and slime-betta combination. Many older samples of Mishan rugs are kept at world’s museums and palaces. 

Stating that the thread count of Mishan carpets ranges from medium to very high (depending on the period and order), he added that Mishan carpets are woven in both single and double piles, depending on the style and time of weaving, and the target market for Mishan carpet designs is collectors, museums, and special orders from Europe and America if restrictions are lifted. 

Forouzanahsan said that the UAE is mainly a buyer of Malayer carpets as an export center. Germany, China, Italy, and the United States also want Malayer carpets, he added.

According to him, the unique variety of designs and colors of Malayer rugs has the potential to create a global collection of Malayer rugs.

He stated that Malayer can be present in large exhibitions titled ‘Malayer Pavilion’, in which each of the designs of Jozan, Mishan, Musa Khan, etc., will have a booth, and all will be covered by the ‘Malayer Rugs’ brand. 

He listed the registration of the geographical indication of Malayer carpet that includes all these villages and districts, the compilation of a digital booklet or catalog introducing each style and its historical story, the establishment of a direct exhibition and sales center in Malayer that shows all this diversity in one place, and the use of this diversity to attract art tourists and special buyers as measures to revive the position of Malayer carpets in the global market. 

Forouzanahsan listed the problem of currency exchange, the lack of a single brand that introduces all these styles under one umbrella, and the embargo as obstacles to exports.

He stated that the light livestock wool is available, but its collection, processing, and dyeing are not standardized and high-quality, adding that weavers are getting older and the younger generation is less inclined to turn to carpet weaving, because the domestic and export markets are unstable.

Mohammad Amini, one of the carpet activists in Malayer county, also considered quality raw materials to be the main basis of hand-woven carpets. “Carpet buyers are looking for high-quality carpets woven from sheep wool and natural dyes.”

He stated that years ago, about 6,000 wool spinning mills were operating in Malayer, and mostly in Lorestan province, especially Borujerd, and most of the raw materials for Malayer carpets were supplied from these spinning mills, but unfortunately, wool spinning has been closed for about eight years and most weavers use machine-spun wool.

He considered the revival of spun wool a feasible task that requires more support and supervision from relevant organizations and prevention of the activities of spinning machine factories, adding that currently, most of the dyes used for carpets are chemical, which is why older carpets are more expensive and in higher demand because they were woven with sheep's wool and natural and herbal dyes were used to weave them.

KD