Hosein talks about his trade, Carpets. Thanks to Chiman Rahimi for making the interview possible. I filmed with Sony HVR-V1E 1080i. Translations: CARPETS One of the reasons for my great interest in the art of carpet, was because a great number of my family members and relatives were engaged in this job, hence I became fascinated by it. When I was studying I spent all my free times going to my brother’s workshop and followed his works in repairing, washing and drying the carpets, and by concentrating on his work I was learning all these arts. I can say approximately I was 10-11 years old when I started with that and as the time passed by I got more interested. - For repairing the carpets, for their washing, for their dying and selecting the colours, Although they took a long time, but I learned all these techniques from my brother, because he was a real master in this field and made all efforts to teach me this art. - This carpet that you see here its design originates from Tabriz, but it has been woven in Turkey. The ordinary eyes cannot distinguish that, only experts can see that and people who knows the carpets. The knots used in this carpet are Turkish knots. I must also tell you a little about the process of knot weaving in making carpets: depending on their forms there are several knots which are employed. Turkish knots and Persian knots. But in this kind of carpet the Turkish knots are used. - For the material of its texture, it includes thread (cotton), and for the knots it is wool, and dye used in this carpet are partly chemical dyes and partly vegetable dyes. In the past for making carpets mostly the vegetable dyes were used. I must say here that it was an English scholar, English chemist Per King who introduced the chemical dyes in carpet industry, and since then in those areas which carpet weaving are carried out, especially in Iran, China , India, Afghanistan and Turkey and many other places with carpet industry employing chemical dyes are practised. - This carpet is between 70- 80 years old. But as you see on account that it has been kept properly one may think that it has never been used, but as I said it is between 70- 80 years old. The dye of this carpet also is not totally made of vegetable dye, and as I told you as around 100 -120 years ago the chemical dye was introduced into making carpets, since then the carpet weavers and especially the dyers who use to dye the wool found it easier to use the chemical dyes and realise those colours that they had in mind. Because the vegetable dye takes longer time to get form, it takes longer time. Then the market was a factor as well for using chemical dye. Because the demand for the carpets grew and they should be supplied sooner. Although it effected the art somehow. For instance in the past before the introduction of chemical dye, any dyer had to spent at least 12 hours to form a single form of colour, the wool should have been socked completely , then after taking them from the dying containers they should lay down the wool under the sun, in order to get dry, and later the wool should have been washed a few other times. So there were lots of processes involved. But since the introduction of chemical dye, these processes are not there or they have been shortened. That is why such carpets that are around 70-80 years old part of their dye is according to the traditional way of dying and as they are woven in tribal areas, they weavers still use their traditional methods. - This carpet that you see here also is an old carpet. It is about 80-90 years old. It is woven by Afshar tribe in Sirjan. It is dyed mostly with vegetable dye and partly with chemical dye. The texture and knots are hundred per cent wool; there is no thread and cotton used in weaving that. The wool is hand woven. Most of the carpets in our stock are hand made by tribes. Of course these tribes are from different regions. From Shiraz, from Shahsévans of Azerbaijan, from Kurdistan. In these areas there live tribes who are not permanent settlers and they use to decamp from time to time. - This carpet is not a new one also. It has its own history. It is also 70- 80 years old. Let me tell you its history. When it was bought it had some burns in several places. As I have the know how about repairing and washing the carpets and it is a tradition in our family and later we have become a carpet merchant, and because of my personal interest for this art, I could easily mend those faults. The repairing has been done very professionally that is why it is very difficult to see that it is a repaired carpet. - I must add here when you want to repair a carpet, the dye that you want to form, it must match the original which has been used for the carpet at least 70- 90 years ago. Our repair could match as to 90 per cent to the original but it could not be identical with it. We have repaired this carpet about 15 years ago, and if we see a little change in the colour, it is

Hosein talks about his trade, Carpets. Thanks to Chiman Rahimi for making the interview possible. I filmed with Sony HVR-V1E 1080i. Translations: CARPETS One of the reasons for my great interest in the art of carpet, was because a great number of my family members and relatives were engaged in this job, hence I became fascinated by it. When I was studying I spent all my free times going to my brother’s workshop and followed his works in repairing, washing and drying the carpets, and by concentrating on his work I was learning all these arts. I can say approximately I was 10-11 years old when I started with that and as the time passed by I got more interested. - For repairing the carpets, for their washing, for their dying and selecting the colours, Although they took a long time, but I learned all these techniques from my brother, because he was a real master in this field and made all efforts to teach me this art. - This carpet that you see here its design originates from Tabriz, but it has been woven in Turkey. The ordinary eyes cannot distinguish that, only experts can see that and people who knows the carpets. The knots used in this carpet are Turkish knots. I must also tell you a little about the process of knot weaving in making carpets: depending on their forms there are several knots which are employed. Turkish knots and Persian knots. But in this kind of carpet the Turkish knots are used. - For the material of its texture, it includes thread (cotton), and for the knots it is wool, and dye used in this carpet are partly chemical dyes and partly vegetable dyes. In the past for making carpets mostly the vegetable dyes were used. I must say here that it was an English scholar, English chemist Per King who introduced the chemical dyes in carpet industry, and since then in those areas which carpet weaving are carried out, especially in Iran, China , India, Afghanistan and Turkey and many other places with carpet industry employing chemical dyes are practised. - This carpet is between 70- 80 years old. But as you see on account that it has been kept properly one may think that it has never been used, but as I said it is between 70- 80 years old. The dye of this carpet also is not totally made of vegetable dye, and as I told you as around 100 -120 years ago the chemical dye was introduced into making carpets, since then the carpet weavers and especially the dyers who use to dye the wool found it easier to use the chemical dyes and realise those colours that they had in mind. Because the vegetable dye takes longer time to get form, it takes longer time. Then the market was a factor as well for using chemical dye. Because the demand for the carpets grew and they should be supplied sooner. Although it effected the art somehow. For instance in the past before the introduction of chemical dye, any dyer had to spent at least 12 hours to form a single form of colour, the wool should have been socked completely , then after taking them from the dying containers they should lay down the wool under the sun, in order to get dry, and later the wool should have been washed a few other times. So there were lots of processes involved. But since the introduction of chemical dye, these processes are not there or they have been shortened. That is why such carpets that are around 70-80 years old part of their dye is according to the traditional way of dying and as they are woven in tribal areas, they weavers still use their traditional methods. - This carpet that you see here also is an old carpet. It is about 80-90 years old. It is woven by Afshar tribe in Sirjan. It is dyed mostly with vegetable dye and partly with chemical dye. The texture and knots are hundred per cent wool; there is no thread and cotton used in weaving that. The wool is hand woven. Most of the carpets in our stock are hand made by tribes. Of course these tribes are from different regions. From Shiraz, from Shahsévans of Azerbaijan, from Kurdistan. In these areas there live tribes who are not permanent settlers and they use to decamp from time to time. - This carpet is not a new one also. It has its own history. It is also 70- 80 years old. Let me tell you its history. When it was bought it had some burns in several places. As I have the know how about repairing and washing the carpets and it is a tradition in our family and later we have become a carpet merchant, and because of my personal interest for this art, I could easily mend those faults. The repairing has been done very professionally that is why it is very difficult to see that it is a repaired carpet. - I must add here when you want to repair a carpet, the dye that you want to form, it must match the original which has been used for the carpet at least 70- 90 years ago. Our repair could match as to 90 per cent to the original but it could not be identical with it. We have repaired this carpet about 15 years ago, and if we see a little change in the colour, it is