Handwoven Rugs Throughout The Qajar Period And The Impact Of Cultural Globalization

Handwoven carpets as one of the main export items of Iran during the Qajar period underwent significant integration with the world economy after a series of foreign companies were established. As a result, the design, pattern, dyeing, and even weaving techniques of carpets changed significantly. There have not been enough considerations of all of these effects so far. We investigate the effects such a process had on Iranian carpets (patterns, sizes, colors, etc.) We examine the impact of such a process on the cultural dimensions and traditional characteristics of Iranian carpets (patterns, sizes, colors, etc.) during the Qajar period and the “implicit flourishing” of cultural patterns by foreign carpet weaving companies. What was the dominant cultural pattern that influenced Iranian hand-woven carpets? The purpose of this article is to recognize the consequences and changes resulting from the integration of Iranian carpets into global markets. This study presents historical data on the effects of globalization on Iranian carpets’ external structure (design, pattern, dyeing) and internal structure (texture and knot type) from two theoretical perspectives: “rupture and continuity” and “Flourished despite the rupture”. In all fields and elements related to carpets, the logic of profitability and exports has become more dominant, resulting in cultural assimilation of Iranian carpets.