Origin
Historically Gilan and Mazandaran sericulture; also imported.
Properties
- Very high tensile strength
- Fine gauge allows dense knotting
- Strong lustre
- Light-sensitive dyes
Preparation
Cocoons are reeled, degummed, thrown into thread, then dyed in small lots.
Care & preservation
Highly light-sensitive. Store flat, in the dark, interleaved with unbuffered tissue.
General guidance only. For valuable or fragile pieces, consult a qualified conservator before cleaning or treatment.
Used in these crafts
A hand-knotted pile textile woven across Iran in city workshops, village looms and pastoral camps, distinguished by regional structure, palette and design vocabulary.
A patterned Iranian brocade woven with supplementary wefts, historically in silk and wool, associated above all with Yazd and Kerman.
The workshop carpet tradition of Tabriz in East Azerbaijan, characterised by drawn cartoons, a distinctive hook-knife weaving method and a wide range of fineness grades.
A metal-thread embroidery technique in which fine gold or silver wire, or wire-wrapped thread, is couched onto velvet or other heavy cloth to create raised, reflective patterns, historically used on ceremonial garments and furnishings.