Setting
Hamadan sits at about 1,850 m below Mount Alvand, laid out around a central circle from which six avenues radiate. The covered bazaar runs off the circle.
Why this place matters for craft
The 'Hamadan' label in the carpet trade covers output from many surrounding villages rather than one workshop style, which is why pieces sold under the name vary so much in structure and quality. Leatherwork and pottery from the province are also traded here.
Quarters, bazaars and workshops
| Area | What is there |
|---|---|
| Central bazaar | Carpet, textile and copper stalls in linked lanes. |
| Pottery retailers | Shops carrying Lalejin ware brought in from the town. |
What to look for on an object
- Village carpet — Single-weft structure and a coarser, irregular knot grid; abrash (colour banding) is common and not a fault.
These notes are for learning to look, not for authentication. No description here certifies an object, its age or its origin.
Practical notes
- Lalejin is a short drive away and is the better stop for pottery at source.
- Carpets sold as 'Hamadan' should be discussed by village if the seller knows it.
- Workshop addresses, bazaar hours and market days change; confirm locally before travelling.
Season: Late spring to autumn; winters are snowy.
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 flat, pileless woven textile made across Iran by interlocking or slit-weaving coloured weft threads over a warp, used as floor covering, storage bag, saddle cover and tent divider depending on region.
A narrow-strip flatwoven textile, usually made in warp-faced bands on a portable loom and then sewn together into a wider cloth, traditionally used as bedding cover, floor spread or door hanging by village and pastoral households.
A regional pottery tradition centred on the town of Lalejin near Hamadan, producing thrown and press-moulded glazed and unglazed earthenware, from utilitarian storage vessels to decorative tableware, in a large number of household workshops.
A non-woven wool textile made by matting and pressing raw wool fibres with moisture, heat and friction rather than by weaving, traditionally produced across Iran for floor coverings, cloaks and protective mats.