A Study on the Evolution of Design, Weaving and Coloring Styles in the Arab- Cherpanlu's Hand-wovens

From the old times، the sub-tribe of Arab Cherpanlu، which has its summer quarters in Qonqori and Dehbid (two regions in Fars province، southwestern Iran)، has joined the Shish-blooki (six-block) sub-tribe of Qashqai tribes since the last hundred years due to the proximity to the Qashqaies in Chahardangeh border. Arab Cherpanlu has a unique carpet weaving tradition. This paper has focused on the evolution of Arab cherpanlu carpets through the descriptive- analytical method to study the design of these hand-wovens in various periods. The research is based on fieldwork and library sources. The results indicated that the Arab Cherpanlu weavers in their hand-wovens، which have Ashkali designs، have experienced four relatively distinct periods: 1. before the 18th century that they lived under the Arab tribe in Qonqori and adhered to its traditions of carpet-weaving such as symmetrical knot type I and dark coloring 2. From the 18th century up to the half of the 19th century، under the influence of the proximity to the Qashqai tribes، they began to use Qashqai-originated motifs 3. ((Transition period))، by the mid 19th century، they joined Qashqai tribe which led to mutual influences. The most important characteristic of this period is the development of the Qashqai-originated qualities among the Cherpanlu weavers 4. During the last ninety years، known in this paper as the Cherpanlu-Qashqai period، a new carpet-weaving tradition is formed among the Cherpanlu weavers based on a combination of new and old traditions.