Study on Forms and Positions of Dragon in Safavid Carpets

In the history of carpet weaving in Iran, Safavid period can be called as the golden age of carpet weaving art. One of the reasons for the popularity of these carpets is their design features. The design of these carpets indicates the creativity and ingenuity as well as the skillfulness of the artists of this era. Various patterns such as floral, animal, and human are used in the carpets of this period, each of them indicates a wide variety of meanings. Dragon is one of the elements in Safavid carpets which frequently has been used in various forms in the carpets of this period. This article intended to investigate the symbolic meanings and forms of dragon in Safavid carpets using analytical-descriptive method. Moreover according to existing library resources, the available Safavid carpets’ images including the dragon image were investigated. Then, dragon images in those carpets were separated and their position and forms were evaluated. The study is revealed that dragon is the most frequent legendary image in Safavid carpets and in most cases; this image is at odds with phoenix and not in conflict with him. The variety of dragon designs allows the possibility of using it in all parts of the carpets but this mythical beast were frequently used in the margins and text of carpets rather than central medallion.