Cloth-Weaving in Timurid Period (Case Study of the Cloth used in Decoration of the Tents of the Ṭoy Ceremonies)

With regard to the status of cloth-weavers in Iranian civilization, including the Timurid period, the present research, by relying on the descriptive-analytical method, tries to answer the question as to on what policy of the court was the manifestation of this art in most of the cloth textiles used in Timurid ṭoy (merrymaking) in the form of tents coverings by the weavers according to the narratives on texts and images left behind from Timurid gatherings. The findings based on the theological and visual analysis of the narratives and designs suggest that on one hand according to Timur’s art-loving nature and on the other hand due to representing the politico-military strength and stability in national and transnational arena, display of the artistic-cultural growth and sublimation of the land under its government, and acquisition of popularity and status among other nations, the attempts were always made that the tents for the Timurid ṭoy, in which sometimes the envoys of other countries attended, to be exclusively decorated. Subsequently, as a result of and due to Timur’s supportive policies toward the works produced in this field, the artistic styles of the weavers of this period achieved its pinnacle of growth and exuberance to the extent that the cloth used in ṭoy tents based on the artistic talent of the Iranian weavers considerably distanced from the Chinese style and achieved an artistic independence using the special fabrics, designs, and colors.