Explaining the Historical Contexts of the Phenomenon of Modernity in Contemporary Tabriz Carpets

Modernity is the main feature of Tabriz carpets, which is a leading city in the revival of contemporary Iranian carpet weaving. The purpose of this study is to explain the historical contexts of Tabriz being scout in the revival of Iranian carpet weaving and the reason for the prevalence of modernism phenomenon in contemporary carpet of this city. Therefore, in this article, at first, examples of modernity in contemporary Tabriz carpets were identified and introduced by statistical study, based on traditional Iranian carpet standards. The results show that realism is the main feature of the design and color of contemporary carpets in this city. The documentary study of the historical context of this phenomenon showed that the acquaintance of the people of Tabriz with modernist ideas through Russia and the Ottoman Empire, business interaction with Caucasus, the vast presence of foreign commercial and political representatives in this city and the presence of carpet merchants and manufacturers in the context of these developments, provided the ground for the influence of modernist currents amongst the production operates of Tabriz carpet. Utilizing emerging technologies, having capable and modern manpower in all aspects of Tabriz carpet production system, provided the ground for the city to take the lead in accepting and reflecting modernist ideas in production carpets.