Cultural Dimensions of Iran's Participation in the 1873 Vienna World's Fair and its Impact on the Production and Export of the Iranian Carpets

With the outbreak of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the spread of mass production, global exhibitions were formed with the aim of offering technical and technological capabilities and finding new export markets. After four exhibitions in England and France, the Fifth World Exhibition was held in Vienna, Austria, in the year 1873 under the slogan of "Culture and Education". Iran also participated in this event officially and with a prior planning. The purpose of this study is to identify the various dimensions of Iran's participation in this exhibition. It also examines the impact of this presence on the prosperity of Iranian carpet production and exports as the country's leading industrial arts. It seems that the official presence and visit of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar to this exhibition strengthened the view of the ruling side of the European Union and put the Iranian pavilion at the center of attention. Meanwhile, the display of Iranian hand-woven carpets, which was admired by the cultural elites and critics of mass production, played an important role in the tendency of Western societies to buy hand-woven carpets as the cultural manifestations of Iran and revived the production and export of this traditional Iranian product in the Qajar era.