Study on the Importance and Value of Textiles in Iran through the Lens of Qajar Travelogues

Textiles were extremely valuable before the Industrial Revolution due to the difficulty of production and were considered precious goods. Weaving evolved alongside the fundamental developments in the textile industry during the Qajar era in Iran, but it was still considered valuable in its traditional form. Even when manual production declined, it received additional value due to its rarity. In industrial form, textiles were imported to Iran and were perhaps less expensive than domestic products that were produced using handicraft methods. However, they were still valuable given their long-distance shipment. The purpose of this study was to examine instances of appreciation of Qajar textile value in travelogues written during the time period. As a result, the main research question was as follows: How can the significance of clothing and, consequently, textiles be explained by studying Qajar travelogues? The historical exploration of Qajar era documents(more than 30 travelogues) in this descriptive-analytical study revealed that clothing and textiles were particularly important throughout the Qajar era, regardless of their nature, type, or application, both for men and women. Expensive textiles, like shawls and samites, were exchanged as money and were used to make priceless gifts for men in high positions, like kings. The durability of textiles was extended not only by less-frequent washing, but also through methods such as patchwork. Thus, while the textile industry in its traditional sense declined during the Qajar era, this did not undermine the preciousness of textiles and, in fact, became a reason for their further importance and value.