Carpets in the Written Records of the 4th-8th Centuries of the Islamic Histor

yCarpet is a valuable handicraft due to the number and diversity of its designs and drawings, the meticulous principles observed in weaving them, and the technical operations of coloring. The studies conducted in the field point to the high level of skills implemented by artists in creating and weaving carpets. Carpet has a very long history, and the oldest carpets displayed in museums around the world illustrate only a portion of that history. But it also has a vague history, and its process of evolution and development has so far remained unknown. In addition to the carpets or pieces of carpets that have survived to this date, paintings, drawings, and old texts are also remarkable resources in the history of the carpet. Investigating the history of carpet is an important branch of carpet studies and has been carried out by Iranian and foreign researchers for many decades. The historical information on Iranian handwoven carpets begins with the well-known Sheikh Safi Carpet in the 10th century of the Islamic Calendar. However, it is obvious that Iranian carpets date back to more ancient times. The handwoven carpet gradually gets decayed, eroded, and decomposed due to the existence of the protein structures of wool, silk, or cotton. Clear-cut pieces of handwoven carpets are limited to the past few decades. Resources that provide historical information on handwoven carpets before that time include pictorial sources (e.g., drawings) or written sources (e.g., books).Numerous drawings made during the Ilkhanate and Timurid eras, which encompass the period between the 7th and 9th periods of the Islamic Calendar, directly and explicitly illustrate the handwoven carpet. They offer information like the designs, drawings, and colors of the carpets produced during the period. Though many studies have been conducted in this field (miniatures), few studies have investigated the history of carpets in written records. Moreover - although not nearly enough - several studies have been conducted in the field that can be useful and helpful. Even though the present study has similarities to the previous studies in terms of its resources (the history of the old handwoven carpet in written records), it is different in regards to the selected historical period and the implemented written records. The main hypothesis of the study is that while the designs and drawings of carpets attracted the attention of the authors of written resources and prompted them to provide reports on them, the findings of the study would offer something different.The main resources of the present study include old written records. They were books that had no relevance to crafts and arts in terms of their main ideas but somehow illustrated the political, social, and cultural history of their times. However, it should be noted that no book was written on fine arts and art in the investigated period. Thus, ten volumes on three different fields, including itineraries, geography, and history, that were written from the 4th century to the 8th century of the Islamic Calendar were selected using the non-random – judgmental sampling technique. Six books on political history that offered comprehensive materials (e.g., Jami' al‑Tawarikh and Tarikh-i Bayhaqi), three itineraries that were the most well-known itineraries written in Iran from the 4th century to the 8th century of the Islamic Calendar, and a book on geography that introduced professions, crafts, and arts in different regions and realms of Iran. The main questions of the study were as follows: “How was the Iranian carpet described in old written records?” and “What type of information did the books offer on the carpets?”The present study is a historiographic one in terms of its goals and is conducted using the descriptive-analytical methodology. Moreover, the data were collected using library resources. The books investigated in the study, which were ten volumes and had been written during the Buyid Dynasty, Mongol Conquest, Ilkhanate Dynasty, and Timurid Dynasty, could be classified as historiography studies. Four volumes were valuable works written during the Mongol (Ilkhanate) era and had historical significance as they offered precious information on culture and arts of the studied eras. The Mongols linked western and eastern schools of thought due to their extensive political geography that stretched from China to Asia Minor, and this was evident in the surviving historical records of the time. For instance, Mongols converted to religions like Shamanism, Idolatry, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in various periods and performed the rituals of those religions. This indicates a sort of artistic intermixture during the Ilkhanate era. Indeed, it can be argued that the dominance of Mongols in Iran was a turning point in the art history of this great land. The researchers sought to meticulously investigate the selected books to find phrases and clauses that offered reports of handwoven carpets and rugs. Thus, the books were studied line by line so that any traces of carpets in them could be found and analyzed. Moreover, the reports on carpets by historians who had no professional relation to crafts and arts were also considered and studied. Then, the clauses of the books that offered information about carpets were classified into three sections (determined by the authors in clear-cut thematic areas). Then, the evidence implied by the clauses and reports was analyzed. Undoubtedly, the number of books investigated in the present study was negligible compared to numerous books and old bulky volumes written in or about Iran. Nonetheless, the results of the study could be analyzed in other books as the historical components of the carpet. Investigating the selected books resulted in the collection of a total of 83 reports (containing at least one clause relevant to carpets) as the data of the study. The collected clauses all pointed to three considerations:First, in all reports, carpets were described as valuable and expensive handicrafts. Second, none of the authors in the investigated four centuries made sufficient and convenient reference to the designs and drawings of the carpet and just talked about the colorfulness and, sometimes, the materials used in weaving them. Third, though the authors did not talk about the designs of the carpets, the designs and drawings of the fabrics, curtains, and Diba (a thin carpet made of cloth) were described and paid attention to. Consequently, the following conclusions and theories were obtained: the handwoven carpet was considered a valuable and expensive commodity from the 4th century of the Islamic Calendar onward and contributed to the magnificence and grandeur of the kings’ palaces. Unlike the hypothesis of the study, the authors and historians made no reference to the designs and drawings of the carpets and only described the materials used in weaving the carpets and their colorfulness.The delicacy and beauty of the fabrics described in the investigated written records (in addition to the surviving drawings and pieces of fabric) imply that the drawings of fabrics and the textile had a significant effect on the drawings of handwoven carpets and were considered important sources in that regard. Moreover, the designs of the carpets could not be described due to their geometric repetitive designs, which could be found in the drawings of the period.Any investigation on the history of the carpet by the researchers of visual resources should take into consideration that some carpets described and noted by historians and authors were indeed cloths and dibas. This can be helpful in distinguishing the drawings of a carpet from a diba, particularly when a carpet is drawn on another one. Moreover, the similarity between the drawings of the carpets and cloths used to cover the floor consolidate the hypothesis that the designs, drawings, and delicacy of the cloths influenced the designs, drawings, and texture of the carpets.The ultimate conclusions of the present study were the significant value and cost of the handwoven carpet, the lack of information and reports on the designs and drawings of the carpet, and references to the materials used to weave the carpet. Moreover, the findings probably imply that the designs of the carpets produced during the investigated period were geometrical and repetitive, and the drawings of cloths were a source of inspiration and influence on carpet design in those eras. Historical books and records offer valuable information and data to researchers on the process of the history of art and the history of the handwoven carpet. They can pose numerous questions and offer answers to the studies conducted on Iranian carpets to elucidate the path of the progress and splendor of the Iranian carpet, which was hidden for many centuries, in a better and more comprehensive way.