Investigating the situation and evolution of Kerman carpet industry in the Qajar period

Kerman was considered one of the main centers of carpet production and trade in the Qajar period. Despite the fact that until the end of the 19thcentury, affected by the prosperity of the shawl weaving industry, the Kerman carpet industry did not enjoy much prestige. But with the stagnation of shawl weaving from the end of this century, carpet production and trade flourished. In this period, under the influence of the available capacities inthat area for carpet production and the increase in demand in the world markets for Kerman carpets, domestic and foreign capital was used in the said industry and the production and trade of carpets also expanded. This research aims to investigate the research problem, that is, the state and evolution of carpet production and trade in Kerman during the Qajar period, with the descriptive-analytical method and using archival documents and library sources. According to the findings of the research, in the early Qajar period, carpet weaving in Kerman among urban, rural and nomadic weavers was done in a limited way and was considered as a domestic commercial product. But since the last decades of this century, with the investment of Tabriz businessmen and foreign companies inthe carpet industry of that region and the establishment of carpet weaving workshops, not only the volume of carpet production increased, but also the value of its export prospered. So that at the end of the Qajar period, Kerman carpet had a major share of the carpet market in Europe and America.