2020.2/17 (Mon) Mashhad Purchasing Day 5
The story continues from a village near the Afghan border where the Baluchi people live.
With the dog watching from the top of the fence, Layout leaves Koshkyak Village and heads to its next location, Zuzan Village.
Zuzan Village
The first house we visited in this village had a gate with a slightly different atmosphere than the previous one.
I am often asked, "Do Iranians wear their shoes inside the house?" and just like us, they take their shoes off inside the house.
However, it seems that there are few houses in Iran where the area where you take off your shoes is clearly separated from the living space when you open the door, like in Japan.
There are two types of house: one where you take off your shoes in a place where there is no particular barrier after entering the house, and one where you take them off outside the house. This house does the latter!
Being able to leave your shoes outside may be something that only happens in countries with little rain.
I was curious, so I looked up the amount of rainfall around the world, and found that the amount of rainfall in Iran is one-seventh of that in Japan. That's low!
After taking off my shoes outside, I went inside and was greeted by a wood-like wall, giving the place a rather modern feel.
I forgot to ask why the large and small televisions are lined up side by side, but it looks like a cozy living room.
There was a space for weaving rugs in the room next to the living room!
This is a vertical machine!
This loom was a vertical type.
In the village of Koshkyak, which we introduced last time, horizontal looms were used, parallel to the floor, so even in nearby areas, both patterns are used interchangeably.
Looking at the design image that comes with it, it is a rug that is different from the image of our Baluchi rugs, with the Tree of Life towering in the middle.
I think this design would probably be called a Khorasan rug.
Please take a look at the area next to the loom.
Smartphones are an essential part of our lives! Everyone in Iran uses smartphones.
If I were weaving a carpet, I would definitely put it there. I know, I know!
In both Japan and Iran, people carry their smartphones with them at all times.
The size is approximately 150 x 100 cm. This woman weaves for about 6 to 7 hours a day and it takes about 3 to 4 months to complete the weaving!
The Turkish knot using a hook is very cool and skillful.
This lug is 55 large in terms of fineness.
The fineness of a Khorasan rug is expressed by the number of warp threads within a 10cm width, so a 55 large means that there are 55 warp threads within a 10cm width.
The larger this number, the thinner the warp threads and the finer the knots.
Although the counting method is the same, "Raj", it seems to be slightly different from Tabriz.
The overall picture is like this, and the loom is made from something like iron pipes.
I think that in the past, looms were often made of wood, but when you pursue resistance to warping and durability, it is natural to use metal like this.
The structure of the loom, the way the warp threads are stretched, and the shapes of the tools used vary depending on the region.
There is still so much to be curious about and learn about in the world of rugs...
The journey is still on.
to be continued