Semi-antique Basseri rug from Shiraz, Iran. 380x270 cms

During a recent trip to a small village in southern Iran, I asked the locals to help me find a large, antique tribal rug. To my surprise, just a few hours later, they returned with three huge rugs, all made around 1950 by the women of the Basseri tribe, a nomadic and pastoral community in Fars province.

What sets this rug apart is not only its beauty, but also the luxurious quality of the wool. The long, luxurious pile and softness of the material make this piece a must-have if you like to walk barefoot. The two ends are finished with a kilim weave. The color changes within a single shade, called abrash, are spectacular. The Basseri weavers had also woven a bird on the two lower ends of the rug.

This large rug was probably woven by settled Basseri women, who had access to a large loom capable of creating a design of such size.

All dyes are natural.

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool   

Size: 380×270 cms

Origin: Basseri tribe from Iran

Date of weaving: 1950-60

The Basseri (Persian: باسری or باصری) are a pastoral nomadic people living in Fars Province in Southwestern Iran in land characterized by widely contrasting agro-ecological zones and heterogeneous ethnic groups Their migratory area is around Shiraz. They are one of the five tribes of the larger Khamseh confederation. The Basseris are probably the most nomadic of the Khamseh tribes.

The “tent” is the basic unit of social organization among the Basseri. All tents have a recognized head that deals with the formal officers of the tribe, villagers, and other strangers. The Basseri economy stems mainly from sheep and goats.

According to Fredrik Barth who worked with them in 1958, the Basseri considered themselves a clearly distinct group, despite sharing language and cultural features with several neighboring tribal groups.

The Basseri speak a dialect of Farsi which Barth found to be “very close to the urban Persian of Shiraz town” .Some Basseri were also bilingual in Turkish, Arabic or another Farsi dialect spoken by neighboring groups. Barth also found other tribal groups outside Basseri, such as the Bugarad-Basseri of north-west Fars, who spoke the Basseri dialect and claimed a genetic connection with them (Barth, 1961: 2).

In the old times most pile rugs and weavings were used within the tribe and rarely sold. Formerly misidenfied as “Qashqai” or sold under the generic label “Shiraz”, Khamseh rugs have now adquired a reputation of their own.