Vintage Qashqai sofreh kilim from Iran. 141x123 cms

A vintage Qashqai sofreh for camel lovers! This sofreh, or kilim in which to make bread, has four camels, one in each corner of the piece. Two of the camelids have a single hump, whilst the other two have two humps. The weaver has also added some decorative motifs in bright colours. 

Material: 100% hand-spun sheep wool

Size: 141×123 cms

Origin: Qashqai tribe, Iran

Date of weaving: 1980s

Sofrehs take their name from the Farsi (Persian) word for cloth and are used for several functions connected with preparing and eating food. Eating cloths are normally referred to simply as sofrehs and vary enormously in size-from small, rectangular mats for personal use to extremelly long, narrow runners for communal eating. They are woven in several standard techniques, including alternating bands of kilim and pile rug, and produced by a number of nomadic and tribal weavers in Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and to a lesser degree, elsewhere.

Turkic-speaking pastoral nomadic tribal groups began entering central and southern Iran during the eleventh and twelfth centuries.The Qashqai, as a large tribal unit, dates back at least to the early eighteenth century, when some Turkish(Turki)-speaking tribal groups in the region existed under the name Qashqai.

Qashqai kilims are best known for their boldness and and freedom in the way the pattern is drawn. An aesthetically pleasing geometry, the fineness of their wool and their clear, strong colours combine to ensure their reputation as superlative examples.