Gabbeh's texture is usually made of self-dyed wool mixed with goat hair. After washing, these wool and hairs are spun and spun and then used for weaving. In this article, the raw materials of Gabbeh weaving are thoroughly examined, then the details of manual and machine weaving are discussed. We pay for it. Finally, we will compare hand-woven and machine-made rugs.

Materials for Weaving Gabbeh

Gabbeh is woven from high-quality sheep wool or goat hair. A herd of sheep and goats walks hundreds of kilometers yearly and passes through low and high places. The tribe travels from the high pastures north of Shiraz in the Zagros mountain range (the summer pasture of the Qashqai tribe) to the winter pastures near the Persian Gulf. Sheep that graze at high altitudes produce more lanolin (wool fat). The higher the amount of lanolin, the better, softer, and brighter the wool is, and the more resistant to stains.
Color separation is significant and constitutes the first stage of weaving, during which the artisans first select wool from their livestock or (if the family does not have livestock) from other ranchers. Livestock breeders and nomads buy it; it is wholly separated according to the type of color, and after washing, it is spun and spun by women and girls using small and portable spindles. Sometimes, the hair of Aden and Pakistani goats, which has a great variety of colors, is mixed with sheep's wool and used as thread or for sewing hems.
As mentioned, the Gabbeh weave is done using self-dyed wool. Still, sometimes, weavers perform bleaching operations on white, sugar, and cream wool and dyeing operations on brown and black wool to make their raw materials transparent. Using the skin of the oak fruit, which is called Jaft in the local term, they create a kind of brown color similar to henna, and with the help of pomegranate skin, alum, and iron color, they make a transparent black color.

Gabbeh weaving materials

Hand-woven Gabbeh Persian Rug

The Gabbeh Persian rugs woven by original weavers or trained by expert weavers are hand-woven Gabbeh, which are special types of Persian woven rugs with high value and have their authenticity preserved. These types of blankets are often made of pure wool. Their weaving may have been done manually, but they are custom-made with synthetic fibers to reduce the price of these products.
This type of carpet is mainly woven in the Persian style and on ground looms. However, sometimes, and in some regions, they may also be produced by the Turkish weaving method. ,

Types of Hand-woven Gabbeh Persian Rug

In Iran, different Persian Gabbeh rugs are woven depending on the region, culture, and lifestyle. These rugs are distinct in design, color, and texture. Gabbeh is sometimes named according to the tribe of its weavers and sometimes according to the city where it is sold; for example, it is called Lori carpet or Shirazi carpet. Here, we will introduce some of the most famous Persian Gabbeh rugs:

  • Qashqai Gabbeh: This Gabbeh is woven in the southern regions of Iran, especially in Fars province. It has geometric patterns.
  • Gabbeh Kurdish: It is produced in Kurdish regions such as Kermanshah and Kurdistan. Human and animal motifs are common in it.
  • Lori Gabbeh: Lerneshin areas, especially Lorestan and Khuzestan provinces, are the place of production of these Gabbeh Persian rugs. The motifs of nature and village life prevail in it.
  • Turkmen Gabbeh: It is produced in northeastern Iran and Turkmen-inhabited areas. It has patterns specific to Turkmen culture.
  • Balochi Gabbeh: These gabbeh Persian rugs are woven in the southeastern regions, such as Sistan and Baluchistan. Geometric patterns and warm colors are prominent in it.

Clicking on the picture below, you can visit various types of handmade Persian Gabbeh rugs.

handwoven Gabbeh rug

Qashqai Gabbeh

Gabbeh weaving is done in many regions of Iran, but areas such as Kurdistan, Fars, Qashqai, Baluchistan, and Azerbaijan are known for their special and unique Gabbeh Persian rugs.
Fars province, with a history of 150 years in the field of weaving, can be considered one of the pioneers of this art in Iran. This region includes the tribes of Qashqai, Khamsa, Mamsani, and Bakhtiari, and it can be safely said that the fabrics of the Qashqai Turks of Fars are among the best, so they have an exceptional reputation abroad.
Among the other vital centers of Geba weaving, we can mention two domes, Bashet, Tal Gar, Cheshmeh Belqis, Deh Sheikh and Cheram in the city of Kekiloyeh, Deh Alia and Deh Sefali Alia, Barazjan and the rural areas of Shul and Deh Kohene in Bushehr province.

Kashkuli Gabbeh

The Qashqai, the tribe most associated with weaving Persian Gabbeh rugs, are centered in southern Iran near the historic city of Shiraz. But other tribes, such as the Lurs, the Kurds, and the Bahktiari, also weave these carpets. Gabbeh comes from a Persian word meaning raw, natural, uncut, or "in the rough."
Although most Qashqai clans are skilled carpet weavers, the most critical Qashqai carpet weaving clan is the Kashkooli clan, which weaves the most diverse, most beautiful, and famous Qashqai carpets known as Kashkooli carpets in 5 designs and central motifs. Kermani, the pattern of stripes or Marhamat, the pattern of an extraordinary minister, and the design of Bute Qabadkhani. The above designs are woven in different colors, sizes, and patterns.

Kashkuli Gabbeh Rugs

Machine-woven Gabbeh

Machine-woven Gabbeh rugs, like machine carpets, are not produced by persons but in factories. Due to being machine-made, these Gabbeh have more regular designs and textures and are often made of synthetic fibers and less than pure wool. For this reason, they have a lower price and are less valuable than hand-woven Gabbes. However, for daily use, when the carpet experiences friction and damage, especially for people who have children or keep pets, they are more suitable than hand-woven rugs.
Machine piles are those piles that have a low carpet density and are usually 320 or 440 combs. Unlike hand-woven fabrics, machine fabrics do not have much weight. They may even have tiny weights. Also, they are much less thick than hand-woven fabrics. Machine rugs are much cheaper than fine woven carpets, such as 700 comb carpets.

Machine-woven Gabbeh Rug, a Machine Made with Genuine Design

Gabbeh weaving is one of the valuable handicrafts of Iranian tribes and nomads. Still, with the development of textile machines, it is possible to weave textiles such as carpets, rugs, cloth, etc. The product line may not be named exclusively as a machine rug, but there are products similar to rugs with the same characteristics as hand-woven carpets. Machine-made rugs similar to Gebe can be mentioned as low-density machine-made carpets (100 to 500 combs). Low-density machine carpets, or in other words, machine piles with long and soft piles, high thickness, and coarse patterns, have a very similar appearance to piles, so if you are a fan of machine piles, we suggest you choose a machine carpet with a density of 500 and 700 combs. You are fortunate when it comes to selecting the design and pattern of the machine rug because the variety of the design and pattern of the machine rugs is very high. You can find a car cover with a tree design, lion pattern, dome, clay, marhamat (striped), simple texture, etc. Buying a car seat is very affordable in terms of price.

machine-woven Gabbeh rug

Hand-woven vs. Machine-made Gabbeh Persian Rug

These two types of fabrics can be compared according to the definitions of hand-woven and machine-woven fabrics. Despite the great variety of designs and colors in the Persian rugs, it can be said that the field of Persian Gabbeh rugs produced in different regions of Iran mostly has bright colors such as white, cream, or ivory. Thick yarns are used in weaving Gabbeh Persian rugs, which are also very long. For this reason, the thickness of the hand-woven rugs is very high, and they are cumbersome. But this is not the case in carcasses.
In the end, the common feature of all Persian Gabbeh rugs is a type of traditional patterning that has been developed over thousands of years, as well as geometric figures and pictures of birds and animals in the background, which may be composed of rows of geometric figures or types of flowers (something similar to the patterns of Turkmen carpets). Or it can be striped like Qashqai hand looms, with one to three tangs in each corner.

Endpoint

Here, you have read a summary of the types of Gabbeh according to the type of texture, and you have learned about hand-woven and machine Gabbeh and the difference between these two types. Also, you realized the details of the machine and hand-woven welts, especially Persian Gebbeh. Please let us know your thoughts about this content by adding a comment. Also, if you have any questions, ask the experts of CyrusCrafts through the WhatsApp link. As a store website for Iranian handicrafts and carpets, CyrusCrafts Grabs offers various unique products with shipping and immediate delivery worldwide.

Asian Art & Memento

Related Posts

Gebbeh is a type of flooring rug with unique features. One of the most extraordinary characteristics of this scarce type of carpet is that the artist weaves 0-100 nodes mentally without having any plan. Stay with us to learn about Gabbeh or Persian Gabba and its other attributes.

03 Mar 2024, 12:54

If you are interested in the field of flooring for homes' interior and exterior design, you have probably heard the names Gabbeh and Kilim. Since these two Persian rugs have many similarities, they usually need clarification with each other when visiting online, where it is not possible to touch the fabric of these two types of carpets. But simple factors distinguish a Gabbeh from a Kilim rug easily.

03 Mar 2024, 13:27

Since Persian carpets are world famous, you must have heard their name wherever you are. But have you ever heard anything about Gabbeh? Gabbeh is also an Iranian handwoven rug, which differs significantly from ordinary rugs' appearance and texture. The most important of these differences are collected in the following article.

04 Mar 2024, 08:37

When it comes to Gabbeh, most people remember it with simple colors and traditional designs, which are generally vintage Gabbeh rugs. However, Persian artisans always create masterpieces according to time changes and interior decoration fashion. Therefore, today, you can see Persian Gabbeh rugs that are different from ordinary gene rugs, called modern Gabbeh rugs.

05 Mar 2024, 01:54

Gabbeh World Market is not an ordinary market of handicrafts, but a place for art lovers and artists who know the value of art and want to add a new color and fragrance to the interior decoration of their home or workplace by buying a unique product. Stay tuned with the upcoming brief article to learn all the details about the global market of Gabbeh, B2B wholesale of Gabbeh, and buying a Gabbeh with the best conditions.

05 Mar 2024, 03:22

Related products

See the author's articles
Mahsa Sezavar Yeganeh

Comments (2)

    • James
    • 2024-03-05 08:18:16
    Are machine-made gabbeh rugs the same quality as handmade ones?
    • CyrusCrafts
    • 2024-03-06 08:49:45
    Dear James, Generally, handmade rugs are better than machine made ones. There actually are high-quality machine-made Gabbeh rugs, but handmade ones are definitely better.

New comment

You are replying to a comment

Product added to wishlist
Product added to compare.

Welcome to CyrusCrafts Wonderful World...