Khomein is one of the oldest rug production centers in Iran’s Markazi Province. Amongst the suburban villages of the city, Lilihan stands out because of its well-known Lilihan rug.
The raw materials used, the design, the color, and the rug weaving technique of the Lilihan rug are different from its neighboring regions, in both antique and rugs.
Khomein County is a fertile plain, about 65 kilometers from Arak. Many Armenians have settled in the suburban villages of Arak and Khomein during their migration within the country.
Rug-weaving has a strong tradition between Armenians, and they brought the craft rapidly to the region’s villages. Thanks to its unique style, Lilihan is the most famous one. Until 1946, Armenians kept producing, but they gradually left the village since then. There were more Armenian villages near Khomein, such as Kandha, Darreh Shur, Davood-Abad, Mazra, Chahar Taq, Danian, and QurchiBashi.
In the beginning, Armenian settlers would weave the mostly in red, with shades ranging from tomato red to peach to red and a little bit of navy blue and ivory. Gradually, they started adding floral motifs to the rug design and patterns with a variety of colors like red, blue, black, green, gold, gray, and brown. That’s why an old is relatively brighter.
The Main Characteristics of The Lilihan Rug:
Warping the loom: Turkish style with woolen warp
Knot type: Asymmetrical (Persian), the symmetrical (Turkish) knot is also possible
Weft: Antique Lilihan rug enjoys a thick weft without a thin weft, but new ones have mostly double wefts.
Design and pattern: The most famous patterns of Lillian rugs and other villages around are Shakh-e Bozi (Goat Horns) and Mahi-Dirham (Fish). There is another village near Lillian called Basil, the famous pattern of which is Band-e Reyhan.
Size: The region’s old rugs are mostly small-sized. Nowadays, big sizes (6m, for instance) are more common.
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