Karkass Mountain, a valley where Meymeh is located, is a cold, snowy high spot in the middle of the desert between Isfahan and Kashan. The pointy hills of marble, iron, and azure glow in various shades around the ski trail. A landscape with a deep affinity with the unique Meymeh rug design in the area is named Meymeh rug.
The area gained its reputation as a rug weaving center under the Safavid Shahs. They established Royal rug workshops for pastures and water, which provided fine wool and perfect herbal and mineral dyes.
Also, many Great craftsmen such as master weavers and dyers in Joshaghan and villages around Meymeh are the most celebrated ones. These villages produced royal rugs for the Persian Safavids and the Indian Mughal Court at the height of their glory. That’s why they deeply praised Persian culture. Meymeh has always been the best of Joshaqans with upper knot count and fineness of weave, proper for royal rugs.
Technical Aspects and The Structure of Meymeh Rug
The Meymeh rug has woolen piles on a cotton foundation. Knots are asymmetric (Persian) with a 200 per square inch density, much finer than ordinary Joshaqans. Despite their accurate features, the Meymeh rug usually comes without loom drawings.
Dyeing and Painting of The Meymeh Rug
The fertile soil of the region provides herbal and mineral dyestuffs. Red and dark blue are dominant for grounds, including deep reds as well as acid-moderated pinks.
For patterns, Meymeh’s palette uses these shades: azure, cobalt, and midnight blues, pistachio, greens, yellows, oranges, white, and ivory.
Designs and Patterns of Meymeh Rugs
Called Joshaqan, the design of the area has a world reputation, imitated from India to Romania. Rectilinear floral motifs, framed with vertical lozenges, fill the ground to make lattices of neat geometric sprays, leaves, and flowers. Such neatly rendered patterns may appear curvilinear at first glance.
In antique Meymeh, sometimes the lozenges surround a bigger lozenge that serves as a central medallion. In some cases, you could see such a medallion deemed just by the difference of colors or type of floral motifs. At the same time, examples with certain central medallions and corners are also numerous. Also, some have large corners and tiny stellar medallions, others with medium corners and medium round medallions.
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