Ravar (Lavar) Rugs
Ravar (Ravar Rugs) is a town in the middle of a vast salty desert called the Dasht-e Lut, literally: the Plain of Emptiness. A UNESCO natural world heritage site, with amazing landscapes of plain, mounds and barrows on which ancient Zoroastrians had used to exposure their bodies; there are mines of brimstone and gold; and vast plateaus on top mounds, one of which, called Gandom Beryan, is the hottest spot measured on the earth, and Ravar is considered the nearest dwelling place to this spot.
Right in the middle of such toasting salty area in Qanat-watered orchards of Ravar ripen the sweetest of pomegranates for which the town is well-known nationally, as much as its international repute in weaving best of Kerman rugs.
It is the northernmost town in the Kerman province, located on a secondary way to Khorasan which has probably been the main route in ancient times.
People of Ravar, had used to weave canvas fabric, but they mostly shifted to rug weaving during the 19th century while Kerman rug industry boomed the western markets.
Technical aspects and the structure of Ravar Rugs
When talking about Kerman pieces, Ravar or its corrupt spell of Lavar, is mentioned as the finest Kermans.
Knots are asymmetrical (Persian) and triple-wefted. The finest pieces’ knot count reaches to 510,000/m2. Warp and weft are cotton and pile is woolen.
There is a unique, and probably ancient, structure in Ravar called the “Vase technique” characterized by three shoots of weft between rows of knots. The first and third are typically woolen and at high tension, while the second one, at low tension, is normally made of silk or cotton.
Dyeing and painting of Ravar rugs
Indigo, cochineal, walnut, weld, pomegranate, vine leaves, straw, and henna bring uncountable tones of color on Ravar palette, ideal for loom-drawing painters to create their magnificent pastel colorings. To obtain a level hue, master dyers dye the wool before spinning.
Color combination is the very artistry Ravars are awarded for. Vivid tones match magically the intricate shapes and lines of drawers and cochineal-based reds give a unique charm to Damask Roses which are the most popular motifs in Ravar designs.
Designs and patterns of the Ravar rugs
Although wide in range, Ravar designs have a strong feature in common: being fully floral. Every branch of a tree in a prayer design (or every spray of a bush in a vase design) is covered with flowers, leaves and blossoms. Finding empty spaces between patterns is literary a difficult task.
Both central and all-over medallion designs are woven in Ravar. Generally Repeating patterned designs are favored. Botteh, which is an ancient Iranian motif, has been derived mainly from Kerman shawls, being adopted to lots of woven pieces.
Sabzi-kar is a famous Kerman design that its best interpretations are woven in Ravar. Most of Ravars have a signature, either that of the weaver or the person for whom the carpet was woven.