Gabbehs are long-pile, handwoven carpets traditionally woven by the Qashqai people of southwestern Iran. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, they pack up their tents and make the long migration between the mountain plateaus and the plains, living a nomadic lifestyle with their sheep and goats. While the men are busy tending to their livestock during the migration, the women spin wool threads and weave carpets within their tents. For nomads, Gabbehs are a necessity for adapting to harsh natural environments such as deserts and mountainous regions, and are also a daily necessity when laid on the floor of their tents to cushion the cold and heat of the ground.
Natural materials and production processes
Nomads shear high-quality wool from their livestock and spin it by hand to create strong yarn. Dyeing is also done using natural materials such as familiar plants and soil, and yarns in colors such as red, brown, yellow, orange, blue, and green are produced from madder root, walnut shells, turmeric, pomegranate rind, and indigo. Wool yarn dyed with these natural dyes has beautiful colors that deepen with use. For weaving, they use simple horizontal looms that can be placed on the ground, which can be assembled and worked on wherever they travel, making them suitable for a nomadic lifestyle. This process is a collaborative effort between the whole family, with men responsible for grazing and shearing the sheep, and women responsible for spinning, dyeing, and weaving, all of which share the tasks required to create a single carpet.
Design that reflects nature
Gabbeh designs are free-form, with the weavers weaving whatever pattern comes to mind at the time directly without preparing a preliminary sketch. Each stitch is tied together as if painting a picture, and the landscapes, animals, and scenes from everyday life that they see become the patterns themselves, resulting in simple, warm, and one-of-a-kind designs. The colors also reflect the natural environment, with green thread representing grasslands and red representing sunsets and flowers, and motifs include livestock such as sheep, goats, and deer, as well as wild animals, flowers, and humans.
