How did machine-made carpets come about? How did the machine-made carpet enter Iran? What is the history of machine-made carpet in Iran? How did the art and craft of machine-made carpets emerge? Where did the history of the machine-made carpet industry begin? In this article, we are going to address all these questions about the history of machine-made carpet.
Whenever we talk about the history of machine-made carpets, everyone’s mind may turn to the history of Iranian hand-woven carpets, while the highest sales statistics in all countries are related to the sale of machine-made carpets. While the history of machine-made carpet or the process of producing machines that have the ability to work as delicately as carpet texture is very interesting. Machine-made carpets and hand-woven carpets cover a large part of our lives. Carpets are always present in all moments and humbly keep our memories warm. Indeed, what phenomenon caused the mechanization of the delicate and precise art of carpet weaving? How could man invent a machine to weave carpets instead of him?
History of machine-made carpet
If we want to answer questions about the origin and history of machine-made carpet with just one word, that word is “Industrial Revolution”. The phenomenon of industrial revolution started from England and several large European countries between 1760 and 1840 AD, conquered Europe and then reached other countries. The industrial revolution and its consequences are a great turning point in world history, but it also had an amazing impact on carpets. Maybe your perception of this great impact of the industrial revolution on carpets is only the mechanization of carpets, but if you have studied the history of Iranian carpets, you will be aware of the first impact of the industrial revolution on Iranian hand-woven carpets.
What is a machine-made carpet?
A machine-made carpet is a type of carpet where part of its production steps are carried out by industrial machines or, to put it more simply, it is not woven by hand. Compared to hand-woven carpets, machine-made carpets have a higher speed of production and supply to the market, therefore, they have a more reasonable price.
History of machine-made carpet in Iran
The machine-made carpet industry is a young industry in Iran. The history of machine-made carpet changed after entering Iran and experienced a revolution in terms of design and color variety. The whispers of machine-made carpet production were heard for the first time in the 40s. In 1351, a company in Kashan started producing machine carpets by importing 6 weaving machines. Before the Islamic revolution, there were a total of 14 machine-made carpet production units, and after the revolution, the Ministry of Industries did not allow the establishment of new machine-made carpet units with the idea of supporting hand-woven carpets, but after some time and with the increase in the market’s thirst for buying machine-made carpets and conditions After the war of the 1960s, the ministry’s approach to granting permits changed due to economic and irregular employment, which resulted in the creation of weaving industrial towns in areas such as Kashan, Aran and Bidgol, Isfahan, Mashhad, Yazd, Dilijan, etc. In the 70s and 80s, the machine-made carpet industry underwent innovation. Some companies renewed their knitting machine-made by taking government early return facilities and some by personal investment. In the 1990s, Iran’s machine-made carpet industry, in addition to responding to the domestic market, was able to provide the field for export as well. In the difficult years of the embargo, which continues until now, the machine-made carpet industry has made significant achievements in economic fields. Despite the country’s economic sanctions, Iranian machine-made carpets as well as hand-woven Iranian carpets in international exhibitions and events amaze the world with the design, color and quality of Iranian carpets.
Cities producing machine-made carpets in Iran
The machine-made carpet industry has made significant progress in our country, and for this reason, different industrialists from different parts of the country have started to establish machine-made carpet factories. The most famous cities in Iran in the field of machine-made carpet production are Kashan, Delijan, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tehran, Yazd and Mako. The Kashan city has more advantages and is more dynamic among the cities active in the machine carpet industry. The city of Kashan is the most active and strongest city of machine-made carpet production in Iran, with several districts and towns active in the field of textile, yarn spinning, dyeing, and carpet weaving factories and milling factories. Aran and Bidgol, which is located in Kashan, is a turning point in the history of machine-made carpets in Iran, with more than 700 companies active in the field of machine-made carpet production in the capital.