Persian carpet Gabbeh / Persian carpet Gabbeh

Gaba, gabeh ( gava in Kurdish and Lori dialect, kerşak in Bakhtiari dialect) is a knotted woolen carpet, recognizable by its longer threads, as is usual for Persian carpets. It is also characterized by a simple design, which usually uses only a few colors, characters and ornaments, sometimes stylized figures of people or animals. Such carpets are made by the Lori, Kurds and Qashqai peoples in the Zagros mountain range, which runs across most of Iran. The origin of these carpets is said to be in the Lorestan region, from where their use and production spread north to the Kurdish territories and south to the Qashqai.

The mountainous region of western Iran is home to the Lor and Bakhtiari, proud peoples who are descendants of the original settlers of present-day Iran. The Lor have been making carpets in their original, unaltered way for thousands of years. The techniques and traditional patterns are passed down from generation to generation, but the final look is most dependent on the personal touch of the maker. Mothers teach their daughters how to spin and use wool, while fathers pass on the knowledge of shearing wool and making looms to their sons. The motifs they depict are drawn from the environment, local traditions and their own lives. You can find everything from stars to archaic Mesopotamian shapes in their carpets.

Traditional gabbies are sparsely knotted (low density of knots per square centimeter or meter), but therefore have quite long threads (approx. 3-4 cm) and many wefts (cross-threads in the warp) between the rows of knots, which is not typical of other carpets today. The only exception to this is the old gabbies ye Şiri with a lion motif, which are made by the Darrashuri tribe. The colors of gabbies are usually of vegetable origin, but undyed wool is also used ( Şiri – cream, Şetori – light brown, siah – black).

A woman who has made it before a journey can wrap a mašk (a water bottle made of goatskin), a folding loom, a cradle, valuable furs, or other items in such a thick woolen rug. Due to its softness, the gaba is also very useful as a saddle and for sleeping.