Influence of Cultural Factors on the Developments of the Design and Pattern of the Safavid and Qajar Carpets (with an Emphasis on Floral and Bush Motifs)

Naturalism in the Safavid’s carpet gradually became important. In keeping with the mystical issues and the existence of Sufism thoughts in this period, attention to nature and naturalism in various arts, including carpet weaving, became common, although symbolism also enjoyed a special place in a large part of the classical carpets of the Safavid era. This trend continued in later periods, and despite its ups and downs, especially between the Safavid period and the mid Qajar period, two styles, circular and broken, with symbolism and naturalism, were observed in the Iranian carpets of the 18th century and later. In traditional arts, plant arrays and numerous species of trees and types of flowers have a special place. These arrays reflect the thoughts and visions that man has had in dealing with nature from the distant past. The tree is more of a symbol of the cosmos, which is the connection between Earth and Sky. In Islamic narratives, plants are also of great importance, and this has been raised several times in the Quran. Given the place of plants in ancient mythology and religious beliefs, it is not surprising for plant elements to appear as an integral part of traditional Iranian art. These arrays include types of trees, flowers of Shah Abbas, Eslimi, Khataei, and types of bushes. They have been used sometimes in natural, objective form and sometimes in abstract forms.