Iran has a global reputation as a carpet-weaving nation, and the carpet weavers of Fars, located in the southwest of the country, are among the best known.
In Fars carpet weaving has a long history; the exact date is not known, but historians believe it dates back millennia because carpets were found in the tomb of Cyrus during Alexander's invasion of Iran. During the eighth century AH, Fars carpet weaving reached its peak. The carpet weaving industry in this region flourished in the ninth and tenth centuries AH with the presence of more Qashqai, Khamseh, and other tribes in this province. It has continued until the present day, becoming one of the main characteristics of the region. Further, the nomadic lifestyle has a direct impact on the way people use natural elements in crafting Fars carpets.
Spring and autumn are the best times to shear the wool for carpets. Afterward, men construct a carpet loom - a horizontal framework on the ground - and women spin the wool into yarn. All colors used in the garments are natural: reds, blues, browns, and whites produced with dyestuffs such as madder, indigo, lettuce leaf, walnut skin, cherry stem, and pomegranate skin. Design, color selection, and weaving are all handled by women. The weaver does not use a cartoon to represent the pattern - no two carpets have the same design. To make the carpet, colored yarn is tied to the wool web. Final cleaning is performed after the sides are sewn and extra wool is burned away to make the designs pop. All these skills are transferred by example and oral transmission. The mothers teach their daughters how to use the materials, tools, and skills, while the fathers teach their sons how to shear wool and make looms.
The Persian carpet is today being challenged by other countries with lower wages and cheaper methods of production as a household product. Weaving rugs by machine, tufted rugs, or rugs woven by hand, but using loop weaving is faster and less costly, and provides rugs in "oriental" designs, but these are utilitarian and lack artistic merit. The demand for traditional hand-woven carpets made of sheep wool dyed with natural colors is increasing. Due to both the large amount of manual labor involved in their production, which has largely not changed since ancient times, as well as their artistic value, they are usually sold at higher prices. However, Persian carpets are thus objects of luxury, beauty, and art that have retained their ancient status.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-skills-of-carpet-weaving-in-fars-00382) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_carpet#Commercial_aspects) (https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/459711/Glimpses-of-traditional-skills-of-carpet-weaving-in-Fars)