Gabbeh

Gabbeh is a traditional hand-woven carpet woven by the nomadic  “Qashqai” women of Iran. Each one is handmade and woven without a rough drawing, so there is no one piece that is the same as other, each Gabbeh is artistic and interesting work in which a Qashqai woman wishes for the health and happiness of her family and friends. Gabbeh is not disposable, it is a durable woven fabric that can be used for a lifetime. The blessings of nature and the warmth weaved by human hands have a mysterious power that cannot be expressed in words.

Shiraz (a City in Iran) is especially famous as a production area of Gabbeh, and the world heritage Persepolis is also located in Shiraz. Gabbeh is often called a “roughly coarsely woven long pile handwoven carpet” in the local area, and it is woven coarser and thicker than Persian carpets . In 2012, the technique of Gabbeh, a traditional textile rooted in daily life, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A child-friendly carpet!

All of them are dyed with 100% high quality natural wool and are dyed with plants, so no scientific dyes or volatile organic compounds are used. Recommended for people with sensitive skin and allergies, it is a safe and secure carpet for children. In addition, the oil of high-quality sheep is sufficiently impregnated to repel dirt, and the density of the crochet of the carpet is quite fine, so cleaning is sufficient with a vacuum cleaner.

Durability that lasts for over 100 years!

It is hand-spun and hand-woven with twisted yarn, which takes a lot of time and effort, so it is quite durable. It can be passed down from parents to children and grandchildren without having to finish using it in one generation. And it will be soft enough to use, grow comfortably, and become an irreplaceable piece like a family.

The good thing about Gabbeh!

Summers are cool and winters are warm. “The best feel throughout the year”. Wool grown in a harsh highland environment with a temperature difference of ± 30 ° C between morning and evening has a surprisingly excellent humidity control effect. During the summer sweaty season, the surface is always smooth without stickiness even if you lie down. In winter, it stores warm air in the room and has excellent heat retention. It also has a purifying effect in the room by using high quality wool. It also has excellent ventilation, so it will not retain heat or get stuffy even when used on floor heating or tatami mats. Regardless of the season or location, you can use it comfortably all year round.

The yarn used to weave Gabbeh is the wool from the sheep that the Qashgai nomads live with. Sheep raised in highlands have long hair, and the wool is rich in oil and has excellent stain resistance and water repellency. The hair is spun into yarn by hand, so there are differences in the thickness and thinness of the yarn.

Gabbeh’s wool is dyed with natural dyes. The yarn used to weave Gabbeh has long been dyed with natural dyes taken from plants and insects, and light brown, blue, red, yellow, and green are often used.

	blue	Indigo etc.
	red	Akane root, cochineal, etc.
	light brown	pistachios, walnut shells and tree bark
	yellow	Pomegranate skin etc.
	green	Jasir etc.

Each color is the color of the broth extracted by boiling a different plant, and it is a laborious process of adding spun wool to it and boiling it . However, as the popularity of Gabbeh has increased in recent years, we sometimes see parts that are not natural dyes, and depending on the color, it may not be 100% natural dyes.

Gabbeh type and thickness

This is just an example, but there are various thicknesses and weaves like this. Also, the thickness of each sheet is different. Each Gabbeh has its own merits, so you should find your favorite Gabbeh according to your application. Generally a Gabbeh in normal weave and thickness is like this:

The most attractive feature of regular woven Gabbeh, is the warmth of it’s fluffy long piles. Each Gabbeh has a different texture, but basically it is fluffy and smooth. Gabbeh can be as thick as 1cm, or as thick as 3cm! It is this thickness that protects the tribes people from the hard and cold earth floor inside the tent. Lying on the thick gabbeh which makes you want to touch it, you can imagine the simple life of nomads living in tents around the vast desert and the scenery seen by the weavers.

Finely woven and high quality Gabbeh has a denser weave than regular Gabbeh, and the pile is cut short, making it easy to lay under furniture. Thin, supple and light, it is easy to handle, and the high density of the weave makes it possible to express delicate patterns. The bristles have a slight sheen, so they have a luxurious feel andare smooth to the touch. And because the density of the weave is high, it naturally takes more time and effort to produce than a normal Gabbeh, and the amount of yarn and dye increases, so the value and price rise.