دانشگاه شاهد فصلنامه نگره 2676-7244 21 77 2026 04 01 Continuity of Carpet Designing Traditions in Iran from the Achaemenid Empire to the Seljuk Empire استمرار سنت‌های طراحی فرش از دورۀ هخامنشیان تا اوایل سلجوقیان در ایران 98 129 4585 10.22070/negareh.2024.19259.3396 FA داود شادلو استادیار گروه فرش دانشگاه هنر شیراز 0009-0001-8158-8349 Journal Article 2025 03 05 <strong>Introduction: </strong>Due to the fragility of primary carpet materials, researchers employ a wider range of methods beyond examining physical samples (carpets and fragments). They also analyze written documents, including reports, travelogues, and historical writings, visual sources (Persian miniatures and European paintings), and archaeological findings, such as metalwork, stonework, and pottery, to learn about past carpet designs and patterns. The Pazyryk carpet stands as an unparalleled exemplar of carpet design, pattern, and color during the formative centuries of Persian carpet-making, spanning from the Achaemenid Empire to the Seljuk Empire. Its exceptional state of preservation offers an unprecedented opportunity to study the technical proficiency, aesthetic sensibilities, and cultural significance of this early textile. The paucity of comparable physical artifacts from this era presents a formidable challenge to reconstructing the broader trajectory of carpet design and production. The Pazyryk carpet has long been revered as a solitary masterpiece, providing an isolated glimpse into a lost world of textile artistry. However, this perspective has been fundamentally altered by the groundbreaking discoveries of Friedrich Spuhler in 2014. His revelation of a collection of pre-Islamic carpets exhibiting remarkable affinities with the Pazyryk carpet has reshaped our understanding of early Persian carpet-making. These newly uncovered textiles not only corroborate the existence of a sophisticated carpet-making tradition in Iran prior to the Islamic conquest but also suggest a more complex and interconnected network of textile production and exchange. These newly discovered carpets provide compelling evidence supporting the Iranian origins of the Pazyryk and suggest a rich tapestry of carpet-making traditions predating it. By delving deeper into the artistic and cultural landscape of Iran from the Achaemenid Empire to the Seljuk era (the 5th century BC to the 7th century AD), we can discern a foundational framework of design motifs and patterns that served as the bedrock for subsequent carpet creations. While these core elements evolved and diversified over time, their enduring presence attests to a continuous tradition of carpet-making in Iran. The Pazyryk carpet, in this light, emerges not as an isolated marvel but as a culminating point in a centuries-long artistic lineage. The chasm between the Pazyryk carpet and its Sasanian successors, separated by over a millennium, presents a formidable obstacle for scholars seeking to trace the evolution of carpet design. To illuminate the origins of this enduring pictorial art form, a multifaceted approach is imperative, extending beyond the confines of carpet analysis. By examining a wider range of artistic expressions, we can identify the shared visual language that connects these seemingly disparate textiles. Emerging evidence points to a remarkable resilience of Iranian carpet design traditions, which flourished well into the first three centuries of the Islamic era (the 10th century AD), suggesting a continuous artistic lineage rather than isolated peaks of creativity. <strong>Purposes & Questions: </strong>This research seeks to illuminate the evolution and enduring characteristics of Persian carpet design from the Achaemenid Empire to the Seljuk Empire (the 5th century BC to the 10th century AD). By adopting a comprehensive approach, this study aims to identify and trace the development of underlying design principles, despite the limited availability of physical carpet artifacts from this period. Specifically, the research investigates the mechanisms by which Persian carpet design traditions transformed and persisted over this extensive timeframe. This research delves into the question of how traditions in designing Persian carpets evolved and persisted from the Achaemenid Empire to the Seljuk Empire (the 5th century BC to the 10th century AD). <strong>Methods: </strong>This research employs a descriptive-analytical and historical methodology. Data collection relies on documentary and library research, incorporating archaeological findings, historical documents, and existing carpet examples to reconstruct the design traditions. Given the limited physical evidence from this period, the analysis necessitates a rigorous evaluation and interpretation of available sources. <strong>Findings & Results: </strong>The results indicate that the available corpus of evidence, encompassing physical carpets, pictorial representations, and archaeological artifacts, constitutes the primary sources of knowledge regarding carpet design and purpose during the specified period. A comprehensive analysis of documented Persian carpet design traditions spanning from the Achaemenid to the Seljuk Empires reveals a striking degree of continuity, with underlying principles remaining largely consistent. Full-field designs (Vagireh), characterized by their expansive patterns, and pictorial motifs emerged as dominant styles, exemplified by the early appearance of the Afshan carpet type during the Sasanian era. The repertoire of decorative motifs employed in these carpets is extensive, encompassing animal imagery such as deer, horses, ibex, and lions; botanical elements like arabesques and Khatai patterns; human figures; grotesque creatures like the Griffin; and a variety of geometric and abstract forms. <strong>مقدمه: </strong>تا سال 2014 که از فرش‌های نویافتۀ ساسانی رونمایی شد، دانسته‌ها دربارۀ طرح، نقش و رنگ فرش‌های پیش از اسلام محدود به قالی پازیریک بود. نقوش برخی از این فرش‌ها، شبیه پازیریک و مؤید ریشه‌های ایرانی سنتِ طراحی قالی پازیریک است. از سویی با استناد به دیگر آثاری که از دورۀ هخامنشی تا اوایل سلجوقی در جغرافیای ایران فرهنگی یافت شده ‌است، می‌توان رد سنتی تصویری را شناسایی کرد که در این دورۀ زمانی تراداد شده و ادامه یافته است؛ اما میان پازیریک و نمونه‌های ساسانی، بیش از هزار سال فاصله است. بنابراین، یافتن ریشه‌های یک سنت تصویری ادامه‌دار، نیاز به بررسی موشکافانه‌تر بر آثاری جز فرش‌ها دارد؛ ازاین‌رو باید به منابعی مراجعه کرد که ریشه‌هایی مشترک را می‌نمایانند. به نظر می‌رسد سنت‌های طراحی فرش پیش ‌از اسلام، در سده‌های اولیۀ اسلامی نیز ادامه داشته‌اند. <strong>اهداف و سؤال‌ها:</strong> هدف این پژوهش شناسایی سنت‌های طراحی و نقش‌زنی فرش‌های ایرانی از دورۀ هخامنشی تا اوایل سلجوقی بر پایۀ تطبیق داده‌های پیشین و نویافته است و می‌کوشد به این پرسش‌ها پاسخ دهد که سنت‌های طراحی و نقش‌زنی فرش‌های ایرانی از دورۀ هخامنشی تا اوایل سلجوقی چه بوده است؟ سنت‌های طراحی و نقش‌زنی فرش‌های ایرانی از دورۀ هخامنشی تا اوایل سلجوقی چگونه دگرگون شده‌اند؟ <strong>روش‌ها:</strong><strong> </strong>روش این پژوهش توصیفی-تاریخی است. روش گردآوری داده‌ها اسنادی و ابزار آن فیش‌برداری است. جامعۀ آماری کلیۀ نمونه‌های در دسترس (فرش‌ها، یافته‌های تصویری و باستان‌شناسی) است که بر اساس آن‌ها می‌توان به شناسایی طرح و نقش فرش‌های بافته‌شده در این دوره پرداخت. <strong>یافته‌ها و نتایج: </strong>نتایج نشان می‌دهد بر اساس مستندات کنونی سنت‌های طراحی فرش در ایران از دورۀ هخامنشی تا اوایل سلجوقی بدون تغییرات پایه‌ای ادامه یافته‌اند؛ فراگیرترین طرح‌ها واگیره‌ای و تصویری بوده و نمونۀ نخستینی از افشان نیز از دورۀ ساسانیان به‌جای مانده است. نقوشی که در طرح‌ها جای‌گذاری شده‌اند، جانوری، گیاهی، انسانی، عجایب‌نگاری، هندسی و انتزاعی هستند. https://negareh.shahed.ac.ir/article_4585_43cf3ae60279360eab2d678461a565c3.pdf