Ahmad Archeng

Iranian Carpet Designer and Artist

The Story of Ahmad Archeng's Life

Ahmad Archeng was born in 1293 solar Hijri in the village of Heratma, Mobarakeh County. His father was Molla Mohammad Heratmani. After completing the fifth grade of elementary school, based on the recommendation of the school principal, he went to a carpet weaving workshop, where he learned carpet weaving and then pattern reading.

Ahmad Archeng In 1313, when he was only twenty years old, he won the first prize in the tile design competition for the back sides of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan. The competition was held by the Isfahan Municipality and supervised by the French archaeologist André Godard, who was then in charge of the antiquities department for its restoration. This gave him a suitable platform for working and gaining experience in various Iranian tile designs.

Some of Ahmad Archeng's motivators in education include Gholamhossein Aslami, one of the carpet designers, who took him to the National Garden to color and dot Nasrollah Rafiei's designs (Ghatchkar). While Archeng was working in the National Garden, individuals like Arthur Pope came to visit his works, and the encouragement of this Iranologist led Ahmad Archang to focus on designing based on historical buildings. Among Ahmad Archeng's students, Abbas Karbasian is mentioned.

The Artistry of Ahmad Archang

Ahmad Archeng's Impressive Activities

✔ By incorporating Islamic motifs, various patterns, Safavid flowers, and imaginative and abstract designs, Archang was able to revitalize the carpet industry. ✔ The most important thematic plan has been the Archeng Medallion and Corner. ✔ The invention of color selection was one of the master's creations. ✔ The innovation of the master is derived from the mind and creative power.

From Master Ahmad Archang, hundreds of precious designs remain, which are now considered benchmarks for artists. Ahmad Archang's name is mentioned on internet platforms as Archang, and among his prominent students, we can refer to Akbar Zarrin Negah. He named his school "Archang" to keep the memory of the master alive.

The Authenticity of Archang in Carpet Design

Previously, the main focus in carpet design was on animal and human roles. However, Archang's authenticity—by giving authenticity to Islamic roles, various trellises, Shah Abbasid flowers, and imaginary and abstract roles—is not an exaggeration to say that it was able to rescue the carpet industry from recession. By combining various intertwining Islamic patterns, thousands, and perhaps hundreds of thousands, of patterns were created. Even today, these patterns are used in machine-made carpets.

Ahmad Archeng utilizes the fundamental and limited elements of Iranian, Islamic, and Khatai art, as well as its limited floral and leaf motifs, with his powerful brushstroke and rich imagination in such an artistic manner that each of his carpets appears different from the others. Among the category of carpet designers whom we label as "free artists," the name of Ahmad Archang shines the brightest. What recalls the genuine art of the Safavid era and revives traditional design in Isfahan today can be observed with the utmost perfection in Archang's carpets. The name of this artist is considered a valuable credit on every carpet.

After years of effort and creating various brilliant designs and patterns, as well as training various disciples, Ahmad Archang closed his eyes in Isfahan at the age of 76 in the year 1369. Archang demonstrated that the art of traditional Iranian design could have global credibility. Archang practically proved that the eternity of Isfahan's patterns and historical artifacts is not only due to their delicacy and beauty but is also indebted to the captivating allure that transcends any specific style or school and appears fresh and innovative in every era and period.