Lilian Arak Rug

Lilian is one of the villages in Khomein County in Markazi Province. The art of carpet weaving has a long history in Khomein County, and in each of the villages in this region, carpets are woven in a unique way. It seems that Armenian carpet weaving in Iran is the result of combining the ancient Armenian carpet weaving tradition of immigrant Armenians with the authentic Iranian carpet weaving tradition in host regions in Iran, from the Safavid era to the present day, especially in rural areas of western and eastern Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Chaharmahal, Bakhtiari, and Markazi provinces. As a result of integrating these two carpet weaving traditions, a unified tradition called "Iranian Armenian carpet weaving" has emerged, which has its own distinctive internal and external characteristics. These include weaving techniques (knot type, weaving style, and shearing), as well as dyeing methods. Therefore, any carpet that bears this tradition is an Armenian carpet, regardless of whether its weaver is Muslim or Christian. Although it's naturally expected that such carpets would be the product of Armenian craftsmanship, due to the high quality of these carpets, Iranians in neighbouring regions also paid attention to the carpet weaving tradition. Iranian Armenian carpets, influenced by the rural style of neighbouring regions, are woven with a thick single weft and in small dimensions, and due to the special Armenian dyeing technique, they have a soft, smooth underside and a shiny and glossy appearance, almost velvet-like. Additionally, these carpets feature designs predominantly consisting of geometric patterns, medallions, and floral motifs, encompassing various types such as Herati, tree, scattered, vase, pictorial, and indigenous names like fish, ram horn, cotton flower, etc., in the general classification of Iranian carpets.

Based on field studies, Armenian carpets are mostly used for decorative purposes, except for pictorial carpets and small-sized ones (such as mats, chair covers, and tablecloths), which are used as underlays. Pictorial carpets depict themes such as the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Jesus Christ, the Motherland Monument, and Armenian myths as decorative wall hangings. Armenian carpet weaving involves a carpet with a broken design, although in recent years, there has been a tendency towards circular designs due to the availability of such carpets. These carpets feature floral patterns (trees and flowers like roses), abstract dragon or symbolic shapes, fish, and birds, while pictorial carpets may include motifs of eagles and churches. Regarding the distinctive features of Lilian in carpet weaving, further explanations about Armenian carpet weaving in this region are provided. According to Cecil Edwards, "the people of the village of Lilian, like thousands of Sarouk carpet weavers, still believe that Americans only buy one design, and for this reason, for years, they produce the same design in their weaves. A design that can in no way be called Iranian." One of the distinctive features of Armenian weavers in Lilian in the distant past is the use of patterns primarily created by Armenian painters, similar to Armenian carpets. The type of colours used in these patterns, due to their long history and the lack of damage to the layers of colour on the design paper, indicates the importance these designers attach to using high-quality colours in presenting their designs. Additionally, Lilian, besides the Herati and Sarouk designs, has its own special pattern, which is a spider-like trefoil with a cross that is always hidden within it, and clusters of flowers, often on backgrounds in bright red tending towards pink, are executed. According to field studies conducted, there are examples of repeating patterns, vases, twisting vines, sprinkling with vases, or sprinkling with fine patterns resembling a tall palm branch containing leaves or flowers, which, due to their similarity to branches, are known as the "branchy" design among Armenians and merchants and are part of the original and famous Lilian designs.

Traditional Rug Market of Arak: This market is located on Amir Kabir Street in Arak and is the largest and oldest rug market in the city. In this market, you can purchase various handwoven Lillian rugs from different vendors. Specialised Handwoven Rug Shops: There are numerous specialised rug shops throughout the city of Arak that exclusively offer handwoven rugs. Some of these shops specifically sell Lillian rugs. Rug Exhibitions: Throughout the year, several rug exhibitions are held in Arak, where handwoven Lillian rugs are displayed and sold.

In traditional Armenian carpets, only natural, fixed plant-based dyes were used, but in recent years, chemical and ink dyes have also been utilized. Regarding the colors of this type of carpet, it can be said that there is a tendency to use warm and dark colors. Artificial colors such as crimson, vermilion, red, black, white, gold, yellow, orange, brown, green, blue, camel, mustard, jade green, and especially pink are more prevalent in Armenian carpets. Pink color, usually producing shades ranging from light pink to dark purple, is particularly used in the pile of Lillian carpets. It should be noted that in the dyeing process of Armenian carpets, similar to some Iranian rural carpets, cow urine is used as a mordant in the production of red and ochre colors, resulting in color stability, transparency, and the velvety and glossy appearance of the wool in Armenian carpets. Furthermore, according to Dr. Hosseini, "Armenian red is the result of sufficient use of alum and sometimes a slight mix of cochineal red, which is why the precise factor that causes this velvety appearance in Armenian carpets is unclear."

The fibers used in Lilian carpets, in addition to hand-spun wool and cotton, sometimes include camel hair and goat hair (in the fringe area). The warp material used in these carpets is initially horizontal and then vertical. Additionally, Armenians do not use a comb in weaving and mostly use their hands, occasionally using a knife-like tool instead of a comb for weaving. The knot count of Armenian carpets varies between 17 to 36, with occasional variations such as 39. These carpets are typically woven in a flat structure (single weft thick) and rarely in double-weft dimensions. The asymmetrical knot type is prevalent in newer Lilian carpets. Armenian carpets were generally produced in small sizes because Armenians primarily intended their products for domestic and practical use. However, they also produced borders, side panels, and even cushion covers, saddlebags, backrests, and sometimes tablecloths from their production. Additionally, saddlebags, half-saddlebags, and small rugs, and in rare cases, dimensions of 9x6 feet (Lilian), were also produced to some extent.