Introduction: The Persian carpet is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished manifestations of art and craft within the sphere of Islamic civilization. With a history spanning several millennia, this cultural masterpiece has maintained an inseparable connection with the social and economic life of Iran, encompassing a broad range of production contexts-from nomadic tribal societies to royal court manufactories. Among the various regional and historical categories of Persian carpets, the‌Mehrabi‌(prayer niche) carpets of Tabriz from the Qajar period (1789–1925) hold a particularly significant position. These works are notable for their exceptional diversity in design structure and their innovative use of color. While preserving the symbolic and spiritual essence of the‌Mehrab-a niche indicating the direction of prayer-Tabriz weavers of the Qajar era simultaneously introduced novel compositional arrangements and creative chromatic solutions, thereby laying the groundwork for a distinct visual aesthetic in the carpet-weaving tradition of northwestern Iran.
During the Qajar period, Tabriz experienced rapid growth. Situated at the crossroads of East and West, the city became receptive to new ideas and, for nearly a century, functioned as one of the most advanced artistic and commercial centers of the old world, attracting numerous artists and craftsmen. The first traditional Iranian motifs, such as arabesques (Eslimi) and floral (Khatai) patterns, appeared on the carpets of northwestern Iran and Tabriz before being disseminated globally through the Isfahan school and Safavid court culture. In the late Qajar period, Tabriz was among the first cities where carpet trade flourished extensively, serving as a market for European companies. However, unlike many other weaving centers that lost their distinctive characteristics under foreign influence, Tabriz retained its essential qualities, including the desirability of its colors and the high quality of its weave. The pleasant, appealing colors of Iranian carpets, which embody the culture and art of the East along with the creative taste of the designer and weaver, are vividly expressed in diverse floral motifs and patterns.
The primary objective of this research is to analyze the structural design and chromatic composition of Tabriz‌Mehrabi‌carpets from the Qajar period. The central research question is: What are the defining structural and coloristic features of this specific category of carpets? To answer this question, four outstanding examples of Qajar Tabriz‌Mehrabi‌carpets, all preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, were selected for detailed study.
Methods: This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach to investigate the four selected carpets. The sampling method was purposive (targeted), focusing on four well-preserved and historically significant‌Mehrabi‌carpets from Tabriz, securely attributed to the Qajar period and housed in the V&A’s permanent collection. Data collection was conducted through library-based methods, including the examination of textual sources-historical accounts, academic publications, and technical treatises on Persian carpets-as well as the study of high-resolution visual documents. The primary images of the carpets were obtained directly from the digital archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
For the analysis of design and color, graphic software tools were employed. The structural characteristics examined included the overall layout, symmetry, the specific form of the‌Mehrab‌(e.g., simple arched, pillared, with hanging lamps), the types of motifs used (such as‌gol-e-gard‌round flowers, crenellated leaves, and arabesque spirals), and their compositional arrangement. Chromatic analysis was performed using digital image processing techniques. Specifically, the KMeans clustering algorithm was applied to each carpet image to objectively identify the dominant color palette, quantify the number of distinct colors, and analyze their distribution across the field (matn), the‌Mehrab‌niche, and the borders. This method allowed for a systematic, reproducible comparison of color usage across the four samples, moving beyond purely subjective visual assessment.
Findings: The findings of this research indicate that the Qajar Tabriz‌Mehrabi‌carpets exhibit considerable diversity in design, encompassing a spectrum from relatively simple, unadorned structures to highly ornate, richly decorated compositions. The motifs employed across all four samples are integrative, combining floral and geometric elements, with a predominance of curved and broken (angular) forms. Common motifs identified include the round flower (gol-e-gard), crenellated (tooth-like) leaves, and spiraling arabesques (Eslimi).
The four carpets specifically represent the following design subtypes: (1) a pillared, vase-style‌Mehrab; (2) a simple‌Mehrab‌with pillars; (3) a flower-and-bush (Gol-o-Booteh)‌Mehrab; and (4) an arabesque (Eslimi)‌Mehrab. All four carpets share a vertical (approximately 1:2) structural layout. What distinguishes them from one another is not merely the presence of shared motifs, but the specific method of their composition, repetition, and placement within the overall design structure and, most importantly, the articulation of the‌Mehrab‌form itself. This ranges from simple arched niches with curved and triangular contours to highly decorated examples incorporating pillars and hanging ornamental lamps (Qandils).
Conclusion: The application of the KMeans clustering algorithm revealed that the number of distinct colors used in each carpet ranges from 7 to 15. A shared chromatic palette is identifiable across all four carpets, including deep indigo (sorme’i), lacquer red (laki), cream, brown, and green. The most significant finding is not the quantity of colors, but the qualitative manner of their juxtaposition and the preservation of a chromatic rhythm-a careful rotation of hues-among the field, the‌Mehrab‌niche, and the borders. The tonalities exhibit a noticeable patina, likely resulting from age, which paradoxically contributes to a unified, integrated chromatic harmony for each carpet. Different spatial zones are distinguished not through sharp, harsh contrasts, but through subtle, gentle tonal variations. In these carpets, color functions not merely as a decorative element but as an identity-conferring factor, delicately delineating the boundaries between the‌Mehrab, the field, and the borders.