Persian carpet (1800/1899)Salar Jung Museum
Persian carpets are known for their intricate and symbolic designs, each rich with meaning and cultural significance.The thematic Persian carpet designs tell a unique story or reflecting a specific theme.
Scenes of combat
A 20th-century Persian carpet depicting dramatic scenes of combat. One shows the Persian deity Ahura Mazda fighting the destructive beast, Ahriman as per Persian mythology, the other, a lion attacking a goat. Both are framed in arched panels, adding to the visual impact.
Persian carpet (1900/1950)Salar Jung Museum
The winged beast attacking the deity by hitting on his chest and grabbing his right upper hand...
... and the deity reacting by putting a knife into the beast with his left hand vanquishing him.
The bearded deity looks angrily at the beast, pulling at his horn on his head. The floor of the carpet has inscriptions in Persian on the top. Two mythical animals on pillars flank the two characters engaged in a fight.
The floral scroll borders of the carpet enclose the fighting scene in this unique carpet. The colours include red, green and maroon.
Persian carpet with a hunting scene
A carpet depicting a hunting scene with king and two horse-men, two lions, a baboon, two rabbits and a deer. The scene is enclosed within floral borders.
Persian carpet (1900/1950)Salar Jung Museum
King with horse-men
The king with his attendant holding a parasol, is on a hunt along with two horse-men in a forest where animals seem to be running all around.
A deer and two rabbits seen scrambling away as the hunt is on...
...and a horse-man is seen readying himself by controlling the horse holding its reins.
A baboon and lion dominate the scene where few shrubs abound, near the base of the carpet.
Persian carpets have had a lasting impact on global art and design. Their influence can be seen in the textile arts of neighbouring regions, including Turkey, India, and China.
Today, Persian carpets are considered a symbol of Iranian culture and craftsmanship and are still highly sought after for their beauty and historical significance.
The Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, INDIA does not support hunting of animals in any way or promote the same.
Text and Curation: Soma Ghosh
Photography: M. Krishnamurthy and Bahadur Ali
Research Assistance: Dinesh Singh and E. Rajesh
Special thanks to : Ms. Priyanka Mary Francis, IAS, Director, Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India.
Dr. G. Kusum, Curator, Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, India.
References –
1. https://www.carpet-wiki.com/persian-rugs/ (accessed on 19.05.2025)
2.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340340298_The_Evolution_of_Iranian_C
arpet_Designs_with_the_Influence_of_Islam_and_Chinese_art_Ilkhanid_Timurid_Sa
favid (accessed on 19.05.2025)
3.
https://sciarena.com/storage/models/article/eoerfTrZAkHJli9C0kvzXluJOpBBfkuJq34
9yIuVazdGNtPvzZaAp7DLSWun/analysis-and-study-of-geometry-of-persian-carpets-
with-geometry-and-architecture-approach.pdf(accessed on 19.05.2025)
4.https://parsi-times.com/2017/06/shekaste-shekaste-shaitan/ (accessed 26.05.2025)
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.