Ghom

Situated in north-west Persia close to the city of Kashan, it is probable that many of the Qum(Ghom) weavers came from Kashan since the style and quality of Qum rugs are close to those of Kashan, and there is a similar preference for rugs entirely piled in silk. According to A.C. Edwards, Qum, together with Yazd and Nain, did not produce carpets in any appreciable number until the mid-1930s. Certainly the first Qum weavings seen on the market today do not tend to be much older than the late-1940s, and in style they tend to favour tight all-over floral patterns. However, one of the most famous and beautiful of the older Qum designs, clearly based on a 16th-17th century Moghal Indian proto-type, consists of a large central multi-stemmed flower - such a carnation or iris - flanked each side by a smaller multi-blossomed flower, these three growing from implied small mounds of earth at the base of the field, the rest of the field having other free-standing flowering plants. Piled in wool on a cream ground and with extensive silk details, few examples of this type are known and they are among the most highly regarded of all Qum rugs. In recent years, Qum weaving, especially in silk, has gained a reputation for extraordinary delicacy and fineness of weave, with palettes tending towards the pastel.