Hugh Petrie| May 14, 2006 1:32PM I'd feel better about the beauty of Persian rugs were it not for the forced labour use in many sweatshops that make them. India is the worst of course, but I'm not sure Iran is much better.
Surely are great rugs though.
Maziar Ad | May 14, 2006 4:47PM Hugh,
Wow! I might have taken it the wrong way, but from your comments I feel like you portrait this art as being evil, built on bodies of slaves!!!!!! Don't jump into conclusions too fast just from the things you hear in the media from worlds you haven't seen up-close. What you see or hear in the media is a small window to a bigger truth.
Let me show you another side of the coin. Maybe my comment can help you see the positive side, the grandeur, the great gift that has reached our hands through generations...
See, Rug is so engraved in Iranian tradition that from looking at a rug you can see a part of Iranian history and culture in it. I don't know about other places, but in Iran, it is an honor to work in a famous rug workshop and learn such an amazing skill and pass the tradition. The hand woven rugs coming from the best workshops are commissioned by people or merchants and they get woven by the owner, his wife, his kids and others that they hire or are in internship. I have seen them at work it is amazing the skills they acquire in bringing such designs to life.
When I was a kid, my uncle commissioned a rug from a famous workshop in Tabriz, we went there to see the progress. I saw a man bringing his son to the workshop and begging the owner to take him as an intern for no money. It is the way the tradition is passed down from generation to generation. In this business the best are the ones that start from young age and master the skill on the job just like a soloist in music. There is no “school”.
What you see in this picture is the result of at least 600 years of knowledge, tradition, hard work and beauty handed down to you and me for a frugal price. In this day and age like any other art, you really can’t put a price on such an amazing product. Losing this tradition or not appreciating what it truly is all about is like saying we should not have a symphony hall in London and never play Beethoven again! This is the best of what Iran has to offer in arts equivalent to Operas in Europe and is as hard as making a symphony come alive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_carpet
In any case, I'm sure workers are being exploited in Iran just as they are in the entire world in different ways and ages. To what extent? I don't know. Do people need to be reminded? Yes. But what is important, is to keep the art from disappearing in time. Unfortunately even many young Iranians that live in industrialized large cities are losing the appreciation of their own heritage and history and are becoming too "western". But there are still many low key Iranians that understand and appreciate its value. All I can say is, the day it’s over, it’s a loss not just to Iranians but to the civilization as a whole.
Ali | May 14, 2006 7:09PM For a guy who does not even know enough about Iran to know that Iranians are not Hindus, this Hugh Petrie sure has a lot of opinions about us, doesn’t he?
Maziar Adl | May 15, 2006 12:10AM Ali, Hugh,
Please don't take this the wrong way. I didn't mean to disrespect anyone. Just wanted to show the bigger picture as I've experienced and came to understand it as I grew up in that region.
As to the opinions, I think that is what a blogger is for. To have an open conversation and seek the truth and other views. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Anyway, hope this doesn't turn into what it isn't. This is a photo blogger and not a religous, nationalistic or a political discussion group. Simply put, the point is the photo, and the photo I see is not only beautiful on the surface but also talks of a beautiful deeply rooted tradition. That's all I wanted to express and share with others.
Shadgol | May 15, 2006 8:27AM Guys, have you seen Daughters of the sun. I really suggest that you find and watch it. It's by Maryam Shahriar.
Anywho, Kamyar khan, the guy walking is really cool makes it look paradoxical.
Navin Harish| May 15, 2006 8:32AM Great shot. I am liking all your market shots.
I'd feel better about the beauty of Persian rugs were it not for the forced labour use in many sweatshops that make them. India is the worst of course, but I'm not sure Iran is much better.
Surely are great rugs though.
Hugh,
Wow! I might have taken it the wrong way, but from your comments I feel like you portrait this art as being evil, built on bodies of slaves!!!!!! Don't jump into conclusions too fast just from the things you hear in the media from worlds you haven't seen up-close. What you see or hear in the media is a small window to a bigger truth.
Let me show you another side of the coin. Maybe my comment can help you see the positive side, the grandeur, the great gift that has reached our hands through generations...
See, Rug is so engraved in Iranian tradition that from looking at a rug you can see a part of Iranian history and culture in it. I don't know about other places, but in Iran, it is an honor to work in a famous rug workshop and learn such an amazing skill and pass the tradition. The hand woven rugs coming from the best workshops are commissioned by people or merchants and they get woven by the owner, his wife, his kids and others that they hire or are in internship. I have seen them at work it is amazing the skills they acquire in bringing such designs to life.
When I was a kid, my uncle commissioned a rug from a famous workshop in Tabriz, we went there to see the progress. I saw a man bringing his son to the workshop and begging the owner to take him as an intern for no money. It is the way the tradition is passed down from generation to generation. In this business the best are the ones that start from young age and master the skill on the job just like a soloist in music. There is no “school”.
What you see in this picture is the result of at least 600 years of knowledge, tradition, hard work and beauty handed down to you and me for a frugal price. In this day and age like any other art, you really can’t put a price on such an amazing product. Losing this tradition or not appreciating what it truly is all about is like saying we should not have a symphony hall in London and never play Beethoven again! This is the best of what Iran has to offer in arts equivalent to Operas in Europe and is as hard as making a symphony come alive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_carpet
In any case, I'm sure workers are being exploited in Iran just as they are in the entire world in different ways and ages. To what extent? I don't know. Do people need to be reminded? Yes. But what is important, is to keep the art from disappearing in time. Unfortunately even many young Iranians that live in industrialized large cities are losing the appreciation of their own heritage and history and are becoming too "western". But there are still many low key Iranians that understand and appreciate its value. All I can say is, the day it’s over, it’s a loss not just to Iranians but to the civilization as a whole.
For a guy who does not even know enough about Iran to know that Iranians are not Hindus, this Hugh Petrie sure has a lot of opinions about us, doesn’t he?
Ali, Hugh,
Please don't take this the wrong way. I didn't mean to disrespect anyone. Just wanted to show the bigger picture as I've experienced and came to understand it as I grew up in that region.
As to the opinions, I think that is what a blogger is for. To have an open conversation and seek the truth and other views. I don't see anything wrong with that.
Anyway, hope this doesn't turn into what it isn't. This is a photo blogger and not a religous, nationalistic or a political discussion group. Simply put, the point is the photo, and the photo I see is not only beautiful on the surface but also talks of a beautiful deeply rooted tradition. That's all I wanted to express and share with others.
Guys, have you seen Daughters of the sun. I really suggest that you find and watch it. It's by Maryam Shahriar.
Anywho, Kamyar khan, the guy walking is really cool makes it look paradoxical.
Great shot. I am liking all your market shots.
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