Description

Made in the north Persian Mazandaran area in the late 19th century. Jajims are flat weaves made in narrow panels to very great length, almost always by the hand of one woman from the spinning to the finish, usually on a horizontal loom. After the weaving the panels were  cut to the required length and sewn together, often quite coarsely or with the seams a decorative feature. The resulting cloth could serve a number of functions; most frequently, they were either used in rukorsi, the cover over a pan of coals in a recess in the middle of a village house, for the family to sit around with their feet tucked under the rukorsi  to keep warm, or, in the case of a smaller cloth, as the cover for a sleeping quilt, or lahaf.  Jajims of even smaller sizes were used for sofrehs, or eating cloths, and other useful items like bags.

This example is an extremely fine weave with naturally dyed wool, the red on the basis of a dye obtained from the root of the madder plant, and  white  undyed cotton.  It is worked in three panels and was clearly made by a weaver with very superior skills. It is in excellent condition.

There is a great tradition of flat weaves of this type, always with stripes as a dominant feature in the design, and jajims were made in many areas throughout the country. For a northwest Persian  example on our website, made by a member of the Shah Savan tribe see  http://www.christopherleggeorientalcarpets.com/products/view/shahsavan-jajim/