Gabbeh (Gabba, Gava, Khersak, Xersak)
Gabba is a Persian long-piled hand-knotted,
with a thick and coarse but loose and flabby
quality, some sorts a little shaggy others
somehow Kilim-like in first glance. These are
the pieces nomadic women weave for their
own. Introduced to the western markets only
in recent five decades or so, gabbas are
amongst the most vivacious pieces in the
Persian art of rug.
Gabba is assumed to be a simple base for
qâlis (actual piled rugs), so its tradition must
be as old as the domestication of herds. The
first known reference to gabba is found in a
royal command by Shah Tahmasp of the
Safavid dynasty dating to the middle of the
16th century.
The folks of Zagros Mountains are the most
celebrated tribal weavers of such pieces and
we call them as they name them. Gabba and
gabbeh are Persian pronunciations of gavva in Luri and Kurdish. Xersak, meaning little
bear, is a special appellation used by
Bakhtiari lurs.
Lots of famous Zagros’ towns and rural and
tribal areas could be listed: Sanandaj
(Sanne), Nehavand, bijar, Kabudarahang,
Khorramabad, Borujerd, and Aligudarz in
Kurdistan and Lurisatan, and downwards into
the Fars where dwell Qashqais who still
immigrate, weaving the best pieces in both
artistry and quality of raw materials. Zagros
slopes down into the Persian Gulf by the
coast of which located the village of Shur, the
furthermost place mentioned as a Gabba
weaving center.
In its native land, gabba is to serve as a
portable piece with several usages. Gabba
may be used in tribal life as ground cloth
under tents or as mats, blankets and even
saddles.
In recent decades some Iranian artists and
collectors have focused on gabba and
introduced it to international markets.
Gabbas found their way rapidly in modern
interior designs. Demands increased soon
enough for China and India to start imitating.
But mind! Persian gabbas are benefited not
just by the tradition, but by natural dyes of
Zagros and creativity of every individual
weaver.
Technical aspects and the structure of Gabbas
Genuine Gabbas are made by nomads for
their own use. Practically, gabbas should be
handy and portable in a nomadic every-day
life, therefore medium or smile sizes are
favored with loose texture to be folded and
unfolded easily. These are also the favored
sizes in contemporary decors in which
gabbas are much preferred.
Gabbas have long pile, low knot density, and
many rows of weft between each row of
knots. The knotting can be either symmetrical
or asymmetrical.
There is a rare type of gabbas called ‘double-
sided’ which is knitted by two face-to-face
weavers on a vertical loom between them.
Double-sided gabbas technically forced to
use the simplest of patterns.
Wool is the usual raw material for gabbas.
Goat hair is also used in some pieces. Cotton
may be used by some producers, but it’s not
a proper raw material for gabbas.
Dyeing and painting of Gabbas
Gabbas are woven with both dyed and
undyed yarns making two distinct types of
‘colored’ and ‘natural’ gabbas. The later
include shades of cream, white, grey, light
and dark brown and black, making blotchy
cream or spotted camel or cloudy grey fields.
In the case of dyed yarns gabba weavers feel
free to use whatever they have, depending on
their sudden impressions which is possible
due to the designless nature of gabba
weaving. The results are mostly lively pieces
with vivid coloring.
Designs and patterns of Gabbas
Actually gabbas are supposed to be woven
without antecedent designs and this is the key
to their free abstraction of colors and
geometric patterns as well as simple
stylization of figures and representative
shapes.
Typically, there is minimal pattern with an
occasional stick figure or simply stylized
animals on a gabba. Some gabbas woven by
Bakhtiaris and Qashqaeis have stylized
figures of lions. This could be a large single
one or some little ones.
In some pieces tiny simplified figures of
human, sheep and camel spot the plain fields.
Trees are also depicted frequently on gabbas
either as a large single icon or as tiny ones.
Xeshti or framed designs are also common as
well as striped designs.
