Mann, Hyde, Groseclose and Pettyjohn all in Persia

T Monahan

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Where are the educational pictures?

My guess is that the Internet connections are difficult over there. Is that true?

I want to see Robert Pettyjohn eating quality food with the absence of sweet tea and fast food burgers.
 

T Monahan

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Istanbul is in Turkey. (Brief part of their trip)

Iran is modern day Iran. (The major time of their trip)
 

cleanking

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Jordan King
Pictures towards the bottom of that thread are from Iran, also Randy Hyde's instagram had a few good photos. Interesting shot of a rug weaving supply store at the bazaar.
 

rmann

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A few rug 'tech' photos. Taken at a rug finishing workshop in the Isfahan bazaar.



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Local production carpet tacked out on a 'block floor'.

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Worker shears an Isfahan carpet with a shaft drive shearing machine. The red hose is a vacuum.

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Close up of the shearing machine blades. OSHA would not approve.

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Worker torches loose fiber from the back of a new Isfahan carpet
 

rmann

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They seem to, but it's hard to know what people are thinking. The economy here is in a poor state, a result of the protracted war with Iraq, international sanctions, and a very backward approach to governing on the part of the guys who run the show. Wages are low, the middle class is disappearing and many people are not doing well financially. Anyone who you get to talking to will tell you how dis-satisfied they are with the ruling theocracy, but of course since they speak English it may be a skewed sample. The streets are full of people who look animated and happy. Everyone we meet is friendly, welcoming, and surprised when they find out we are American.
 

Mikey P

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Surprised that you came all that way and risking your lives to look at rugs?

Can anyone apply for a "rug job" or are the positions family only?
 

rhyde

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rhyde
Finally have some decent internet. Much like the USA the average joe or Jill on the street has a vastly different view than the government. The people are friendly, curious and respectful even when the find out We are Americans.

Here's a pic of weaving in Kashan the rug is 650 knots to the sq inch and will take in total about 5 years to complete IMG_6378.JPG
 

rmann

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Robert Mann
More photos from Iran.

At the Zollanvari wash house in Tehran. A closed facility that washes and finishes their proprietary production for export. Rugs come directly from the loom to this facility and leave ready for sale. They torch the backs, do a chlorination wash, shear, fix, stretch, and inventory the goods. It's an impressive operation that currently processes about 50,000 square feet of goods a month, though their capacity is easily twice that.

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A really big tumbler. All rugs get dusted prior to washing.

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The wash crew - Afghan refugees living in Iran - uses steel bladed scrapers to work the wash formula into the pile.

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They use a common laundry powder. Turns out 'barf' means snow in Persian.

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An operator runs multiple passes with a machine that agitates the pile surface. The pipe along the back wall is about 8" diameter and has a rinse line about every foot or so.

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Very heavy rubber straps spin at high speed 'whacking' the front of the rugs.

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After the initial chlorination wash rugs are left in the sun to dry. A few large drying rooms are used in mid winter.
 

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