To start with, some constructive criticism. Why should I, as a German speaker, speak here in the language of a country with which Iran has not had the best of relations for the last 18 years? Is Germany, as the best customer in carpet exports, not entitled to the honor of German being a conference language?
Now to my topic. I would like to take this opportunity to make an appeal, an appeal that should help prevent the Iranian carpet from becoming rigid and the people producing it from becoming too smug, as can be seen so often today.
The leading role of the Iranian carpet among the countries that produce hand-knotted carpets and kelims is undisputed. It is still the main export article after crude oil for Iran itself. If you, the representatives of the Iranian government and its organizations, the producers, the dealers in Iran and Europe, are satisfied with this status quo and the development over the last 20 years, then my next words are unnecessary and are literally spoken into the wind. However, I know that only those of you with a bit of farsightedness will react positively. And not many of you are farsighted as far as making money goes. In the last 10 years, a lot has changed, mainly because until very recently carpets kept getting cheaper for us Europeans, but only because our currencies are almost overpowering and the currencies of the countries of origin are constantly being devalued. National measures to prevent further devaluation of the Iranian Rial have led to a massive price increase in the last months but, at least in Europe, no-one really trusts in it yet. Will the Iranian currency remain stable, or will the Dubai market revive again?
These measures and their effects alone could fill an entire presentation. If you would just briefly listen to my opinion, and it is not mine alone: Handknotted carpets, including Iranian ones, should become more expensive again for us Europeans. Not by 30 per cent at one time, but by about 10 to 15 per cent annually. A drastic and sudden price increase unnerves everyone, the buyers because they don't really believe in it and hold back, which damages Iranian exports, and the producers, whose prices have to drop suddenly despite high inflation. The people who knot and weave the carpets, those who do the hard work, are once again those hardest hit.
A continuous price increase of 10 to 15 per cent would certainly be the best marketing strategy. In Europe, the Iranian carpet would again be regarded as an object of value, rather than a cheap consumer good as it was 20 years ago. The laborious handwork of the Iranians would rise again in value, like in the '70s.
Low prices have advantages and disadvantages. Because of the low prices, the hand-knotted carpet is available to a broader population, which has led to high demand in Europe. The countries of origin, and thus Iran, can produce and export much larger quantities, which they certainly need to do in view of rapid population growth. The mass business is thriving.
The disadvantages, however, are that, because of the low price, the Iranian carpet is becoming more and more a fashion article. The consumer no longer respects the hard work and ancient culture of this country; if it's cheap, they believe it's not worth anything. A major segment of the dealer establishment, interested only in fast profits, does its bit and markets folkcraft and tradition as sale goods with previously marked-up price discounts.
And there is another problem which has become more and more virulent in the last years, and which not only I have noticed. That is the constantly increasing uniformity of types, qualities, and patterns. Like in other countries, for example Turkey, the good hand-knotted carpet is becoming rigid and demand is levelling out -- downwards, of course. An ancient craft is on the decline of its own accord here, too, in a country with a market economy, due to changes in the market, something the communist market economy was only able to achieve with violence only few decades ago. Carpet production in the Caucasus and Turkmenia after 1945 clearly shows this.
To provide you with a better understanding, I cite the following examples:
Try to purchase runners, Kenahres, different and individual examples of rural folkcraft, as we used to find them in Tabriz. I wish you luck because I can hardly find any now, not even when the price is unimportant. What you can find without any problem are Zaghes, Rudbars, Hosseinabads -- all in the same pattern, colors, and quality. Yes, even the sizes, because hardly anyone thinks of producing runners with a length of 3.5 meters (11½ feet).
Look at the situation of the Nains: so-called 9-lahs, of lesser quality, knotted in about 40 cities in Iran, in excess. If I told you that there are no 6-lahs anymore, some of you would not agree with me; but it is so. Last year I asked every single Nain producer at the fair here about Zarchereks in 6-lah quality. The stereotypical answer was Sarf nadere, "It's not worth it." I don't know why because, if there are no such carpets, then the price is not the most important factor. One of these Nain producers promised me the production of 30 carpets if I accepted his price. Despite my rather rash agreement, he has not delivered a single one yet. What has happened to the Dudeskhs of earlier decades? They simply no longer exist.
A similar development can be observed with almost all carpet types. As examples, I would like to name Mud-Biridjend, Shiraz, Veramin, Bakhtiar, and others. Carpets such as the Abadeh have become extinct. Good Kashans are turning into cheap Ardekans. Bidjar carpets are available almost only with Herati-design, and even the great variety of Sharbabaks and Sirdjans is becoming more and more uniform.
In earlier decades, the carpets of the Shirket-e-farsh were not necessarily the most desirable for us Europeans because they were too uniform. Similar carpets on the free market had a much more individual look. Today, such charming carpets have disappeared from the market. The Shirket products have remained more or less the same and, in terms of standing, are now prized above what the bazaar offers. Where's the individuality? Usually, this stereotyping of patterns and colors is also associated with a loss in quality. Even if we find the same development in Turkey, this is certainly no reason for Iran to be satisfied. On the contrary, there is an urgent need to act.
I can already hear people saying, "What do you want? Don't we make fantastic carpets in Iran? In Esfahan, Ghom and Tabriz, for example!" Well, of course my answer is "Yes," but they too have become more stereotypical and are usually more to the taste of the Arab than to the European.
Often, the sizes do not even fulfill the demands of the customers. For example, fine Tabriz carpets are available in 3 x 2 m (9.8' x 6.6') and 3.50 x 2.50 m (11.6' x 8.2'). Although often demanded in Europe, no-one is prepared to produce rugs in 3.25 x 2.25 m (10.7' x 7.4') or odd sizes. For years, I and other buyers have been demanding these sizes from Shirket-e-farsh. Apart from a "djashm," the response is zero. Why can't carpets be knotted as Mouchtashem, Amogli or Ateshoglu used to be? I say it is possible if you try. This is proved by the "Azeri" carpets that look like the antique Bakhshaish, Heriz, and Gerus, with hand-spun wool dyed in natural colors. These are the idea of an American with a Turkish wife; the rugs are made in Turkey, unfortunately not in the proud Iran.
If you don't want the Iranian carpet to degenerate into a sterile mass product, this country needs to pay attention to beautiful and individual carpets that connect up with the folkcraft of earlier decades. The industry needs ideas and, above all, people who are prepared to realize them. It needs more people like the Miri and Zollanvari families. Many Iranian carpet dealers are hardly aware of how much these people and a few others have done.
I can already hear people answering, "But we already have Shirket-e-Farsh, Emdad, Dast-e-Sanaye, and others for the necessary innovations." I shall be frank: such organizations are much too big and slow for artistic innovations, for a renaissance of folkcraft. That's the same elsewhere, too.
But it is definitely not so that the government cannot help. On the contrary, it should and must help! Not by producing, but by offering support, support in things like:
* Providing buildings for the establishment of village workshops. This would also be a way to create jobs.
* Subsidies for villages, not for the principals. Jobs are being created here.
* Providing trained weaving teachers, pattern designers, and dyers to attend to tradition and aesthetics.
* Funding of workshops with especially high-class wool qualities that can be stored without the use of pesticides.
* Support in the importation of wool.
But above all, the government and provincial administration should make things easier for those producers who are working to revive folkcraft and beauty, not more difficult, as it is usually the case in Iran today.
There are many other possible ways for the authorities to stimulate the industry, without having to become directly active. I think that the Chamber of Commerce or the Export Promotion Center organizing this conference should take the initiative. A study trip to Turkey, for example, where national organizations have achieved a lot in recent years, even if not always the right things, could bring new insights and inspire ideas. Hire consultants, European experts or Iranians who know the European needs and taste, and who, above all, have experience with old and antique carpets. Here I would like to suggest only two of several possible individuals: Siawosch Azadi and Parviz Tanavoli.
In his presentation in Marrakesh, Razi Miri suggested that an international committee be set up. The state of Iran should take the initiative and make the first move, doing so without much bureaucracy. I am sure experts with visions of the future can be found in this country.
About 20 years ago, the Marmara University in Istanbul started a project to revive the use of natural dyes which, as everyone knows today, has changed the entire carpet world -- for the better. If Iran were to create similar conditions, European enterprises would also be prepared to help and to invest capital.
I ask you, why are carpets such as "Azeri," "Kentwilly," and "Samsun" produced in Turkey and not in Iran? Even the Afghani refugees in the north of Pakistan are successful with some extraordinary qualities.
In conclusion, let me finish with some criticism that will really endear me to everyone. The idea of a certificate of origin for each carpet is good. It could be a positive marketing tool, and the government could even make money. Like Turkey, Iran today is confronted with very good imitations woven in China. Attractively designed, of best material, and not too big, a certificate of authenticity should be sealed directly to the carpet in order to remain with it for its lifetime. There is no need for a very complicated form, which takes ages to fill complete, which all the exporter refuse and detest, and which in most cases will be lost before the carpet reaches its user. Iran should make every effort to help the private consumer to judge the original from the imitation. Such a marketing instrument should certainly be discussed with European dealers and unions. Because that is where it should be effective.
In face of all these considerations, only one goal should be paramount: revival of Iranian carpet design, color, and weaving tradition. Do not allow the folkart of the "Persian," known and famous throughout the world, to disappear. Offer the people of this country the best conditions for the production of carpets that will be admired for many generations to come.