Sofreh Qalamkar or Persian Tapestry

Qalamkar fabric is a type of textile printing, patterned Iranian fabric. The fabric is printed using patterned wooden stamps. The stamps are mostly made of pear wood which has better flexibility and density for carving and long-standing utility. There are hundreds of different patterns consisting of arabesque designs, flora and fauna designs, geometric designs, pre-Islamic designs, hunting scenes, polo games, Persian poems and calligraphy, Armenian and Hebrew inscriptions .                 

 
Qalamkar is also known as Kalamkari which basically is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile. Esfahan is one of the most important producing cities throughout the world. In fact, Qalamkar means rendered with pen and ink that initially produced in the same method.

After finishing printing, they are, in the first stage, steamed for at least an hour to stabilise their designs. Then, taken to the riverbed and kept in some basins to be soaked well, in a great amount of running water. Afterwards, the pieces are piled in some large copper vessels containing stabilisers (liquid) and are boiled. At the same time, they are turned upside-down by some wooden sticks and washed again in the Zayandeh Rood, then spread on the banks to dry in the final stage

This art of fabric is a piece of organic and echo- friendly hand printed or wood-stamped textile like cotton or hemp with fixed vegetables colors and beautiful patterns, typically inspired by the Iranian traditional symbols.

Qalamkar adds a kind of sophisticated beauty to your living spaces while you can use them as an eye- catching tablecloth or runners for the coffee and dining tables or a nature-friendly soft and stylish case for your meditation and praying time. Because of its echo- friendly material, long lasting quality, fixed vegetable colors and repeatedly wash and use properties, nowadays, there is a huge trend and desires for Qalamkar in either modern artist design patterns or traditional ones. The fabric is printed with geometric patterned wooden stamps. The stamps are mostly made of pear wood which has greater flexibility and density for carving and the usefulness of a long life.

Qalamkar can be printed depending on its density and size, between tens to hundreds of times. For example, a six-person tablecloth (2 meters by 1,4 meters) should be printed about 580 times in a normal job, up to 4000 times if it was an elegant work.

After finishing the printing process, in the next phase, steamed for at least an hour in order to stabilize their designs; subsequently they are brought to the river bed and kept in some basins to be well immersed in a large quantity of running water. The pieces are piled up in large copper vessels containing stabilizers (liquids) and are finally boiled. At the same time, they are knocked over by some wooden sticks and washed again in the Zayandeh, the river that runs through the city of Esfahan, and then scattered on its banks to dry them.

In our stores you can find hundreds of different artist design Ghalamkar items originally from Isfahan, in the both traditional and modern patterns composed of arabesque designs, flora and fauna designs, geometric designs, pre-Islamic designs, hunting scenes, polo games, Persian poems, Armenian and Hebrew inscriptions.

Note! Ghalmkar items could be cold washed by applying the soft detergents in washer/dryer machines but still it’s recommended not to put in direct expose of heat or sunlight. You can do ironing on the back surface of Ghalamkar.