TEHRAN – A giant kilim carpet was unveiled on Sunday in the city of Namin, northwestern Ardebil province.

Measuring 24 square meters, the handwoven flooring went on show at a local handicrafts exhibition attended by the province’s governor-general Akbar Behnamju, provincial tourism chief Nader Fallahi and several cultural officials.

“Namin is considered as a national hub of kilim weaving, and this field of handicrafts has been practiced mostly by female crafters as their source of income,” Behnamju said.

He also expressed hope that kilim weaving would receive more support and be promoted more properly.

Kilim is a pileless floor covering handwoven in most places where pile rugs are made. The term is applied both generally and specifically, with the former use referring to virtually any rug-like fabric that does not have a pile.

When used specifically the term refers to a more limited number of techniques, including slit tapestry, warp sharing, and various forms of interlocking tapestry weave.

The kilims are often woven on narrow looms, and two mirror-image pieces are sewn together along the long edge to produce the completed kilim. The vertical color junctions involve a discontinuity of the wefts, the colored yarns that produce the design. At these boundaries, there are small slits in the fabric.

ABU/AFM