Morad Tahbaz's Carpets

To commemorate the loss of his close friend and co-founder, Kavous Seyed Emami, who died in custody, he approached a prisoner who wove bracelets with string and asked to weave a series of them in navy blue with the motif of nine cypress trees- a symbol of resilience and immortality in ancient Persian culture- representing the nine individuals who had been unjustly imprisoned. The bracelet weaver was unable to incorporate the design, merely inserting green lines in the dark blue background. That little exercise motivated Morad to look into woven designs.

The cypress tree is called “sarv” in Persian. It’s symbolism in Iranian art and culture dated back to its Zoroastrian roots. It was a symbol of immortality and the belief that one’s soul continues to live after death. It is also a symbol of resilience and survival, even in the harshest conditions. The cypress tree, bending in the wind, an ancient Persian artistic motif, found its way to western culture in the form of the common paisley.

Morad smuggled in a small pamphlet on tribal carpet designs and weaving methods. It took him some time to translate the design to paper-ratios, borders, grids-but eventually between sketching wildlife with pen and ink, he began designing carpets and sneaking them out to his wife, who had them woven in tribal areas of Iran. Many of his early designs incorporated that very same cypress tree motif.

The carpets capture the story of his time in Evin, weaving together the threads of nature, imprisonment and freedom. In most of his cypress tree carpets there are nine trees-all are alive save for one, representing the loss of his dear friend.

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