SAEDNEWS: Zarbaft is the most exquisite and legendary Persian textile which was once a world-famous fabric.
Made of gold warps and silk wefts, these fabrics are a testament to the craftsmanship of ancient Persia—but today, they are rarely seen, even among the wealthiest collectors.
The story of Persia’s exquisite textile artistry begins in the Parthian era, when the country first developed the techniques of weaving luxurious fabrics. While few textiles survive from the Achaemenid period, historical evidence suggests that the art of weaving was already highly sophisticated, with threads of pure gold used in fabrics since the Parthians.
By the Sassanid era, this craft had reached its zenith. The country’s booming economy was closely tied to the production and export of magnificent silk cloth, which reached far beyond Persia—to the Chinese Empire in the East and even the distant lands of the West.
During the Safavid period, especially under King Abbas, the craft became a state enterprise of extraordinary scale. The royal workshops employed around eight hundred artisans, and the trade in exquisite fabrics was so lucrative that the king eventually decreed they could only be exported, banning domestic sales. Indeed, the sale of Zarbaft and other luxury textiles financed a significant portion of the state’s operations.
Today, only a handful of workshops in Iran continue to produce these legendary fabrics. Most creations are archived or set aside, as there is little commercial demand. Yet, the legacy of Persian textile mastery endures. Fabrics from the Achaemenid, Sassanid, and subsequent eras are preserved in prominent museums worldwide, offering a rare glimpse into an art that once defined the wealth and sophistication of a civilization.
