This article delves into the intricacies of two Qajar carpets in Tehran’s Carpet Museum of Iran and Chicago. These carpets, designed by Forṣat-al-Dawla Shirazi around 1897, hold significance due to their depiction of monuments explored by Forṣat-al-Dawla Shirazi during his expeditions in the Fars Region in the late Qajar period. The uniqueness of these carpets stems from their incorporation of cuneiform texts copied from Achaemenid royal inscriptions at Persepolis, thus embodying the designer’s exploration. Furthermore, these carpets possess historical value for being conceived during the Iranian constitutional revolution in the late Qajar era. Forṣat-al-Dawla Shirazi, the first Iranian cuneiformist in the late 19th century, included Old Persian cuneiform and selected Achaemenid and Sasanian monuments in these carpets. The descriptions accompanying each monument in these carpets mirror the traditional recognition of pre-Islamic kings and monuments among Iranians, bridging the gap between historical awareness and scholarly resources on Iran’s history in the early 20th century. Despite their overarching resemblance, each carpet exhibits distinct details absent in the other. This article meticulously examines the motifs, descriptions, and historical context surrounding both carpets, shedding light on the designer’s background and other pertinent aspects intertwined with the carpets and Forṣat-al-Dawla Shirazi.
