We were looking through some old photos the other day and it struck us how little things have changed for some of the rural Qashqai tribes. Many have settled into villages in the Shiraz area of Southern Iran but there are still some who live a nomadic way of life migrating between warm and cooler climates in summer and winter and also in search of good grazing. The Qashqai women weave beautiful tribal Persian rugs, kilims and carpets when they are settled in the summer months, a period when they are also preparing for the weddings of their daughters and sons.
Going back to the photos, we thought we would share some comparisons of very old images taken from our tribal rug book collection together with photos we have taken ourselves when in the southern Shiraz Fars region of Persia. All colour photos are taken by Yashar Bish.
"The Qashqai of Iran" - Whitworth Art Gallery - Migration (1974)
Taken by Yashar Bish in Fars region of Persia - Migration (Recent)
"The Qashqai People of Southern Iran" UCLA Museum (1977)
Taken by Yashar Bish in Fars region of Persia - Migration (Recent)
"The Qashqai People of Southern Iran" UCLA Museum (1978) Darrehshuri Tribe
Taken by Yashar Bish in Fars region of Persia (Recent)
Please follow us on Instagram for all that's happening in between these updates!