Kilim & Jajim

Kilim and jajim are useful starting points for understanding textiles whose designs are built into a flatwoven surface. Gelim is the Persian term commonly used for the tapestry-woven textiles also known as kilims. In tapestry weaving, colored wefts—the threads worked across the loom—are packed closely enough to conceal the supporting warp. Different colors can be worked only where the pattern requires them. s1

Jajim is identified in Iranian textile terminology with a warp-faced structure: the lengthwise threads dominate the visible surface. The contrast concerns the organization of the fabric, not simply its color or whether it has stripes. A comparative weaving study also warns that the name jajim can cover different structures in neighboring regions. Terminology needs a geographical context. s2

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In slit-tapestry kilims, adjacent areas of color turn back around separate warp threads, leaving openings where they meet. Long openings weaken the fabric, encouraging stepped or interrupted boundaries. Other tapestry methods join neighboring colors and allow different effects. Geometric design is therefore partly a response to construction, although skilled weavers can also achieve curved forms. s1

Regional comparisons reveal further differences. Sumru Belger Krody’s survey highlights finely woven Sanandaj examples and the double-interlocked structures of Bakhtiari textiles. It also notes that many southern gelims passed through the market at Shiraz. A market name and a place of manufacture are not necessarily identical, and the same broad label can conceal considerable technical variation. s1

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A documented jajim attributed to Birjand in eastern Iran illustrates how a large textile could be assembled from narrow woven strips. Saffronart’s catalogue describes strips joined along their finished side edges, or selvedges, and associates the narrow format with maintaining even tension during weaving. The catalogued piece combines repeated colored bands with smaller white designs. s3

The same catalogue describes jajim used as floor spreads, bedding covers, blankets, hangings, and partitions within tents. These are recorded uses, not a rule governing every example. The catalogued textile is dated approximately to 1930 and was acquired by collector Jasleen Dhamija in Birjand in December 1970. Those are separate claims about manufacture and collecting history; neither date should be substituted for the other. As an auction description, the attribution merits more caution than a documented maker’s record. s3

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When comparing examples, begin with what the textile actually shows: which threads form the surface, how neighboring colors meet, and whether separate strips have been joined. Then consider the recorded place, date, and use. The scholarly distinction between warp-faced jajim and tapestry-woven gelim provides a stronger basis for description than appearance alone. s1s2

An attractive stripe or repeated motif cannot independently establish age, community, or place of manufacture. Those identifications require provenance and technical examination. Read together, structure and documentation reveal these textiles as designed household objects, rather than interchangeable decorative rugs.

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