If it is considered that more than half of the Persian gabbehs have come from Fars, the rest have been made by the Bakhtiari Lors, in the province of Chahar MahalBakhtiari (hereafter Chahar Mahal). Even though they cannot compete with the Fars gabbehs in terms of quantity, they can very well compete in terms of quality Regardless of all the differences in structure and design, if the best gabbehs from Fars are placed next to the best Bakhtiari gabbehs, it would be difficult to choose one over the other.

The Bakhtiari gabbeh is a late discovery compared to the Fars gabbeh. Before the Bakhtiari gabbeh was recognized, all gabbehs that reached the carpet bazaars of Iran and from there emerged in the world market, were called Fars, Lor, or Qashga'i This trend continued for a long time, until gabbehs from Chahar Mahal Province reached the market. It was then clear that there exists another kind of gabbeh that is different from the Fars gabbeh in many respects. Still, over a decade after its discovery, no valuable research has been done in relation to this group of gabbehs. There has been no article or paper introducing Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari gabbehs. It is therefore appropriate to discuss them here and to place them where they belong.

In a large territory north of Fars lives another Lor group, known as Bakhtiari Lors or Lor-e Bozorg (Greater Lors). Some of these people are nomadic tent dwellers. while others are villagers and farmers. The nomads, who will be referred to hereafter as Bakhtiari Lors or Bakhtiari, travel seasonally with their flocks between the two provinces Chahar Mahal and Khuzestan. On the other hand, Bakhtiari villagers, who will be called here Chahar Mahal or Chahar Mahal Bakhtiari, live in the province of Chahar Mahal. Both groups have a long history of gabbeh weaving and they share common features. Each has its own characteristics, however.

Perhaps the most significant trait of the majority of Bakhtiari gabbehs (both Bakhtiari Lor and Chahar Mahal Bakhtiari) is size. The large size of these gabbehs is especially noticeable when they are compared to Fars gabbehs. The Bakhtiari's attention to largeness is shown not only in their gabbehs; their mafrashs, khorjins, and gelims are also larger than the similar weaves of neighboring Fars. Medium and small gabbehs have also been woven by the Bakhtiari, but the majority are larger. Although size is an aspect shared among the Bakhtiari by both nomads and villagers, there are differences among the gabbehs of each group. The Chahar Mahal gabbehs will be discussed first and then those made by Bakhtiari Lors.

Despite the variations among gabbehs, whether Fars or Bakhtiari, the most uniform in structure are those of Chahar Mahal. They are frequently relatively large, often up to three by two meters. Although the pile is wool, the warp and weft of these gabbehs are often cotton, therefore in the bazaars they are called "gabbeh nakhi" (cotton gabbehs). The gabbehs with a cotton foundation of Chahar Mahal have never enjoyed the status and popularity of gabbehs with a wool foundation, especially outside of Iran. If a pair of gabbehs, one with a cotton foundation, the other with a wool foundation, came from the same house in Chahar Mahal and were equal in other

aspects (age, size, and design), the gabbeh with a wool foundation would fetch times the price of the one with a cotton foundation. The reasoning behind this imbalance is based on false speculative assumptions regarding "cotton" gabbehs in the gabbeh market. Generally speaking, in the Western carpet market, cotton and wo foundations are valued differently. Wool warp and weft in a carpet means to some people that it is old and original, while a cotton foundation is perceived as indicative or a newer, and thus less valuable, carpet. Such assumptions, however, have no basis fact. It is true that in the last eighty years the production of carpets with cotton Warp has been on rise, and considerably more than that of carpets with wool warps. Previously, however, carpets with cotton warps were considered more highly than those with wool warps. A dignitary of the early twentieth century writes: "if the warps (of Bakhtiari carpets) were not of wool, they would undoubtedly be among the finest Persian rugs.

Another distinctive structural aspect of Chahar Mahal gabbehs is the number of wefts, often three and two shoots between rows of knots, and seldom only one shoot. In some exceptions, there are as many as six shoots. The knots of all Chahar Manal gabbehs are symmetrical.

Chahar Mahal gabbehs are more limited in design than those of other regions, and in this regard they cannot compete with Fars gabbehs. Kheshti (checkered) designs are among the most popular. In spite of their limitations, there is much variation in both kheshti and multiple-lozenge desians. Each weaver has color preferences, and each woman also chooses designs and motifs to differentiate her rugs from those of others. For instance, a geometric shape like a lozenge is placed inside squares in a grid or plantlike motifs are placed in squares. Or the weaver decides to incorporate geometric shapes with animals and human figures. In addition to lozenges and checkered designs, stripes and medallions are also found in Chahar Mahal gabbehs, though they are much less numerous than gabbehs with two-lozenge and checkered designs. The color range of Chahar Mahal gabbehs is the same as that of Chahar Mahal carpets and it consists of bright and gay colors.

The gabbehs of the Bakhtiari Lors (the nomadic Lors) are very often similar to those of the Chahar Mahal Lor villagers. The nomads' gabbehs are also large, but the warp and weft are wool. The number of wefts between knot rows in Bakhtiari Lors' gabbehs is the same as in Chahar Mahal gabbehs, three to six shoots, but the pile is longer.

The designs and patterns of the Bakhtiari Lors' gabbehs are similar to those of the Chahar Mahal villagers. The only difference is that they do not have the order and regularity of Chahar Mahal gabbehs. Also, their colors are not as bright and gay as Chahar Mahal shades but are slightly darker and duller.

In comparison, it could be said that the gabbehs of both the Chahar Mahal villagers and the Bakhtiari nomads are from people of the same descent, but one type is woven by domesticated, peaceful, and settled people, the other by adventurous, migratory tent dwellers.