Ghasem Abad is one of the far eastern villages of Guilan province. This village is situated by the Caspian Sea and mountainous areas and is well-known for its natural beauties. Ghasem Abad is 25 km Far East of Roudsar
Ghasem Abad is the birthplace of Chador-Shab. Mostly women of this village are actively into Chador-Shab weaving which effectively fosters their family income and local economy. Chador-Shab, in local term, is
known as “Lavand” or “Charshoo”. It is a hand-woven fabric mainly made of either silk or cotton. The weaving
loom, in local term, is called “Pachal”. The width of this fabric is, at most, between 30 to 40 centimeters and its
length depends on its usages.
Chador-Shab patterns and their given names are the perfect reflection of the region’s natural surroundings
and cultural heritage. The chief patterns are: Geometrical images: plaid, checkered, octagonal, zigzag. Botanical images: tree, flower. Animal images: duck, mountain goat, horse, toad, deer, bat, butterfly. Humen
images: man, horse rider. Celestial images: Moon, star. Object at hands: comb, chest, boat, ship, battle axe,
weaving shuttle. Being affected by the natural beauties, traditional believes, their own personal perceptions of the world and life experiences weavers have been creating these patterns from their hearts. No weaver has ever used a weaving pattern while working on their loom; this is what makes Ghasem Abad’s Chador-Shab to be one of a kind. Another extraordinary fact about Chador-Shab weaving technique is that the weavers work on weaving the fabric and applying the patterns on upside down. In the past, Guilan used to be one of the most important sericulture centers in Iran; So Silk became one the main raw materials used in fabric weaving. Consequently, People from Ghasem-Abad turned into sericulture as well. They used spinning wheel to spin thread from silk cocoons and, afterwards, used the threads to weave fabrics for various applications. There are different applications to Chador-Shab. According to each usage the applied patterns and colors differ. While it can be used as a curtain, bed cover wrap, it has mainly been a part of local female garment for years. They either would wear it or wrap it around their waists to protect themselves against humidity and cold weather while working on rice farms and in tea gardens or collecting citrus fruit, local to this region, during the cold seasons or they would use is to wrap their babies on the back to be able to carry and attend their needs while working. Nowadays, to attract larger group of customers, the weavers have come up with innovative ways to use it, from intricately designed female wear to decorative frames. Its diverse and eye-catching patterns are inspired by the rich Iranian culture, particularly of Ghasem Abad, and the natural surroundings which are the manifestation of weavers’ traditional believes, their own personal perceptions of the world and life experiences.
Consequently, People from Ghasem-Abad turned into sericulture as well. They used spinning wheel to spin thread from silk cocoons and, afterwards, used the threads to weave fabrics for various applications. There are different applications to Chador-Shab. According to each usage the applied patterns and colors differ. While it can be used as a curtain, bed cover wrap, it has mainly been a part of local female garment for years. They either would wear it or wrap it around their waists to protect themselves against humidity and cold weather while working on rice farms and in tea gardens or collecting citrus fruit, local to this region, during the cold
seasons or they would use is to wrap their babies on the back to be able to carry and attend their needs while working. Nowadays, to attract larger group of customers, the weavers have come up with innovative ways to use it, from intricately designed female wear to decorative frames. Its diverse and eye-catching patterns are inspired by the rich Iranian culture, particularly of Ghasem Abad, and the natural surroundings which are the manifestation of weavers’ traditional believes, their own personal perceptions of the world and life experiences.