Royal Tents in Qajar Iran

Abstract

When Qajar kings were leaving their palaces for trips, hunting, or inspecting their territories, they preferred to have the tents highly decorated. These royal tents, known as Saraparde, which usually were red, the exclusive royal color, were made of canvas in the form of quadrangles and circles with conical ceilings and they were decorated splendidly. The patterns of these tents resemble the patterns of textiles, wall paintings, tiles, and the other handicrafts in that era. The patterns of royal tents can be divided into four categories: mythical and symbolic patterns, figurative, floral, and geometric patterns. This article first introduces remaining tents from that period according to library resources, paintings, pictures and travelogue of sightseers. Then, their color, pattern, form and design are surveyed as nomadic architecture.