One of the most important arts in Fars region with a universal reputation is carpet weaving which is famous as Fars Carpet. The texture in most of the old Fars carpets was woven of wool and all carpets produced in this province are the products of the nomad women in whole process.
The method of weaving is different among each tribe, all of them except for two-faced Gabbe, however, is woven using the horizontal looms because of its portability on the cattle. Like other regions, the carpet weaving tools are Dafin, scissors and knife, in which the knife is the substitute of hook in vertical loom weaving.
The main tribes of Fars are Ghashghaei, Khamseh, Boyer Ahmad and Mamsani Lors; Ghashghaei is the largest tribe in Fars and even in Iran with more than hundred years of history. All patterns of loom textiles in this region is mentally designed, transferred from a generation to another over centuries; the asymmetric (Persian) and symmetric (Turkish) knots alike are popular in this region which differs based on the given tribe and pattern. The most important motives in Fars carpets are as follows: Herbal motifs, flowers, stars, checked forms, Swastika, animal motifs, jagged leaves and fishes, bird motif, bush motif, cross motif with medallion. Ghashghaeis weave, also, a special product named Lion Gabbe in which they are tend to depict one, two or more lions in parallel lines; with respect to the historical, religious and traditional records of "lion motif" in this region, it can be stated that Ghashghaei tribe is the inventor of Lion Gabbe in Iran.
In spite of many differences in patterns and weaving methods as well as the dispersion of tribes, there still exist some common features among Fars carpets; interesting in this respect are the domination of geometric style, the absence of corners, the domination of dark colors over the bright colors and the soft and loose texture. In 2010, Fars Carpet has been inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
