English expat Lynn Yekiazarian knows all about warp and weft, nap and knots per square inch. She should: she runs the only dedicated Persian carpet shop in Shanghai, writes Jenny Hammond.
Persian carpets as pets - it seems an odd premise at first. But once you have looked behind their wonderful patterns, mellow colors and soft surface, learned their history and what goes into making them, you would treasure them as much.
Owner of the only dedicated Persian carpet shop in Shanghai, English expat Lynn Yekiazarian explains her passion behind Persians, which she likens to pets.
"I feel incredibly lucky that my work here cannot really be considered work. Collecting carpets is a passion with me and sitting each day in the shop looking at these beautiful pieces makes me very happy," she says.
She often travels to Iran to buy carpets and has seminars on their history and craft: She knows all about warp and weft, nap and knots per square inch.
"The carpets are like my pets and they need to go somewhere where they will be really appreciated and cared for. So when one finds a good home I am very satisfied," she says.
The 53-year-old carpet lover has lived in Shanghai for seven years. Her husband Hovik is Armenian who was born and brought up in Iran. They married after completing their studies in the UK, worked there for a while and moved to Iran for her husband's work in 1976.
Living in Teheran, Yekiazarian spent much of her time exploring the bazaar.
"It is a huge place and is filled with all kinds of merchandise from gold and jewelry to brass pots and pans," she say. "In fact one can find anything there, replacement insides for thermos flasks, weights for a pressure cooker, knitting needles, screws, wrenches. Just about anything, but most especially carpets, beautiful hand-made wool and silk Persian carpets."
Indeed, it was these carpets that instantly enchanted her. "Each carpet is unique," says the Englishwoman.
Persian carpets are woven all over Iran by nomadic people in the countryside, in the villages and in workshops in cities.
The wool from the carpets comes from sheep that graze on the high plains, producing wool that has long fibers. The wool is very strong. Once it is spun and woven, it provides a very strong thread that does not snap easily. It is springy and soft and because of the oils in the wool, it is naturally moisture-resistant. This makes it much sought-after and ideal for carpet making.
The dyes that the weavers use are all natural vegetable dyes that mellow very beautifully as the carpet ages.
"There are a huge variety of designs woven, and I really delight in finding interesting and special pieces," Yekiazarian says. "I have some really old and antique pieces in my store and I love the fact that each one is genuinely 'one of a kind' and irreplaceable."
Coming from an adventurous background, she continues, "People can never tell where my accent is from as I have lived in so many places. I have been an expat on and off for 25 years."
Growing up in the northeast of England, she taught food science and English as a second language (ESL) in high schools, colleges and even taught life skills to inmates at a prison in London.
"I taught three types of inmates, young offenders, detainees and deportees and older men coming to the end of their sentence."
This experience, although it sounds daunting, was fascinating.
"I was not scared as I only taught groups of about six, and there was always a guard nearby," she recalls. "Sometimes I really felt like I was doing good, by offering these men valuable skills for when they left the jail. However, it was very disheartening when a young offender was sent back to prison after they had been released."
After this, she moved to Iran for three years before leaving for the United States to teach once more. She also lived in Singapore.
Seven years ago she moved to Shanghai when her husband was made a project manager for an American engineering company.
Settling into China was a lot of fun and sometimes quite challenging, she explains. Having lived in Singapore immediately before China made the transition easier as she had been introduced to Asian culture.
Setting up her business presented its own hurdles. "When I was renovating the shop space, it was quite a challenge trying to get all the licenses and permits to make changes to the facade of the shop."
Now, however, Yekiazarian is established in both the Persian carpet business and still in education. She is acting as dean of enrollment for a small private boarding school in the US, which recruits students from all over the world. She also gives educational talks on carpets to groups in Shanghai.
"So even though I have my carpet gallery here, I have and probably always will be involved in education," she concludes.
(Shanghai Daily October 31, 2007)
