Chenin چنین

Chenin: reviving the ancient tradition of Kurdish weaving in Iraqi Kurdistan
چنین: هه‌وڵده‌دات بۆ ژیانه‌وه‌ی هونه‌ری فه‌رش چنین له باشووری كوردستان - كوردستانی عێراق

 

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The art of carpet making is one of the oldest and most celebrated artistic traditions to have survived to the modern day. Carpets hold a particularly distinguished place in the Middle East where they are held as an item of prestige in mosques, palaces, and houses. The historical methods of carpet weaving are highly valued as skills which incorporate aesthetic beauty with traditional craftsmanship.

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 هونه‌ری فه‌رشچنین یه‌كێكه‌ له‌ كۆنترین و به‌ناوبانگترین هونه‌ره‌ سونه‌تیه‌كان كه‌ هه‌تا ئه‌م ساته‌ش به‌های خۆی له‌ده‌ست نه‌داوه‌ له‌ جیهاندا. فه‌رش له‌ ڕۆژهه‌ڵاتی ناوه‌ڕاست به‌چاوێكی موقه‌ده‌سه‌وه‌ لێیده‌ڕوانرێت و له‌ جێگای تایبه‌تی وه‌ك مزگه‌وت و دیوه‌خانه‌كاندا ڕاده‌خرێن. فه‌رش چنین پێویستی به‌ شاره‌زاییه‌كانی زۆر هه‌یه‌، هه‌ر بۆیه‌ له‌ كۆمه‌ڵگا سونه‌تیه‌كاندا به‌ ڕێزه‌وه‌ سه‌یری وه‌ستایی و

ده‌ستڕه‌نگی فه‌رشچنه‌كان ده‌كرێت.

 

How we are?​

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Chenin (“weaving”) is an organisation founded by Kurdish artist, carpet designer and weaver Shorsh Saleh. Saleh has taught carpet weaving at The King’s Foundation – School of Traditional Arts in London since 2015 and also teaches privately from his studio. His work is held in collections internationally, including that of HM King Charles III.

Chenin aims to preserve and revive the traditional carpet-weaving heritage of Iraqi Kurdistan, which has been severely affected by decades of conflict, displacement and industrialisation.

Traditionally, weaving was part of everyday life in Kurdish mountain communities, with families using local wool, natural dyes and household looms. From the 1960s to the 1990s, thousands of villages and towns were destroyed during repeated conflicts, forcing communities from their homes and leaving behind their looms, livestock and weaving traditions.

Industrialisation and globalisation further weakened the craft, replacing handmade carpets, natural dyes and traditional designs with cheaper machine-made alternatives.

Chenin works to reconnect people with this heritage, preserve traditional skills and bring Kurdish weaving into a contemporary context.

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WHAT WE DO?

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Chenin aims to revive the traditional skills and heritage of carpet weaving in Iraqi Kurdistan while creating sustainable opportunities for local communities.

We run workshops in hand weaving and natural dyeing, supporting farmers to grow native dye plants, shepherds to produce quality wool, and local weavers to develop and pass on their skills. We also support local craftspeople in making traditional weaving tools and teach the meanings of traditional motifs and colours.

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PARTNERS

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Chenin works with the Hand Weaving Factory in Sulaimaniyah. Our first collaboration produced two large-scale carpets based on designs by Shorsh Saleh, exhibited at the Imperial War Museum, London, as part of Refugees: Forced to Flee (2020).