TEHRAN -- With the arrival of summer, rural kilim weavers of Talesh, a city in Gilan Province in northern Iran, have opened an exhibition displaying some 60km of their handwoven kilims to thousands of tourists along the roads from Talesh to Astara and Bandar Anzali.

This road exhibition begins at 30km of Anzali-Talesh Road and continues to the first 30km of Talesh-Astara Road.

According to cultural experts, most of the geometric designs on the kilims date back to 6,000 years ago and are rarely found in other parts of Iran.

The kilim designs have been passed from generation to generation in Talesh.

Hardworking Taleshi women, who are famous for their participation in the tiresome work of rice cultivation and care, fill their leisure time by weaving kilims and the additional income gained through selling the kilims helps the rural families remain self-sufficient.

The beautiful kilims of Talesh are woven in various sizes, the maximum being 1.5x2.5m, and are sold at Rls.50,000 to Rls.250,000.

The main problem of Taleshi kilim weavers is lack of financial support. They also lack a permanent exhibition center to present their products. Therefore, the only suitable time to display their works is the dry season of summer. The rest of the year their kilims are kept at home.

Taleshi kilim weaver Latifeh Gohari said that kilim weaving is an honor for Taleshi women, adding that they need to be well organized and provided with more support in order to produce more products.

Around 600 people are currently members of the Talesh Carpet and Handwoven Kilims Cooperative. Meanwhile, hundreds of people are weaving kilims privately.