Kāshān

Detail of a Persian silk hunting carpet from Kāshān, Iran, 16th century.

Kāshān, city, west-central Iran. It lies in a desert at the eastern foot of the Central Iranian Range, on a once important caravan route and also on the southeastern branch of the Trans-Iranian Railway. Kāshān is an ancient city; 2 miles (3 km) southwest is the site of prehistoric Tepe Sialk, which has yielded remains of settlements dating to the 6th millennium bce. Kāshān was the centre of Persian ceramics, producing decorated pottery and glazed tiles exported throughout the Near East. Its lustrewares were especially famous. Its woolen and silk carpets are among Iran’s finest, but modern industrial development is modest. Pop. (2006) 253,509.