Among the collection of exquisite hand-woven carpets throughout Iranian history, a group of carpets called Zarbaft carpets were introduced; their characteristic was the presence of gold and silver wires or threads that appeared as a weft in the weave. This type of carpet spent a period of time at its peak, especially during the Safavid period, and then declined due to various factors and reasons. One of the factors that led to its recording in sources was the donation of these carpets as exquisite Iranian goods under political, cultural, and religious contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the factors that influenced the donation of Zarbaft carpets in this period and led to the expansion of its production in the Safavid period. With this question, what are the political, cultural, and religious factors that influenced the donation of Zarbaft carpets, which ultimately led to their spread during the Safavid period?

This research was fundamental in terms of purpose with a historical approach and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. The method of collecting information was library-based and the data was measured qualitatively. Its statistical population is the Zarbaft Rugs and kilims found in museums and private collections, both domestic and foreign,َ a sample size of 20 was selected fro this population.Due to the scarcity of serviving visual documentation of the donated specimens, the assessment relied primarily in source descriptions.

The results of the research also show that political, cultural, and religious backgrounds were influential factors in the donation of Zarbaft carpets during the Safavid period, and this even led to the government's encouragement to support the expansion of its production. Among the political and cultural reasons and factors, one can mention the donation of Zarbaft carpets during the coronation ceremonies of Ottoman and Venetian kings, or in order to introduce their art to the West, and even to introduce the aristocratic lifestyle of the Safavid court and kings. The religious reasons for donating some of these carpets also stemmed from the Safavid kings' Interest and devotion to Islam, the Shiite religion, and the infallible Imams, as well as their devotion to their successors and predecessors.