Persian Oriental Rugs

Gabbeh

Bidjar

Peshawar

Persian

Tribal

Antique

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PERSIAN ORIENTAL RUGS AND PERSIAN DESIGN

Although Iran also produces village and tribal rugs which have floral rectilinear and geometric designs respectively, the rugs on this page are representative of the formal floral curvilinear designs woven in the cities of Iran. The names of cities such as Isfahan, Kashan, Tabriz, Kerman, Nain, Qum and Meshad have a well earned reputation for skillfully producing some of the most beautiful carpets the world has seen. The earmarks of this type of weaving are a design usually worked out on graph paper that is then given over to a team of people who dye the yarns, set warps (the thread that runs the length of the rug and whose ends become the fringe) to a loom and weavers who follow the design and weave the carpet. Integral to the construction are warps that are on two levels called a depressed warp. This allows the weavers to form curves and arabesques that are not possible when warps are set on only one level. Carpets produced in this manner have historically been woven by court manufactories or carpet weaving firms for gift or sale to the ultimate consumer. This style of weaving is also common in India, Pakistan and China where they copy well known Persian designs. Rugs from these three countries are often woven with excellent materials and can represent very good value.