
Persia, the ancient Persian name of Iran, boasts to be the world’s most superior culture in carpet manufacturing. The art of weaving and dying is inherited and rugs of all styles and sizes are made here. The Turkish speaking part of the population often uses the Senneh knot. The carpets and rugs manufactured in the country are often named after the area where they are made, for example Hamadan, Mashad, Kerman, Shiraz and Bidjar. The carpets can also be named after different ethnic groups like the Ghashghais.
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Kaleen Transitional Brisa BRI03-25 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $799.00Grab your favorite drink, then kick back and relax with this exciting new Indoor/Outdoor flat-weave rug from our Brisa Collection. Completely transform your indoor and outdoor livi…
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Kaleen Traditional Relic RLC01-41 Area Rug Collection
$119.00 – $1,999.00The Relic collection embraces new life with these reenergized classic patterns featuring today’s hottest colors! Hand-knotted in India of 100% wool, each rug is intentionally distr…
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Kaleen Transitional A Breath of Fresh Air FSR105-22 Area Rug Collection
$44.62 – $613.85The Breath of Fresh Air collection allows you to brave the elements inside and out all year round! Machine-Made in Turkey of 100% Polypropylene, these rugs are strong enough to be …
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Kaleen Contemporary Shades SHD01-95 Area Rug Collection
$299.00 – $1,249.00Add quiet color in soft striation to your home with Shades. These gradual gradients, in pleasing hues of cool, warm and neutral tones, will soften the hard edges of any room. The 1…
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Kaleen Contemporary Renaissance 4500-81 Area Rug Collection
$149.00 – $1,249.00Renaissance is a truly unique, high fashion monochromatic collection that offers a Tibetan look but at a non-traditional price. Renaissance is hand loomed in India of only the fin…
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Kaleen Traditional Montage MTG09-01 Area Rug Collection
$69.00 – $1,159.00The Montage collection is a true collaboration of design inspiration from around the world. Uniquely constructed with a loop and cut pile for added texture, this collection offers …
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Kaleen Shag It’s So Fabulous ISF01-02 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $949.00Your feet will agree—It’s So Fabulous. This super soft, plush collection blends tonal yarns and a delicate sheen for a subtle mottled look that will soften any room. Layer bold col…
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Dynamic Transitional Royal Treasure 90271 Area Rug Collection
$69.99 – $999.99This viscose collection mixes traditions designs, transitional motifs and contemporary patterns to create a collection that works for any room. Royal Treasures softly lustrous surf…
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Kaleen Transitional A Breath of Fresh Air FSR05-105 Area Rug Collection
$29.00 – $399.00The Breath of Fresh Air collection allows you to brave the elements inside and out all year round! Machine-Made in Turkey of 100% Polypropylene, these rugs are strong enough to be …
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Kaleen Transitional Sea Isle SEA05-86 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $899.00The Sea Isle collection is the perfect collaboration of all our beach favorites! Get lost in your thoughts, while daydreaming of your feet in the sand and the ocean breeze in your …
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Kaleen Country and Floral Montage MTG02-01 Area Rug Collection
$69.00 – $1,159.00The Montage collection is a true collaboration of design inspiration from around the world. Uniquely constructed with a loop and cut pile for added texture, this collection offers …
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Momeni Transitional Caspian Caspicas-4 Area Rug Collection
$99.00$69.00Come home to the traditional allure of the Caspian rug collection. Traditional motifs and florals are created in grey and blue palettes that are easy to incorporate into a multitud…
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Kaleen Contemporary Luminary LUM01-90 Area Rug Collection
$59.00 – $1,099.00Light up your room with the Luminary Collection! A solid choice to keep your room feeling clean and simple, with a beautiful pop of color and a little added sparkle. This rug combi…
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Kaleen Transitional Casual Sigmund-55 Area Rug Collection
$59.00 – $849.00Casual is a unique and stylish collection of eclectic designs. These beautiful rugs are painstakingly hand tufted using only the finest 100% Premium Wool. Hand crafted with pride…
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Kaleen Transitional Cozy Toes CTC08-50 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $799.00Your feet are going to love you! Our Cozy Toes Collection, is made with some of the softest Polyester ever! Machine-Tufted in China, this new rug has the luxurious and extra soft f…
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Kaleen Contemporary Marble MBL02-75 Area Rug Collection
$89.00 – $1,799.00You may do a double take when you see Marble on the floor. Although they are hand-tufted of 100% space-dyed wool in India, these rugs look like they might have been mined from a qu…
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Kaleen European Lakota LKT05-10 Area Rug Collection
$59.00 – $1,129.00Go global chic with rugs from the Lakota collection, inspired by the traditional weavings of Native Americans from the Great Plains. Hand-tufted in India from 100% virgin wool, the…
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Kaleen Contemporary CEN06-86 Ceneri Area Rug Collection
$69.00 – $799.00Looking for something different? The Ceneri collection features distinctive all-over patterns interrupted by heavy distressing and erasing for unique designs. Liven up a staid room with a nod to modern style with one of these micro-loop area rugs, hand-tufted from 100% wool in India. Detailed colors for this rug are Multi, Charcoal, Navy, Teal, Spa, Sand, Grey.
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Momeni Solid/Stripped Gramercy Gramegm-17 Area Rug Collection
$79.00 – $1,499.00Gramercy is collection of open-backed hand-loomed rugs which carry the look of higher-end hand-knotted pieces, with casual appeal. Earth and muted tones in simple designs give this…
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Momeni Transitional Dakota Dakotdak14 Area Rug Collection
$39.00 – $539.00Outdoor living has never been so stylish. The Dakota collection of rugs brings next level décor to your outdoor space in fashion forward patterns from classic florals to modern geo…
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Kaleen Contemporary Spaces SPA01-75 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $569.00Spaces is where textiles meet fashion. Modern textile design and todays hottest colors combine to meet the new evolution of this beautiful rug. Each rug is handmade and hand-carved…
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Kaleen Contemporary Rosaic ROA01-49 Area Rug Collection
$89.00 – $1,799.00The Rosaic collection is the perfect collaboration of unique mosaic’s inspired from patterns all around the world! Each rug is hand-tufted in India of 100% wool. …
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Kaleen Transitional Home and Porch 2032-17 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $899.00Home & Porch is a beautiful and elegant collection produced to be a wonderful addition to any room in your home yet durable enough to be used outdoors. This collection is reflectiv…
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Momeni Transitional Impressions Impreip-04 Area Rug Collection
$89.00 – $1,729.00The Impressionist style of painting was influenced by nature, light and scenes from daily life; these rugs capture these elements in a hand-tufted construction that makes these pie…
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Kaleen Shag Posh PSH01-96 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $949.00Posh is the perfect rug to make your feet say ooh and ahhh!! Super plush and silky to the touch, this hot new shag rug is exactly what your room has been asking for! Find the perfe…
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Kaleen Contemporary Regency 7000-42 Area Rug Collection
$199.00 – $1,199.00Regency offers an array of beautiful and elegantly subtle tones for today’s casual lifestyles. Choose from rich timeless hues shaded with evidence of light brush strokes. These 100…
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Kaleen Contemporary Lily & Liam LAL03-28 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $569.00Whether you’re running around the house barefoot or looking for the perfect spot for that lazy day nap, you’re going to ooh and ahh over this rug every time you feel it. Fun for al…
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Nourison Contemporary Maxell MAE10 Area Rug Collection
$179.00 – $1,239.00Marvelous marbleizing creates a naturalistic stonework effect in this dramatic Maxell by Nourison area rug. Ivory tendrils express vitality across the lush blue ground. Wonderfully…
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Dynamic Transitional Milan 9402 Area Rug Collection
$124.99 – $499.99Bringing fashion forward designs to a great price point-Milan focuses on trendy colors and detailed designs that are all within your budget. Made from 100% wool, this collection is…
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Nourison Transitional Linear LIN19 Area Rug Collection
$259.00 – $1,349.00A striking medallion rosette design in high fashion tones of ivory and deep navy blue. Meticulously hand-hooked from the finest wool yarns, the richly dimensional texture is a deli…
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Kaleen Transitional Habitat 2111-27 Area Rug Collection
$49.00 – $1,099.00Habitat is a durable but yet luxurious and elegant collection perfectly produced to be a wonderful addition to any room in your home yet durable enough to be used for your outdoor …
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Kaleen Transitional Brisa BRI03-22 Area Rug Collection
$75.38 – $1,229.23Grab your favorite drink, then kick back and relax with this exciting new Indoor/Outdoor flat-weave rug from our Brisa Collection. Completely transform your indoor and outdoor livi…
Persian Rugs
Persia, the ancient Persian name of Iran, boasts to be the world’s most superior culture in carpet manufacturing. The art of weaving and dying is inherited and rugs of all styles and sizes are made here. The Turkish speaking part of the population often uses the Senneh knot. The carpets and rugs manufactured in the country are often named after the area where they are made, for example Hamadan, Mashad, Kerman, Shiraz and Bidjar. The carpets can also be named after different ethnic groups like the Ghashghais.
The geometric belief
According to ancient traditions and beliefs, geometric figures and symbolic motifs protect the Persian rugs owner from evil and misfortune. In the case of tribal oriental rug designs, such as geometric animals, people, and everyday objects, antique handmade Persian rugs are a classic example of art imitating life and life imitating art, as the design-rich repertoire of Persian rug weavers continues to inspire artists and designers the world over.
Some popular names
Kurds
The Kurds are an ethnic group, mostly inhabiting the area spanning adjacent parts of south eastern (Turkey), western (Iran), northern (Iraq), and northern (Syria). The large population and the wide geographical distribution of the Kurds account for a varied production spanning a spectre from coarse and naÔve nomadic weavings to the most elaborate town manufacture carpets, finely woven like Senneh, or heavy fabrics like Bijar carpets. Although Kurdish rugs represent a traditional part of Persian rug production, they merit separate consideration.
Senneh Rugs
The city of Sanandij, formerly known as Senneh, is the capital of Persian Kurdistan. The Persian rugs produced here are still known, also in the Iran of today, under their trade name “Senneh”. They belong to the most finely woven Persian rugs, with knot counts up to 400 per square inch (6200/ dm2). The pile is closely clipped, and the foundation is cotton, also silk was used in antique carpets. Some fine Persian rugs have silk warps dyed in different colors which create fringes in different colors known as “rainbow warps” in the rug trade. Mostly blue colors are used in the field, or a pale red. The predominant pattern used to be the Herati pattern, with a lozenge-shaped central medallion also filled with repeating Herati patterns on a different background color. More realistic floral patterns are also seen, probably in rugs woven for export to Europe.
Bijar Rugs
The town of Bijar lies around 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Sanadij. Together, these two towns and their surrounding areas have been major centers of Persian rug production since the eighteenth century. Carpets woven in Bijar and the surrounding villages show more varied designs than Senneh rugs, which has led to the distinction between “city” and “village” Bijar rugs. The Bijar rug is distinguished by its highly packed pile, which is produced by a special technique known as “wet weaving”, with the help of a special tool. Warps, weft and pile are constantly kept wet during the weaving process. When the finished carpet is allowed to dry, the wool expands, and the fabric becomes more compact. The fabric is further compacted by vigorous hammering on nail-like metal devices which are inserted between the warps during the weaving. Alternate warps are moderately to deeply depressed. The fabric is further compacted by using wefts of different thickness. Usually one of three wefts is considerably thicker than the others. The knots are symmetrical, at a density of 60 to over 200 per square inch.
The colors of Bijar rugs are exquisite, with light and dark blues, and saturated to light, pale madder red. The designs are traditionally Persian, with predominant. Herati, but also Mina Khani, Harshang, and simple medallion forms. Frequently the design is more rectilinear, but Bijar rugs are more easily identified by their peculiar, stiff and heavy weaving than by any design. Bijar rugs cannot be folded without risking to damage the foundation. A specific feature is also the lack of outlining, particularly of the smaller patterns. Full-size “sampler” carpets showing only examples of field and border designs rather than a fully developed carpet design are called “vagireh” by rug traders, and are frequently seen in the Bijar area. New Bijar rugs are still exported from the area, mostly with less elaborate Herati designs and dyed with good synthetic dyes.
Kurdish village Persian rugs
From a Western perspective, there is not much detailed information about Kurdish Persian rugs, probably because there is insufficient information to identify them, as they have never been specifically collected in the West. Usually, Persian rugs can only be identified as “northwest Persian, probably Kurdish”. As is generally the case with village and nomadic rugs, the foundation of village rugs is more predominantly of wool. Kurdish sheep wool is of high quality, and takes dyes well. Thus, a rug with the distinct features of “village production”, made of high-quality wool with particularly fine colors may be attributed to Kurdish production, but mostly these attributions remain educated guesswork. Extensive use of common rug patterns and designs poses further difficulty in assigning a specific regional or tribal provenience. A tendency of integrating regional traditions of the surrounding areas, like Anatolian or north western Persian designs was observed, which sometimes show distinct, unusual design variations leading to suggest a Kurdish production from within the adjacent areas. Also, north western Persian towns like Hamadan, Zenjan or Sauj Bulagh may have used “Kurdish” design features in the past, but modern production on display at the Grand Persian Exhibitions seems to focus on different designs.
The Shishbuluki Persian rugs are distinguished by small, central, lozenge-shaped medallions surrounded by small figures aligned in concentric lozenges radiating from the center. The field is most often red, details are often woven in yellow or ivory. Darashuri rugs are similar to those of the Shishbuluki, but not so finely woven.
As the truly nomadic way of life has virtually come to an end during the twentieth century, most Persian rugs are now woven in villages, using vertical looms, cotton warps, or even an all-cotton foundation. They use a variety of designs associated with the persian tradition, but it is rarely possible to attribute a specific rug to a specific tribal tradition. Many patterns, including the “Qashqai medallion” previously thought to represent genuine nomadic design traditions, have been shown to be of town manufacture origin, and were integrated into the rural village traditions by a process of stylization. The revival of natural dyeing has had a major impact on Persian rug production. Initiated in Shiraz during the 1990s by master dyers as Abbas Sayahi, particularly Gabbeh rugs raised much interest when they were first presented at the Great Persian Exhibition in 1992. Initially woven for home use and local trade, coarsely knotted with symmetric knots, the colors initially seen were mostly natural shades of wool. With the revival of natural colors, Gabbeh from Fars province soon were produced in a full range of colors. They met the Western demand for primitive, naive folk art as opposed to elaborate commercialized designs, and gained high popularity. In the commercial production of today, the Gabbeh rug patterns remain simple, but tend to show more modern types of design.
Luri Persian Rugs
The Lurs live mainly in western and south-western Iran. They are of Indo-European origin. Their dialect is closely related to the Bakhtiari dialect and to the dialect of the southern Kurds. Their rugs have been marketed in Shiraz. These Persian rugs have a dark wool foundation, with two wefts after each row of knots. Knots are symmetrical or asymmetrical. Small compartment designs of repeating stars are often seen, or lozenge-shaped medallions with anchor-like hooks on both ends.
Afshari Persian Rugs
The Afshar people are a semi-nomadic group of Turkic origin, principally located in the mountainous areas surrounding the modern city of Kirman in southeastern Iran. They produce mainly Persian rugs in runner formats, and bags and other household items with rectilinear or curvilinear designs, showing both central medallions and allover patterns. Colors are bright and pale red. The flat-woven ends often show multiple narrow stripes.
Beluch Persian Rugs
The Beluch people live in eastern Iran. They weave small-format persian rugs and a variety of bags with dark red and blue colors, often combined with dark brown and white. Camel hair is also used.
We’ve Got your Decorations Covered 🙂
The Rug Mall carries Persian rugs in different colors and textures from over a wide variety of leader Mills all over the world, innovating design with a beautiful touch of Old-School craftsmanship. They are reinventing Persian rugs in fashion-forward ways that make them feel less country and more up-to-date. Happy Decorating!