Different types of rugs

I.                    Different types of rugs

A.                 Persian

(Tabriz, Isfahan, Naeen, Bakhtiari, Mashad, Hamadan, Kashan, Qum, Bijar)

Persia, now Iran, has long been known as the “home” of handmade rugs.  Persian rugs are among the most valuable and intricately designed rugs on the market today.  Rugs from Iran are named according to where they are made.  Since every region has its own set of designs and colors, it is fairly easy to distinguish them apart.  In some cases there are weavers who migrate from another town or some designs normally from a particular region are subcontracted, or Persian wool is shipped to other parts of the world.  In the following paragraphs I will attempt to show you the differences between different Persian rugs so that you can tell them apart.  Each name represents a region in Iran, so make sure to follow the names with the map.INSERT MAP OR IRAN WITH NAMES

1.                  Bakhtiari: 

Bakhtiari rugs are made in Chahar Mahal in South-Central Iran.  Many of the people from this region are still partly nomadic (as indicated on the map).  These types of rugs are very heavy in quality and can withstand a lot of foot traffic. They are usually made with Turkish knots rather than Persian knots.  Bakhtiari rugs use a lot of brown and rust colors, with yellows, dark blues and reds.  The Bakhtiari rugs have two basic designs that are easy to spot.  One is the more traditional design which consists of many squares on the rug and within each square there is a design (figure to the right). Then there is the more modern, late 18th century design which is a medallion design or garden design.  These designs took inspiration from the new developments in housing that were happening at the time.  These new homes had very nice decorative gardens and the medallion design you see on the rug resembles the landscape of the gardens at that time; since the new houses had a pride associated with them.   In the 19th century the quality of the rugs went up in the Bakhtiari region after oil was discovered in their land.  As a result, the people there were able to afford the best of material for the rugs, thus taking their already superior quality of rugs to a whole new level.   Of course, like all other regions, there are always the ones that are abnormal, and don’t get categorized in these two sections.  There is no particular way to show you to distinguish them, unless you have the experience.   However, if you’re interested in learning more about Bakhtiari rugs on your own, feel free to follow this link:http://www.rugman.com/AreaRugs/Bakhtiari-AreaRug-1700220511.html

2.                  Bijar

Bijar rugs are made in the north western part of Iran mostly by Kurdish people.  This type of rug has a variation of Turkish or Persian knots, but in either case it is often double or triple weft.  Bijar rugs are nicknamed “iron rugs” because of their heavy quality.  They are among the most durable rugs in Iran.  The Kurdish people believe that to get a good rug you have to start at its source: the wool.  Thus they use special techniques make their wool exceptionally strong and durable.  Even though Bijar rugs are heavy and high-quality, they are also fragile because their triple weft does not allow the rug to be folded like a regular rug because they are so thick.  If you try to fold a Bijar rug, you will most likely break the back of the rug (stretching the cotton foundation until it snaps) causing a hole in the rug.  This is why Bijar rugs need to be moved only by rolling them, or in some cases folding them backwards.  The Bijar rugs can be categorized by their heavy weave.  Older Bijar rugs had a wool foundation and are softer, but are still thick; the newer Bijar rugs have a cotton foundation.   It is harder to categorize Bijar rugs into certain groups of design, since there are many variations, I have picked three dominate designs, the mahi/mina khani, “allover” design, and floral design.  Bijar rugs mostly use dark red, rust and light skin colors with dark navy and black (one of the few regions that use black), similar to Bakhtiari rugs.  The mahi and mina khani design are close enough that we don’t need to separate them.  The main difference between them is that one design is connected and looks like flowers, while the other is in a fish pattern.  In either case the overall pattern looks virtually the same.   This type of design has small details on the rug that are visible up close, but if you were to step ten feet back you would not notice them.  The smaller designs are overwhelmed by the border and medallion. This design is good for people who don’t like the busy look and want a more modern look.  Like the picture to the right.The “allover” pattern of the Bijar rug is a little harder to generalize because the “allover” pattern can be anything.  It is either the mahi, mina khani,  boteh, or some other design.  The one good way that I find makes it easy to distinguish them, after looking at its thickness and color, is their border.  In any case the border of the Bijar rug tends to be similar.  They have a continuous flower design which is not detailed at all.  You have to look at a few rugs in order to understand my meaning. The floral design is another hard design to generalize.  Since there are so many different floral designs that look almost alike, it is hard for me to tell you to look for one particular design. For this I recommend you also look at the border of the rug.  After looking at a few Bijar rugs you will tend to have a good idea of how the borders of Bijars look.  One thing you can look for is the color black.  For the Bijar, unless you touch the rug, it is going to be hard to tell if it is a true Bijar.Remember that lot of rugs are sold as Bijar but might be from a different region.  Original Bijar rugs are going to be on the expensive side.http://www.oldcarpet.com/bijar.htm

3.                  Kashan:

The city of Kashan is located in the central part of Iran and has been producing classical rugs ever since the 16th century.  The oldest Kashan rug now dates back to 1542, and is displayed in the Victoria and Albert museum in London (http://www.articlesisland.com/home-and-family/interior-design/a-persian-kashan-rug--the-carpet-of-kings.htmlThe colors used in the rugs made in this region are mostly the royal reds and blue, with mixtures of cream.  Kashan rugs are commonly made out of wool, with a cotton foundation and wrap. The Kashan rugs that have silk in them, whether in the foundation or the pile, are more valuable and rare to find. The silk used by Kashan rugs tend to be a bit coarser than the silk from Qum, and is similar to Isfahan silk.   The color of the silk could be anything, but a turquoise green is common.  Kashan rugs will be easy to distinguish because they all have similar characteristics.  Kashan rugs can usually be placed into three main categories (but keep in mind that like any other region there are the rare pieces that do not fall into any of these categories, but a category of their own).The most common, and oldest, Kashan rugs are the classic royal red and blue medallion rugs.  The central medallion is referred to as the teardrop medallion that is supposed to resemble the Vase of Immortality.  The medallion is surrounded by various flowers like lotus or roses, and in some cases birds are used as well.   Some of these classic red and blue Kashan rugs do not have the medallion but you can still distinguish them based on Kashan’s signature red and blue. The other common Kashan rug is one that is dominantly navy blue/ royal blue with similar floral designs.  In this case the reds are minimal, and the blue and the cream make up the majority of the rug. From the background color to the border, the rug will be navy.The last type of Kashan rug is one that has been modernized to meet the Western market.  This type of rugs is referred to as the ‘white’ Kashan, because the background of the rug is a shade of the cream color.  These rugs have a light feel, but still use the royal blues, some of the reds, and cream.  The predominant greenish-gray color in these rugs is another unique characteristic to Kashan rugs that shows up only minimally in other regions. 

4.                  Hamadan:

The city of Hamadan is located in the west of Iran and is one of the oldest cities, not just in Iran, but in the world.  Even though the city has been through many wars, it has withstood pretty well.   The city of Hamadan itself produces few rugs, however it has become known as a central gathering zone for people from all the surrounding regions/small villages.  It is common for rugs named after this city to use mostly dark-strong colors like black and hard red.   Hamadan rugs also have a signature weave that makes them a bit easier to distinguish.  They have Turkish knots and the weft tends to be single weft, which means that the back of the rug does not show its design as well (handmade rugs should look nicer from the back than the front). . You will see more white lines running across, which distorts the design of the rug.  This type of weave is known as the “Hamadan weave” or “Seneh” weave.   In general, Hamadan rugs have a thicker pile and a coarser weave.  This region almost never uses silk, so when they do, the rug that is made automatically becomes very valuable as it is such a rarity.  Hamadan designs are mostly geometric in nature but there are still over 3000 variations in their patterns.  This is especially true since the surrounding cities of Kermin, Tabriz, and Kashan borrow from these designs; however, upon close inspection, these copies are easily distinguishable by their weave.

5.                  Isfahan

Isfahan is one of the major cities of Iran, and used to be the capitol.  Isfahan has been the ruling city for many kings (such as Shah Abbas) and contains many mosques (such as the Sheikh Lotfollah’s Mosque).   During the time of Shah Abbas , Isfahan was one of the greatest cities of art.   A famous saying is that “Isfahan is half the world.”  This saying came to be because Isfahan has many rich artistic pieces that no other part of the world has.  Isfahan rugs are among the most famous rugs in the world.  Even today, Isafahn rugs are of the finest quality and are often used as investment pieces.  Isfahan does not produce many low quality rugs so one way you can distinguish them is by their high knot count.  However, you can’t compare the knot count of an Isfahan rug to any other rug because Isfahan rugs have different standards.  Isfahan uses the authentic Persian knot.  Isfahan rugs can have either a silk or wool foundation and weft and can have either wool or silk pile.  Since each rug produced in Isfahan has a unique characteristic, it is a bit harder to generalize this city’s “signature” rug.   Isfahan rugs can be any color and any design, but their knot count will be high.  Isfahan does have a classic look that it is famous for which has the red, navy and cream (not to get confused with Kashan).   Isfahan rugs are also extraordinary in terms of their size.  Unlike most other regions, Isfahan rugs have a more Westernized six by nine size.  This is not necessarily   because of the Western influence, it is because Isfahan pieces require an exceptionally skilled artist who wants to make something unique and thus come up with their own desired size.   It is very hard to find larger sizes of Isfahan rugs because not many people are willing to put in the time and incredible effort, but the larger ones that are out there are very valuable. I can say that Isfahan rugs are among the most valuable rugs in the world today.