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Traditional Persian Rug Styles

What is a Traditional Persian Rug?

A traditional Persian rug is a type of Oriental carpet that has been made in Iran since ancient times. They are generally made from wool and have captivating colors and abstract patterns inspired by nature. Traditional Persian rugs vary based on the type of weaving used, as well as the materials used to create them. These unique carpets are symbols of Persian culture! They're like fictional stories, represent Persian people's beliefs, love, and dreams. They're so unique that despite today's modern rug styles, they still maintain their position among worldwide customers. It's obvious why Persian rugs are valuable; traditional Persian carpets have diverse designs and patterns. The variety of colors in these rugs is one of the reasons for their popularity. The traditional styles of Persian rugs fit into any décor with different motifs and vibes. This style can be divided into three related types: Persian town rugs, rustic rugs, and tribal rugs. They're created by different generations and get their identity over time. Today, there are more than 30 regions in Iran that produce magnificent traditional Persian rugs. You may have heard about magnificent Tabriz carpets or fascinating Isfahan and Kashan rugs, the pure abstract art in Qashqai rugs, and the attractive simplicity in Bakhtiari kilim rugs. You may be eager to own these rugs, but unsure how to find or identify them. Here, you can get to know all the traditional styles of Persian rugs in detail.

How To Identify Traditional Persian Rugs?

After you find out about the magnificent traditional Persian rugs, you may wonder how to identify them! Many people get confused in recognizing a Persian rug from an oriental rug. There are many ways you can identify a traditional Persian rug, like:

The best way to recognize a traditional Persian rug is to analyze its design, which is diverse from other Oriental rugs and includes curvilinear patterns and a rich field of motifs. These designs are symbolic, mostly with symmetrical structures that include basic patterns called medallions, prayer, four gardens, Herati, and Allover.

This is one good way to tell if a rug is traditional. Always remember that Persian rugs have the most diversity in colors with vivid colors and warmer colors than other oriental rugs. They are dyed with natural dyes specific to the country, such as walnut shell (Brown), madder root (red and orange), pomegranate skin (cream and ochre), indigo (blue), tea and safflower (yellow), black oak (gold), and meadowsweet plant (green).

Though all Oriental rugs are woven with the same fibers, including wool, cotton, and silk, oriental carpets use more cotton fibers, while Persian rugs have diverse threads. Based on the knot density, Persian rugs can be woven with wool (for low to medium knot density) or silk (for high knot density). They are most famous for their silk rugs, which have the highest delicacy of all Oriental carpets. You may hear that Persian rugs are the softest carpets!

Another good way to tell if a carpet is a traditional Persian rug is to look at the rug knots. Most Persian rugs are woven with an asymmetrical knot called Senneh knots or Persian knots. Though some other Persian rugs may be woven with symmetrical knots, most of them, like Isfahan rugs, Qom rugs, and Kerman and Tehran rugs, are woven with this type of knot.

Types, Regions, and Origins of Traditional Persian Carpets

There are diverse types of traditional Persian rugs with wonderful unique designs that were created in different regions in Iran. The main reason why Persian Rugs have infinite patterns is that they are products of several distinct areas. Every region in Iran has unique culture and customs that affect the style of their carpets too. Experts, researchers and artists divided these types of traditional Persian rugs according to towns and villages. These types that describe the origins of every Persian carpet style include:

Traditional Persian City Rug Styles

All carpets and rugs woven in large cities in Iran are called city rugs. These handmade traditional Persian carpets are created in professional carpet workshops under the control of an experienced expert. Talented and educated designers design these rugs. The Persian carpet types which belong to this group include Tabriz rug, Isfahan rug, Kashan rug, Nain rug, Mashad rug, Hamadan rug, Qom rug, Yazd rug, Kerman rug, Birjand rug, and Ardabil rug. These Persian carpet styles are some of the best handmade carpets with high-quality and worthy aesthetic aspects.

Sultanabad (Arak) Rug

Sultanabad (Arak) Rug

Moud Rug

Moud Rug

Ardabil Rug

Ardabil Rug

Qom Rug

Qom Rug

Kashan Rug

Kashan Rug

Birjand Rug

Birjand Rug

Yazd Rug

Yazd Rug

Hamadan Rug

Hamadan Rug

Mashad Rug

Mashad Rug

Nain Rug

Nain Rug

Najafabad Isfahan Rug

Najafabad Isfahan Rug

Isfahan Rug

Isfahan Rug

Tabriz Rug

Tabriz Rug

Shahreza Rug

Shahreza Rug

Kerman Rug

Kerman Rug

Traditional Persian Rustic Rug Styles

All Persian carpets that are woven in a specific village and rural region belong to this group (although many Persian villages as one of the regions of the Persian carpet industry have now grown and changed into small cities). The Persian rustic rug styles are Heriz rug, Sarouk and Farahan rug, Senneh ad Bijar rug, Varamin rug, Josheghan rug, Nahavand rug, Toyserkan rug, Moud rug, and Kashmar rug, etc. People from these villages create unique area rugs with symbolic motifs, mainly influenced by nature or their daily tools.

Sarouk Rug

Sarouk Rug

Lilian Arak Rug

Lilian Arak Rug

Senneh Rug

Senneh Rug

Toyserkan Rug

Toyserkan Rug

Bijar Rug

Bijar Rug

Heriz Rug

Heriz Rug

Josheghan Rug

Josheghan Rug

Kashmar Rug

Kashmar Rug

Varamin Rug

Varamin Rug

Nahavand Rug

Nahavand Rug

Traditional Persian Tribal and Nomadic Rug Styles

All Persian carpets and rugs woven by Persian tribes belong to this group. The Persian tribes have fantastic cultures and arts in Persian history. Despite many ups and downs in their lives, they create crafts and rugs from the heart of nature, weaving patterns and motifs from their pure imaginations. The Persian tribal and nomadic rugs are striking and colorful Persian rugs with a hundred Persian stories and legends inside of them. The Persian tribes include Bakhtiari tribes, Kurdish tribes, Qashqai tribes, Khamseh tribes, Baluch tribes, Shahsavan tribes, and Afshar tribes, all of which have their own specific rug styles and techniques.

Shahsavan Rug

Shahsavan Rug

Persian Kurdish Rug

Persian Kurdish Rug

Qashqai Rug

Qashqai Rug

Baluch Rug

Baluch Rug

Turkmen Rug

Turkmen Rug

Khamseh Rug

Khamseh Rug

Afshar Rug

Afshar Rug

Bakhtiari Rug

Bakhtiari Rug

Ask Anything You Need to Know about Persian Carpet Styles