Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Types of Carpets & Rugs
To most people (including us in this chapter),
the words 'carpet' and 'rug' are used inter-
changeably. But there is a difference - a carpet
is bigger than a rug. Anything longer than
about 2m is considered a carpet, while any-
thing shorter is a rug. As well as carpets, which
are made using thousands or even millions of
knots, you will also find kilims, which are thinner, flat-woven mats without knots and
thus, no pile.
Carpets come in a huge variety of designs. Some are inspired by religion, such as those
on prayer rugs, usually displaying an arch representing the main arch of the Al Haram
Mosque in Mecca and perhaps a lamp symbolic of the statement in the Quran that 'Allah
is the light of Heaven'. Other common motifs include amulets to avert the evil eye and
other, pre-Islamic motifs, such as stylised Trees of Life. They may also be inspired by
whatever surrounds the weaver, eg trees, animals and flowers, particularly the lotus, rose
and chrysanthemum. Gardens are commonly depicted and, in the case of a tribal nomad,
such a carpet will be the only garden the weaver will ever own.
In general, these designs are classified as
either 'tribal' or 'city' carpets. Tribal designs
vary greatly depending on their origin, but are
typically less ornate. City carpets are the clas-
sic Persian rugs, usually highly ornate floral
designs around one or more medallions.
Most Iranians aspire to own fine, formal city
rugs of Tabriz, Esfahan, Kashan, Qom or Kerman. They consider tribal carpets the work
of peasants, and those who cannot afford hand-woven city carpets would buy a carpet
made on a machine using chemical dyes and inferior wool (or even synthetic fibres) be-
fore they'd buy a tribal carpet.
During the Safavid period sheep were bred spe-
cifically to produce the finest wool, and vegetable
plantations were tended with scientific precision to
provide dyes of just the right shade.
Tehran's Carpet Museum of Iran (
Click here
) has a
priceless collection from around the country and is
the best place to see rugs without getting into a
bazaar.
Weaving
Most handmade carpets are woven from hand-spun wool. Each rug is woven around a ver-
tical (warp) and horizontal (weft) foundation, usually made of cotton - the skeleton of the
rug. The best are made from sheep wool though occasionally goat or camel hair is used,
usually by tribal weavers in the warps or selvedges (edge bindings) of rugs, kilims or
saddle bags to give them strength. Silk carpets are magnificent but they're largely decorat-
