Persian Rugs

Persian rugs are a type of oriental rug. Persian rugs from Iran were, in general, made by three different types of people. Tribal or nomadic groups make up the first group of people. And then people in either villages or cities make up the other two.

Nomadic groups travel a lot so their rugs are smaller, because they need to carry around smaller looms. Their rugs tend to be dyed bright and bold colors too. Ones made in villages and cities tend to be bigger. The ones made in cities tend to be made by people in workplaces for the purpose of selling. Persian rugs have been created since the 5th century BC. They were made with either wool or silk and tended to have either geometric design or that of plants or animals.

Persian rugs can also be divided into groups based on geographic areas: Northwest Persia, Central Persia, Southern Persia, Western Persia, Southwestern Persia, and Eastern Persia.

Each of these different regions produce different styles of rugs:

Northwest Persia
1. Heriz
2. Ahar
3. Bakhshaish
4. Ardabil
5. Karaja
6. Meshkin
7. Serab
8. Tabriz
9. Tribal Rugs

North Persia
1. Kazvin
2. Kelardasht
3. Semnan
4. Taleghan
5. Tehran
6. Varamin


West Persia
1. Kurdish
2. Bakhtiari
3. Bijar
4. Tekab-Bijar
5. Kermanshah
6. Luri
7. Mosul
8. Senneh

South Persia
1. Abadeh
2. Afshar
3. Qashqa'i
4. Estebanat
5. Kerman
6. Kerman-Laver
7. Niriz
8. Shiraz
9. Shiraz-Arabaff

East Persia
1. Khorasan
2. Baluch
3. Birjand
4. Dorokhsh
5. Koudani
6. Mashhad
7. Mussabad
8. Mud
9. Sabzevar

The central region can be divided up further into three groups: Hamadan Region, Farahan Region and Central Persia, each of which can be divided up into even more divisions. This is beyond the scope of this article however. If you want to learn more about Persian rugs, visit this page on persian rug designs.

One of the important things to keep in mind when purchasing a persian rug, is the tradition and durability of the rug. It is also helpful to look for irregularities in the rug, and to check the back to see if it has been repaired.

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See the rest of the Rug Decorating Guide series of articles to learn all you ever wanted to know about rugs (and more)!
Natural fiber rugs, Bear, zebra and other animal skin rugs, Rugs for specials needs and special rooms, Seagrass rugs, Jute rugs, Braided rugs, Flokati rugs, Oriental rugs, Persian rugs and Kilim rugs.