Entering the realm of antique Persian rugs is uncovering a hidden history based on ancient traditions passed down for thousands of years and transported across cultures. In the universe of Persian rugs, the mundane becomes the mysterious when flowers and geometric figures are imbued with deep symbolism. According to ancient traditions and rituals, geometric figures and symbolic motifs protect the rug’s owner from evil and misfortune. In the case of tribal designs, such as geometric animals, people and everyday objects, 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.
Originating in Anatolia and the Caucasus, flat-woven kilims and tribal symbols gradually transitioned to pile rugs as nomadic and semi-nomadic herders ebbed back and forth across the continent. Traditions from Anatolia and the Levant traveled steadily eastward to the Mougal / Mughal states of Pakistan and India as well as Buddhist regions of Tibet, China and East Turkestan. Following the Silk Road, Persian rugs also made their way west to Europe. In Spain, the Islamic insurgence brought rug weaving traditions from Northern Africa and Morocco to Southern Europe while Mediterranean trade routes transported rugs from the Caucasus and Transylvanian Balkans to the Renaissance painters and Italy’s upper class. In the Caucasus, the bottleneck of rug weaving traditions intensified as displaced ethnic groups from Romania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia shared cross-cultural designs that were transported north to Eastern Europe. With various point of entry, including longstanding Viking trade routes through the harsh Arctic Sea, Persian rugs and weaving techniques thrived throughout Europe, Scandinavia and Great Britain.
With innumerable designs and traditions developed and maintained by weavers in any one city or cultural group, limitless permutations are possible when regional designs and minute variations in techniques and materials are melded together. Persian rugs represent an unfathomable range of patterns and designs with an enormous breadth of influence from semi-nomadic tribes to imperial weaving traditions established by the Safavid and Moughal / Mughal empires. The international trade of rugs established thousands of years ago has resulted in a fascinating interchange of designs between East and West. Although antique rugs are one-of-a-kind works of art and luxury design pieces that make a house feel like a comfortable home, each rug also contains a story that completes the intricate history of all rugs woven before and since.
Major Persian rug producing regions and designs include:
Abadeh, Afshar, Bakhtiari, Bakshaish, Baluch, Bibikabad, Bidjar, Gabbeh, Gashgai, Hamedan, Heriz-Serapi (also Heriz and Serapi), Isfahan, Joshagan, Kashan, Kazvin, Kerman (also Kerman Lavar), Khorasan (also Mashad), Kurdish, Lilihan, Luri, Malayer, Nain, Northwest Persian (also Serab and Karajeh), Qum, Sarouk (also Farahan and Mehajeran), Senneh, Soumak, Sultanabad (also Ziegler and Mahal), Tabriz, Tehran, Yamout, Yomud
