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Page 2: Antique Persian Sultanabad and Mahal Rugs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sultanabad is the historic name of the city now known as Arak, in west-central Iran. The name is also transliterated Soltanabad or Soltan Abad, and it refers both to the town's workshops and to the surrounding weaving district.
They come from the same Arak-region looms and share a design vocabulary, so the difference is grade rather than geography. Sultanabad attaches to the finer and generally earlier export-era pieces, while Mahal is used more broadly for the commercial grades from the same district. The boundary is a trade convention rather than a rule, and dealers apply it inconsistently.
A carpet associated with the export operation Ziegler and Co. established at Sultanabad in 1883, which adapted classical Persian designs to larger scale and softer palettes for European and American interiors. Because Ziegler describes a commissioning arrangement rather than a village, the same pieces are sometimes catalogued as Ziegler Mahals.
Mostly large. Room-size carpets around 9 by 12 to 10 by 14 feet are the common format, and oversized pieces of 14 feet and up are well represented because the looms were set up for export furnishing. Small Sultanabads exist but are unusual, and scatter sizes are rare.
Age is estimated from wear pattern, patina, dye character and structural conventions, and it gives a range rather than a date. Layered colour with genuine tonal movement generally reads older than flat, uniform saturation. Because Sultanabad-style rugs are still woven today, a specialist assessment is worth having before you buy.
Yes, when the work is done by specialists who understand antique Persian structures and use appropriate conservation materials. Ends, selvedge and foundation repairs are routine on carpets of this age and do not by themselves reduce value when done well.