Persian's Rugs History

Known as the home of the original oriental carpet, Iran (Persia) the oldest and once most powerful empire in the Middle East, stood at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations. Under the Safavid Dynasty (1502-1736), Iran attained its artistic height. Court weaving, together with the arts of calligraphy, miniature painting, and tile work, flourished to exceptional heights. This brilliant era witnessed the development of highly qualified carpet factories in the cities of Kerman, Isfahan, Kashan, Tabriz, and Herat. Iran is the genesis of most motifs, patterns and traditional colorations produced in rugs throughout the world today. Over the centuries, Persian carpets have become treasured heirlooms passed on from one generation to the next.

Khayyam Poetry depicted in a Persian Rug Persian carpet exports began in the 16th century. Starting in the 1850s, American, English and German firms established new factories in Mashed, Tabriz, Kerman, and Sultanabad (now Arak), thereby ensuring the art form's continued development. Under Reza Shah Pahlavi, royal factories were established to utilize the finest materials and methods of manufacture.

Persian carpets and rugs have always been and still are an intrinsic part of Iranian culture and its people's daily lives. Indeed, carpets and rugs are in many cases the most valued possessions, and they are an integral part of an Iranian home. Thus, it is not surprising that current production levels throughout Iran equal those reached prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In fact, rugs are now even produced in areas where weaving was heretofore not practiced. Furthermore, Persian carpets continue to boast very high quality standards and command a very brisk interest in domestic and international markets. While large city workshops were an important factor in the past, much of today's production is fashioned along cottage industry lines in smaller villages and towns.

Persian carpets are traditionally known for their tremendous variety in design, color, size, and weave. Moreover, they are known for the uniqueness of each and every rug produced. Rugs are generally named after the village, town or district where they are woven or collected, or by the weaving tribe in the case of nomadic pieces. Each rug's particular pattern, palette, and weave are uniquely linked with the indigenous culture, and weaving techniques are specific to an identifiable geographic area or nomadic tribe.

This is one example about the differents kinds of designs, quality and value about where city was made every Rug in Iran (Persia).

TABRIZ Carpet Properties:

Visibility: TABRIZ rugs and carpets usually have curvature in their patterns. I should also mention that you could find some tribal patterns that are made in surrounding villages and selling as TABRIZ.

Quality: The quality of TABRIZ rugs and carpets are varies. The older (before 1945) are very good, but some of the newer TABRIZ rugs and carpets are not as good as old ones. Some of the newer rugs have a lower number of Knots Per Square Inch (KPSI) and they are chemically dyed instead of vegetable dyed. TABRIZ rugs and carpets are highly prized because they are one of the best looking carpets in IRAN and the world.

Size & Shapes: TABRIZ rugs and carpets have different sizes. The majority of them are mid size (4x6 to 8x10 feet). You can also find large rugs up to (10 x 18 feet).

Color: Dark red and powerful blue colors predominate, with the ivory color being a beautiful contrast. There are other colors, which exist, in newer carpets such as soft green, blue and brown. Texture: Soft wool, thin, tight piles. Foundation: Warps are mostly cotton,wefts either cotton or wool.

Knots: Inspection of the back of the carpet is important because the weavers in TABRIZ use both Turkish and Persian knots. The numbers of knots are varies, depending on the quality of the carpet, which usually averages around 120 KPSI (30 RAJ) up to 842 KPSI (80 RAJ).

Price: Apart of being the best looking TABRIZ rugs and carpets are also one of the nicest quality carpets. These rugs and carpets are in high demand therefore, it is more costly then some of the other carpets. Prepare yourself to pay $4-$35 Per Square Feet (PSF) for a very prized and beautiful carpet from TABRIZ. Keep in mind that you will also pay more as the number of the KPSI increase.