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The word used to describe the variations in color found within a
single color in an Oriental carpet. Abrash is commonly seen in tribal
nomadic rugs and in reproductions of them. Mild Abrash is caused by
variations in yarn diameter native to nomadic dyeing and yarn
spinning. Heavy Abrash is caused by the change over to a new dye
batch. Generally Abrash is desirable in tribal carpets and undesirable
in urban carpets.
Named for the Afshar, it describes the presence of silk pile in an
urban carpet.
A Turkic speaking nomadic group living mostly in southern Iran known
for fine quality of their rugs.
A chemical bath that tones down colors to simulate aging.
A brush designed with a series of delicate stripes of a different tone
closely paralleling each other - running horizontally across the face
of the rug. In wool rugs this is done deliberately to cheer up a
plain, open-field background which the weaver felt was monotonous.
Home of the 14th century tombs of Sheik Safi ad-Din and Shah Ismail.
The city that shares the name of The Ardebil Carpet one of the finest
and most famous objects of Islamic art. There is controversy, though,
as to whether the carpet was actually made there. Modern era carpets
from the region are generally of dubious quality.
Also called artificial silk it describes a yarn for weaving made
from mercerized cotton that attempts to take on the appearance of
silk. The fiber is very soft to the touch and is used to create a
price category for smaller budgets whose tastes run toward expensive
silk rugs. Rugs sold as silk as given a burn test to check for the
presence of cotton.
Fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries.
They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of
Architects and Artists of the royal court.
A flat-weave rug, generally with a floral medallion in pastel colors,
once woven in France. The designs of these rugs have been adapted to
pile carpets and are now woven in India and China.
A complex machine made rug woven to a flexible cotton frame that can
contain up to 70 colors of wool. Its invention in 1882 in the midst of
the industrial revolution practically destroyed the handknotted rug
industry. It was thought that mechanized items were all going to be of
superior quality, a theory later shelved.
A popular loom for making machine-made rugs, it offers flexibility in
color and design.
A nomadic group of southern Persia. This tribes weaving is popular
among collectors and the rugs themselves tend to be of unusually
durable construction lasting as long as 200 years in heavy wear
environments. The most popular design feature a square grid with a
floral vase in each.
A nomadic tribe living in Afghanistan and bordering countries who
produce a large volume of commercial weaving. Their rugs are generally
brown, black, and gold.
This type of kilim originates in a part of Romania that is now
part of the Ukraine. Designs usually feature curvilinear floral
patterns and are more formal, sophisticated and elaborate than those
found in other areas of southeast Europe.
The rug design named for the Bidjar region of Iranian Azerbaijan.
Originally the design was Kurdish featuring hundreds of trees and was
really responsible for earning the region its fine reputation.
Commercial Bidjar are factory woven and feature a distinctive diamond
shape medallion. Commercial Bidjar are thought to be the most durable
carpets in history as most will last 300 years. This has earned the
Bidjar the colorful moniker The Iron Rug of Persia . Both types of
Bidjar are still made in limited quantities.
A rug that features a design on the outer rim of the rug,
surrounding the field.
A small Oriental rug motif that resembles a pine cone or pear.
A rug made by braiding yarn around a core and shaping it into a
rug. Braids can be tubular (shaped around only one core, which forms a
round braid) or flat (shaped around two core yarns, which makes a flat
braid).
Turkoman rugs are referred to as Bukharas. The pattern most associated
with these rugs is that of rows of repeated geometric motifs, or guls,
woven on a red background.
The capitol of Usbekistan and the traditional trading center for
Turkmen tribal carpets. Today, rugs called Bukhara are generally
commercial copies knotted in Pakistan and India. Actual Turkmen
carpets are called by their tribal names to ease confusion with their
popular reproductions. Commercial Bukhara carpets are available in
about twenty quality gradations, though surface appearance may be
similar. Commercial Bukhara carpets are the best selling hand-knotted
rugs in the world.
A small tuft of fibers from a rug may be burned to test for its
content. For example cotton has a vegetable smell when burned. Wool
smells faintly like hair. Silk smells distinctly like human hair when
burned.
A technique used for the duplicate manufacture of the finest urban
rugs. The colors of the pre-dyed yarn are chanted rhythmically to
assure that rugs are more perfect than rugs made with other
techniques. Most fine carpets from Tabriz and Isfahan are made this
way.
The often derided name for Caucasian type rugs made in Chechnia and
Dagistan.
The fine whiskers from the chin of sheep that are sometimes set aside
a special ceremonial carpet. Chin wool carpets are considered finer
than silk ones but are very rare. Turkmen tribes most notably use this
fiber for their finest carpets.
Synthetic dyes that use potassium bichromate to form a permanent
bond between yarn and the dye. More widely used than vegetable dyes
because they are colorfast.
A rug woven horizontally on Wilton loom. (More commonly, rugs are
woven vertically.) The cross-woven technique allows fringes to be
incorporated into the rug rather than sewn on later.
A low grade kilim from India. They are generally a product of the
Indian prison system. It is also a term used to insult the quality of
Kilim from other places.
A reversible, flat-woven rug with a loose weave and a casual feel,
often brightly colored. Dhurries are usually woven in India with
either cotton or wool. The design is created by interweaving colored
weft threads through the warp threads.
A large mostly settled tribe of northwest Afghanistan who make
both urban and tribal rugs. They are renowned for the quality of their
nomadic saddles and tent gear.
The center of an area rug. It may have a specific pattern or be of
a plain color.
A catchall term that describes any rug without pile including Soumaks,
Kilim, Verneh, Sozani, and Dhurie. Aubuson carpets are also flat but
are excluded due to their extreme complexity.
A fluffy long piled rug used by nomads as a mattress. They have only
been sold commercially in the West since 1990. Gabeh usually have a
simple colorful design often with a pastoral scene. The Gabehs charm
has only been appreciated recently and they now are being produced
commercially for export.
Persian word for flower, it describes the common ornaments found in
Turkmen carpets. Guls are the design element often mistaken for
elephants feet.
A rug that is either entirely handknotted (finished with knots) or
handtufted (yarn is pushed through the canvas using a tufting
instrument). These rugs generally are made of wool or other fine
materials such as silk. They are generally more expensive than
machine-made rugs.
A rug pattern consisting of a rosette surrounded by four leaves.
The rosette is often found inside a diamond shape.
Turkish city famous for its factories where the most elaborate silk
rugs in the world are made. Though Hereke is in Turkey they use the
Persian Senneh knot in rugs made there.
A large city now located near the border between Iran and Azerbaijan.
The geometric medallion rugs woven there in the early 20th century
were extremely popular in Europe and the U.S.A. Commercial carpets
bearing the Heriz design are woven in every rug producing county in
the world. The Heriz design is the most popular Persian design in the
west.
A rug made by using a
hooking device (either a hand-operated one or machine one) to push and
loop yarn through a canvas. This is either left looped (creating a
"loop hook" or "latch hook" rug) or sheared to create an open pile.
The Karabagh district lies
southeast of the Kazak district in the southern part of the Caucasus,
along the border with Iran. Although many different designs are woven
in rugs from Karabagh, repeated boteh, single and multiple medallions,
bouquets of roses, Herati and prayer designs are most common.
An element of the larger nomadic Qashqai tribe of southern Iran famous
for the quality of their rugs.
The name for the fancy village carpets made of silk or mercerized
cotton in the Islamic region of India. Kashmir are woven with a
Persian knot and mimic the designs of newer urban carpets from Iran
with an emphasis for Indian tastes for brilliant color. Coloration
used in these rugs is unique to India.
The people of Kazakhstan and the Turkish style rugs of that region.
Any pileless carpet in which the pattern is formed by the colored weft
strings being wrapped around the warp. In Farsi the word is Gileem.
The word is also used to describe the pileless side of nomadic bags
and saddles.
A reversible flatweave rug, similar to a dhurrie but more tightly
woven. These most often are made of wool.
There are two basic types of knots used in oriental rugs:
- Persian Senneh
A fine asymmetrical knot used in fine urban and complex
tribal carpets. Observers will notice that these rugs have a light
and a dark side.
- Turkish Ghiordes
The symmetrical knot used in most tribal carpets it makes for a
higher pile heavy wearing style of rug. Chinese carved carpets also
feature this knot.
In makig handmade, hand-knotted rugs, each piece of yarn is
knotted through the back of the rug as it is incorporated into the
rug. The higher the number of knots per square inch, the higher the
quality of the rug.
A tribal people who live in eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and the
Kordistan region or Iran. They produce what are commonly thought to be
the finest tribal style rugs in the world. Kurdish rugs are a passion
among rug collectors and connoisseurs and bring the highest prices at
market.
The number of horizontal knots in a linear foot of rug. As with
knot count, the higher the number, generally the higher the quality of
the rug. This measurement is commonly used for judging the quality of
Chinese and other Oriental rugs.
Formerly nomadic people of south western Iran. They are renowned for
the quality of their rugs and kilim.
A rug that is produced using an automtated loom for yarn placement
and weaving. Fringe on these rugs may either be sewn into the rug or
sewn on by hand later. Often made of polyproplyene, acrylic or wool,
these rugs generally are less expensive than handmade rugs.
A stepped-hook polygon motif named after the 15th century Flemish
artist Hans Memling, who used rugs with this motif in many of his
paintings.These guls are used in Caucasian, Turkish and northwest
Persian rugs.
The weavers in the town, located south of Tabriz, specialize in
the production of inexpensive silk rugs. The medallion design with
spandrels is the most frequently woven.
Often refers to an ivory or earth-toned rug where the texture of
the rug is the main feature. These rugs are usually made of sisal,
jute or wool.
A type of kilim that is considered to be the finest of the
Romanian kilims. Their designs usually include elaborately curving
flower and leaf sprays.
Traditional word that means of the Eastern World or of the land
found by ship when Africa has been circled , it has come to more
accurately describe characteristics of Turkey, Iran, India,
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. The modern
definition excludes characteristics of China and Indochina now
classified as Asian.
A powerful Turkish dynasty that ruled most of extended Persia from
1290 to 1924. It was named for its founder Osman.
A petroleum-based synthetic material which is often heat set to
guarantee vibrant color, long lasting beauty, easy maintenance and
long-lasting superior performance.
This design has an arch at the top of the field. The arch may be
either geometric or curvilinear, depending on where the rug was woven.
These rugs are woven throughout Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, the
Caucasus and Turkestan.
Name of a former politically confederation of southern Iranian nomadic
tribes mainly: Shesh Boluki, Kashkuli Bozorg, Amaleh, Derrehshuri,
Farsi Madan, and Kashkuli Kuchek. The regional trading center for
these tribes is Shiraz. Most Gabeh carpets sold in the west are of
Qashqai origin.
A Turkmen tribe famous for the quality of its rugs that has been
virtually wiped out by military conquests. Modern era rugs from this
group are rare and highly prized among collectors.
A Turkmen tribal people known for the quality of their older rugs.
Newer units are of dubious construction and design.
The name given to French piled carpets made until 1890 that look
similar to Persian Kermans. These rugs were more foot friendly than
their cousin the Aubuson and had an impressionist quality many find
very appealing.
A Persian dynasty remembered for Shahs Tasmasp and Abbas who were
great patrons of the arts and ambassadors for Persian rug weaving to
the rest of the world. They are credited for the enduring
international popularity of Iranian style carpets.
The factory woven carpets woven in the vicinity of Serouk in
Iranian Azerbaijan are some of the most beautiful ever made. Most were
manufactured with intent to export to the United States. They were
frequently found in the lobbies of fine hotels and in American living
rooms in the post WW2 era. Serouk rugs often remind people of their
grandparents or a relative visited during the holidays.
Design element that features swirling feathers and Lotuses named for
the Shah who commissioned its design. Its found in most modern urban
Persian style rugs.
The once powerful confederation of Turkic speaking tribes living in
Azerbaijan. They are decimated by military losses and now mostly make
kilim.
A heavy flat woven rug made with a weft wrapping technique. This
technique is also used in commercial rugs that are designed to look
like antiques. Most traditional Soumak are made in the Caucasus
region.
In Farsi Sozani translates as Laundry Bag . They are heavy flat woven
carpets similar to soumak with an additional embroidered design on the
surface. They have been the rage in recent years with the increased
popularity of tribal carpets. Sozani are the most exotic type of flat
woven tribal carpets and are even being made in silk.
The corner design of a rug field.
A special notation used to record and reproduce the designs of Kashmir
carpets.
The largest Turkmen tribe in the 19th century thought to make the
finest rugs made in the Turkmen style. The Tekke carpets are among
those most highly prized by collectors.
The term is often used interchangeably with gabbeh, to describe a
primitive-looking or Southwestern-looking rug. This look is very
popular this year and is available at all price points.
A mechanically assisted technique for manufacturing rugs in which
tufts of wool are punched through base fabric to color in a silk
screen design painted on the base. The back of the base is then
painted with thick Latex glue and covered with a sacking material.
Mostly this method is used in China to produce inexpensive versions of
their handknotted rugs.
An octagonal motif with spiked projections that point both inward
and outward from its rim. A smaller octagon appears at the center of
the gul.
Dyes made from plants and bark. They produce unusual shades of
blue, green and other colors. They contain no synthetic chemicals and,
due to their natural ingredients, tend to fade faster than chrome
dyes.
A Shahsavan type of soumak rug featuring interlocking birds.
A rug made by a variety of people working on the clock on a loom
located in the center of a village. Usually some form of day care is
provided. Most large size tribal carpets are made this way.
The weave that runs up anad down the rug.
The cross weave of a rug.
The English design firm named for its founder that specialized in
adopting middle eastern designs to western tastes. Most of their
beautiful designs were used in institutional settings like Grand
Hotels and Government Buildings. They actually made Persian style
carpets in London from 1890 to 1914 with labor imported from Pakistan.
An automated loom used for machine-made designs. It offers
flexibility in color placement and design, including the ability to
cross-weave rugs.
A machine loomed carpet with a limited color palette. Most today
are made of synthetic fiber and have dubious durability. Well made
wool wiltons can last as long as 15 years of more. Most Wiltons are
made in time sharing factories that manufacture wiltons for many
companies at the same time. Modern Wiltons are the first type of rug
to be computerized and automated.
The Turkish word for nomad. It is used to describe any nomad living in
Turkey.
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