The Herati Pattern: One Design Across Persian Rugs
The Herati, or mahi, is one of the most widely woven Persian rug designs. See how its rosette, lozenge and curved leaves are built, where the pattern may have begun,...
Magazine
Madakhel Borders: Qashqai Rugs and Zand Architecture
See how interlocking madakhel borders organize colour and space in carpet details, architectural ornament and a wider history of repeated forms.
Tabriz Mihrab Rugs: Arches, Lamps and Woven Architecture
Five museum examples show how Tabriz weavers transformed the mihrab into open red fields, scalloped arches, hanging lamps and richly inscribed compositions.
Tree Motifs in Persian Prayer Rugs: Meaning and Design
A visual, source-led guide to tree motifs in Persian prayer rugs, including mihrab structure, cypress and garden imagery, regional examples, and careful interpretation.
Persian Rug Medallions: Meaning, Structure and Garden Imagery
A readable guide to Persian rug medallions, from visible structure and regional drawing to the garden, basin and center interpretations found in Persian scholarship.
Boteh Motif in Persian Rugs: Meaning, Origins, Types & the Paisley Connection
Explore the meaning, debated origins, and eight recognizable forms of the Boteh—the Persian rug motif widely known in the West as paisley.
Tree of Life in Turkmen Rugs: Motifs, Meaning and Ensi Designs
A visual guide to tree-like motifs in Turkmen rugs, from ensi compositions to a documented mulberry design. Explore the historical comparisons while keeping visible patterns, object use and symbolic interpretation...
Tree Motifs in Bakhtiari Rugs: Kheshti Gardens and the Tree of Life
A visual guide to cypress, willow, flowering-tree and kheshti garden motifs in Bakhtiari rugs, with careful context for tree-of-life interpretations.
Bird Motifs in Bakhtiari Rugs: Peacocks, Nightingales and Garden Panels
A closer look at birds in Bakhtiari garden-panel rugs, from peacocks and flower-and-bird compositions to paired guardians. Explore the woven forms, local names and scholarly interpretations without treating every bird...
Lion Motifs in Persian Rugs: Meaning, History, and How to Read Them
Learn how to read lion motifs in Persian rugs through their action, placement, companions, and historical setting, with Safavid carpet examples and a careful look at the Lion and Sun.
The Sun Motif in Rugs
A small face appears inside a fan of pointed rays in the rug photograph below. That is a good visual reason to call this particular shape sun-like. It is not,...
The Meaning of Angels in Persian Rugs
A winged figure on a Persian carpet invites a question: whom does it represent? The answer depends on the particular rug. A wing, crown or flowing garment may help us...