Arab Jinni Rugs: Kings, Queens and Spirits from Fars
A four-armed figure on a floating throne, a woman with a peacock, a lion carrying the sun: the rare Arab Jinni rugs of Fars, what is known about their weavers,...
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Mina Khani: The Flower Lattice in Persian Rugs
Follow the flowers and connecting bands of Mina Khani, a Persian rug pattern whose colour, spacing and repetition reward a closer look.
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,...
Savojbolagh Rugs: The Forgotten Kurdish Weaving of Mahabad
Savojbolagh, today's Mahabad, gave its name to a group of deeply coloured Kurdish rugs. Here is what early rug books recorded about their wool, colour and borders, and why the...
Namad: Persian Felt Rugs Made Without a Loom
Discover how namad differs from woven rugs, how horned animals organize some Kermanshah felt designs, and where visual description meets interpretation.
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.
Persian Carpets Before the Safavids: Reading Jalayirid Paintings
A closer look at carpets in Jalayirid manuscript paintings reveals repeating patterns, script-like borders and layered court interiors before the Safavid period.
Qashqai Storage Bags: What a Khorjin Can Teach Us
A real Qashqai khorjin, seen from both sides, reveals how storage weavings balance pattern, weight, pockets and closure.
Persian Garden Carpets of Kurdistan
Two historic Kurdistan carpets show how water channels, crossing pools and planted compartments could turn a garden into a woven landscape.
The Colour Before the Rug: Qashqai Wool Dyeing in Oral History
From washing and spinning wool to choosing and combining dyes, oral histories from Fars reveal several routes to Qashqai rug colour. Learn what a finished rug can, and cannot, tell...
Bakhtiari Kheshti Rugs: One Grid, Many Designs
A study of seven weaving areas shows how Bakhtiari garden-panel rugs vary within a shared grid. Compare real carpets and learn what their motifs can and cannot tell us.
Bakhshayesh Rugs Beyond the Heriz Label
Explore the changing designs of Bakhshayesh rugs, from varied nineteenth-century layouts to Esmat, Laleh and Tajeri patterns, through original visual examples.