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.
Magazine
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...
Bellini Carpets: The Keyhole Motif and Its Many Readings
Three real Anatolian carpets show how Bellini keyhole motifs changed. Look closely at their forms and colours, then separate visual evidence from symbolic interpretation.
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.
Solomon in a Safavid Niche Rug: Words, Light and Kingship
A Safavid niche rug uses Solomon's name, Qur'anic inscriptions, colour and floral forms to bring spiritual and royal meanings into one composition.
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.
Sanguszko Carpets: Safavid Stories Woven in Wool
Lovers, hunters and mythical creatures share the world of Sanguszko carpets. An illustrated look at Safavid storytelling and its later Qajar reinterpretation.
Caucasian Rugs: Kazak, Kuba, Karabagh and Soumak
Regional names, woven structures and shared motifs: a visual guide to Caucasian rugs, with museum examples and Persian-language scholarship.