Persian rugs are handmade in Iran, but that single definition contains an extraordinary range of weaving traditions. A rug may be named for a city, a village, a district, a tribal group, a market center, a technique, or a design that traveled between several places. That is why a list of Persian rug names is useful only when it also explains what each name means.
This illustrated guide covers more than 50 types of Persian rugs and related trade names. It includes major city carpets, regional and village groups, tribal and nomadic weavings, and important flatwoven structures. Use it as a visual reference, then examine construction, materials, condition and provenance before making a final attribution.
Browse all available Persian rugs, or jump to northwest Iran, western Iran, the Arak region, central Iran, eastern Iran, southern Iran, tribal and nomadic groups, or flatwoven types.
How Persian Rug Names Work
City, village and tribal are helpful starting points, but they are not rigid scholarly categories. A city name may identify a workshop center, a surrounding production district, or the market through which rugs were sold. A tribal name may cover several communities and multiple structures. A village rug can also be woven commercially, while a workshop rug can preserve regional design habits.
Older carpets require extra caution. Encyclopaedia Iranica notes that firm attribution of many carpets made before the late nineteenth century is difficult because surviving records are limited. In this guide, phrases such as “associated with” and “marketed as” are intentional. They separate documented history from a useful but sometimes simplified trade vocabulary.
Nomadic and Tribal Weaving
Nomadic and tribal weaving includes pile rugs, flatweaves, bags, covers and other textiles made for household use, exchange, commission and sale. Qashqai, Khamseh, Afshar, Shahsavan, Luri, Kurdish, Baluch and Turkmen are among the important names, but each covers internal variation rather than one fixed pattern.
Village and Regional Weaving
Village and regional rugs are often recognized through recurring combinations of structure, palette and drawing. Hamadan, Malayer, Nahavand, Hosseinabad, Heriz and Mahal are familiar examples. Irregularities are not automatically defects or proof of origin. They need to be read alongside the back of the rug, its foundation, knotting, selvedges and finishes.
City and Workshop Weaving
Major cities supported court, commercial and independent workshops at different times. Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan, Kerman, Mashhad and later Nain and Qom became known for controlled drawing and specialist production. This does not mean every rug carrying a city label has the same fineness, materials or age.
Persian Rug Types from Northwest Iran
Tabriz Rugs
Tabriz has been a major commercial and artistic center in Iranian Azerbaijan for centuries. Its rugs range from finely drawn medallion carpets to all-over floral, pictorial and hunting designs. Wool pile on a cotton foundation is common, while silk may be used for pile or highlights in finer examples. The city name alone does not guarantee a particular knot count or quality grade.
The Ardabil Carpet was made in 1539 to 1540 for the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din at Ardabil. A Tabriz workshop is a strong historical attribution, but scholarship treats the exact place of manufacture with appropriate caution.
Heriz Rugs
Heriz identifies a weaving area northeast of Tabriz. Many market examples have a large geometric medallion, angular vines and a strong palette of red, blue, ivory and rust. Their durable reputation comes from substantial construction in many examples, not from the often repeated but unsupported claim that local water makes wool indestructible. Serapi is discussed below as a related trade term.
Serapi, Ahar, Bakshaish and Mehraban
Serapi is a Western trade label usually applied to a select group of older Heriz-area carpets with spacious drawing and a lighter visual balance. It is not a separate Iranian town. Ahar, Bakshaish and Mehraban are regional names from the wider Azerbaijan weaving landscape. Their borders, medallions and construction can overlap with Heriz, so attribution should not rely on one motif or color. These names belong in a complete Persian rug encyclopedia even when current store inventory is limited.
Qarajeh or Karajeh Rugs
Qarajeh, also written Karajeh, is associated with the Qaradagh area. Runners and smaller rugs often show a sequence of geometric medallions, including hooked or stepped forms, with clear village drawing. Karaja is a common trade spelling, but it should not be confused with the modern city of Karaj near Tehran.
Ardabil Rugs
Modern trade usage applies Ardabil to rugs from the city and surrounding areas of northwest Iran. Many have geometric medallions and village-scale drawing. They should be distinguished from the sixteenth-century Ardabil Carpet, whose name records its shrine destination rather than proving that it was woven in the city.
Meshkin or Meshkin Shahr Rugs
Meshkin, also called Meshkin Shahr, is a northwestern Iranian locality and rug trade label within the wider Ardabil province context. Current market examples include runners and room-size rugs with geometric drawing. The name identifies a locality and trade group, not one fixed medallion, palette or structure, so each attribution should be checked against the rug itself.
Zanjan Rugs
Zanjan rugs belong to a broad northwestern village tradition. Geometric medallions, angular floral forms and strong red or blue fields are common. Nearby labels such as Qoltoq may appear in the trade. Similarity to Hamadan or Kurdish work is possible, which makes structural examination important.
Shahsavan Rugs and Weavings
Shahsavan, also written Shahsevan, refers to communities with important weaving traditions across northwest Iran. Their textile record includes pile rugs, bags, mafrash panels, covers and flatweaves. Strong geometry is common, but design alone cannot securely identify a Shahsavan piece.
Mianeh Rugs
Mianeh is another northwest Iranian market and weaving-area name. Rugs attributed to the area may share angular drawing and sturdy village construction with neighboring Azerbaijan groups. It is a useful reference label, but it is less standardized than Tabriz or Heriz in current retail vocabulary.
Western Iran and Kurdistan
Bijar or Bidjar Rugs
Bijar, commonly spelled Bidjar in the rug trade, is associated with Kurdish weaving in and around the town in western Iran. Many examples are densely packed and heavy, with multiple weft shoots compressed between knot rows. Herati repeats, medallions and floral systems all occur. “Iron Rug of Persia” describes the durable reputation of many Bijar carpets, but condition still needs individual inspection.
Senneh or Sanandaj Rugs
Senneh is the historical trade spelling of Sanandaj, the capital of Iranian Kurdistan. Pile rugs can have finely articulated floral or geometric designs, while Senneh kilims are also highly regarded. Despite the name, the “Senneh knot” used in older rug literature does not mean that every rug from Sanandaj uses one knot type.
Kurdish and Jaff Rugs
Kurdish weaving spans several regions and communities in Iran and neighboring countries. Iranian Kurdish rugs may have wool foundations, strong geometric drawing and deep naturalistic palettes, but no single design represents the entire tradition. Jaff is best known for diamond-lattice bags and rugs associated with Kurdish communities across the Iran-Iraq border.
Koliai, Kolyai or Koliayi Rugs
Koliai is a western Iranian Kurdish weaving and trade group. Kolyai and Koliayi are common alternate spellings, while Songhor Koliayi appears in more specific market descriptions. Runners and long rugs are familiar formats, but structure, palette and drawing vary. A Koliai attribution should therefore be based on the complete rug and its construction rather than a single border or medallion.
Hamadan and Its Village Groups
Hamadan Rugs
Hamadan is both a city and the commercial center for a large network of village weaving. The market label therefore covers considerable variation. Geometric medallions, repeated boteh or herati units and angular floral forms are common. Many twentieth-century examples have wool pile on cotton foundations, but structure, palette and finishing vary across the region. Read the full guide to Hamadan rugs for a 304-rug survey, one-weft and two-weft tendencies, documented Mahi and pictorial examples, and careful identification tips.
Malayer Rugs
Malayer lies between Hamadan and Arak, and rugs under the name can reflect both regional spheres. Long runners, medallion formats and all-over herati designs occur. Village drawing is often angular, while finer examples can be more controlled. Malayer is a regional attribution, not one pattern. Read the full visual guide to Malayer rugs for weave structures, local pattern names and careful identification clues.
Nahavand Rugs
Nahavand is a recognizable Hamadan-area group. Many examples have robust wool pile, prominent medallions and geometric or angular floral drawing. Room-size rugs and runners are both found. Their relationship to the larger Hamadan market makes comparison of structure and finishing more useful than relying on color alone.
Hosseinabad Rugs
Hosseinabad rugs are part of the broad Hamadan-area village tradition. Runners are especially familiar, often with repeating medallions or compact all-over units. The group is valued for practical proportions and sturdy construction, while individual palettes and weave details vary.
Lilihan Rugs
Lilihan is associated with Armenian weaving communities in the Arak region and sits near the boundary of Hamadan and Arak trade groupings. Curving floral drawing, medallions and rose or red fields are common in market examples. Their softer visual character distinguishes many Lilihan rugs from the more angular Hamadan village groups.
Tuyserkan or Toiserkan Rugs, and Jozan Rugs
Tuyserkan, also written Toiserkan, and Jozan are additional western Iranian names encountered within the Hamadan and Malayer orbit. Tuyserkan rugs often have decisive geometric medallions and dark outlines. Jozan pieces can range from village drawing to finer commercial work. These smaller labels are important because reducing the whole region to “Hamadan” hides meaningful local variation. Jozan remains a neighboring trade label rather than a synonym for every Tuyserkan rug.
Arak, Sultanabad and Farahan Groups
Arak Rugs
Arak, formerly Sultanabad, became a major western Persian carpet market and export-production center in the late nineteenth century. The wider Arak market orbit includes names such as Sarouk, Mahal, Farahan and Mushkabad, while current Rug the Rock inventory also uses Mir and Mir-Boteh product names. These labels overlap geographically and historically, but they are not interchangeable. Use Arak as a regional browse path, then check the more specific attribution, structure and photographs on each rug's product page.
Sarouk Rugs
Sarouk is associated with the Arak region and became a major export name in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Medallion carpets, all-over floral designs and the heavily colored “American Sarouk” group all occur. The label covers different production periods, so age and market history matter when describing a Sarouk.
Mahal Rugs
Mahal is a broad market name for carpets from the Mahallat and Arak area. Many have generous all-over floral or vine systems with a relaxed village-workshop character. Size and drawing vary widely. Mahal should not be treated as a synonym for every Sultanabad or Farahan rug.
Farahan, Sultanabad and Mushkabad
Farahan or Ferahan identifies a historic weaving district known for refined village and workshop carpets, including herati fields and elegant medallions. Sultanabad is the former name of Arak and became a major market and export-production center in the late nineteenth century. Mushkabad is another Arak-area label, often applied to more openly drawn commercial carpets. These names overlap geographically, but they describe different market histories and should remain separate entries.
Central and North-Central Iran
Kashan Rugs
Kashan has a documented history of fine textile and carpet production. Classic market examples often use a central medallion, arabesques, palmettes and floral fields in red, blue or ivory. Wool and silk examples exist. Mohtasham Kashan is a prestigious attribution connected with a late nineteenth-century workshop tradition, not a generic label for every fine Kashan rug.
Joshaghan or Joshaqan Rugs
Joshaghan, also written Joshaqan or Joshagan, is a historic central Iranian weaving center. Compact floral forms arranged with a geometric rhythm are characteristic of many examples. Medallion formats also occur. Spelling varies widely in catalogues, so alternate names should be considered during research.
Isfahan Rugs
Isfahan was a Safavid capital with documented royal workshop activity. Later carpets associated with the city are often finely drawn, symmetrical and curvilinear, with medallions, arabesques, palmettes or pictorial subjects. Fine wool and silk are both used. Metallic thread belongs to particular luxury and historical examples, not to Isfahan rugs as a general rule.
Viss, Wiss or Vist Rugs
Viss, also written Wiss or Vist, is a Persian rug market label whose spelling and regional grouping vary across catalogues. Many marketed examples use bold geometric medallion fields, but not every piece shares one layout, palette or construction. Check the complete rug, its foundation, knotting, selvedges and finishing rather than treating one medallion as proof of attribution.
Nain Rugs
Nain developed as a prominent carpet center in the twentieth century, later than the classical Safavid cities. Many Nain rugs use ivory, blue and beige with fine floral drawing and silk highlights. Habibian is a respected workshop name connected with the city. Terms such as 4-la, 6-la and 9-la refer to warp construction conventions, but sellers do not always use them consistently.
Qom or Qum Rugs
Qom became an important production center in the twentieth century. Fine wool, kork wool, silk and all-silk carpets occur, with medallion, garden, tree, pictorial and all-over designs. High knot density may permit detailed drawing, but it does not by itself establish quality, age or value.
Tehran, Varamin and Saveh Rugs
Tehran supported workshops and designers, particularly in the late Qajar and Pahlavi periods, although it is less common as a modern trade label than Tabriz or Kashan. Varamin or Veramin is associated with a district southeast of Tehran and with village and tribal weaving, including repeated geometric and floral systems. Saveh is another central Iranian name that appears in the market. These attributions need structural and provenance evidence because dealer labels can migrate.
Khorasan and Eastern Iran
Mashhad or Mashad Rugs
Mashhad is the major carpet center of Khorasan. Large medallion carpets, floral fields and curvilinear drawing are common, often in deep red and blue. Important workshops, including the Amoghli tradition, produced exceptionally fine carpets, but ordinary commercial Mashhad rugs cover a wide quality range.
Moud or Mood Rugs
Moud is a Khorasan weaving center near Birjand. Rugs frequently use a fine herati repeat, medallion layouts and light beige, blue and red palettes. “Moud Birjand” may appear as a combined market description. The spelling Mood is common in retail listings but Moud is clearer for geographic reference.
Birjand and Dorokhsh Rugs
Birjand is a historic market and production center in southern Khorasan. Moud rugs are often associated with the wider Birjand area. Dorokhsh or Derakhsh identifies another Khorasan workshop and village tradition, known in the antique market for decorative floral carpets. These names are less common in current inventory but remain important in historical classification.
Kashmar Rugs
Kashmar rugs come from a Khorasan weaving center with a distinctive modern history. Medallion carpets, vase designs, trees, architectural imagery and pictorial subjects all occur. Some market examples are called Khorasan Kashmar. Learn more in our detailed history of Kashmar rugs.
Kerman and Southeastern Iran
Kerman or Kirman Rugs
Kerman has a long documented workshop history. Vase carpets, medallions, garden formats, shawl designs and pictorial compositions are all associated with the region across different periods. Antique Kerman carpets can have complex curvilinear drawing and varied palettes. “American Kerman” refers to a later export-market group and should not be projected onto all Kerman weaving.
Ravar and Yazd Rugs
Ravar, also written Lavar in older trade usage, is associated with fine Kerman-area production. The label has sometimes been used too broadly for high-grade Kerman carpets, so exact attribution needs care. Yazd is a central Iranian city with a smaller but distinct carpet tradition. Yazd rugs may resemble neighboring Kerman or Kashan work, yet the name should be retained when supported by provenance and structure.
Afshar Rugs
Afshar weaving is strongly associated with southeastern Iran, especially the Kerman region, although Afshar communities lived in more than one area. Pile rugs, bags and flatweaves may use geometric medallions, boteh, flowers and animal forms. Compact formats and wool foundations are common in older tribal pieces.
Fars and Southern Iran
Shiraz Rugs
Shiraz is both a city and a major market name for rugs woven across Fars. A “Shiraz” attribution may therefore refer to regional production rather than a city workshop. Geometric medallions, stylized plants, animals and deep red or brown fields are common, but Qashqai, Khamseh and other Fars groups deserve their own identification.
Qashqai Rugs
Qashqai weaving comes from a confederation of communities in southern Iran. Rugs and bags can combine central medallions, hooked diamonds, stylized birds, animals, plants and small filler motifs. Wool foundations and saturated palettes are frequent in older pieces. Read our dedicated Qashqai rug guide for a deeper history.
Khamseh Rugs
The Khamseh confederation brought together several groups in Fars. Market attributions often feature geometric fields, birds and other animals, including dense compositions sometimes described as “murgi” or chicken patterns. Khamseh is the correct spelling. The former article spelling “Khamesh” was an error.
Gabbeh Rugs
Gabbeh describes a thick-pile, often coarsely knotted weaving tradition associated especially with nomadic and village weavers in Fars and nearby regions. Older examples can have open fields with a few animals, people or geometric forms. Contemporary Gabbeh production ranges from minimalist natural-dye pieces to more commercial interpretations. Read our Gabbeh history and styles guide.
Abadeh Rugs
Abadeh is a town between Isfahan and Shiraz. Its rugs often combine organized village production with motifs associated with Fars, including geometric medallions, stylized plants and small animals. Wool pile on cotton is common. Abadeh is a town-based group with tribal influence, not simply a tribal rug.
Yalameh Rugs
Yalameh rugs are associated with communities in southwestern Iran and are often marketed within the broader Qashqai or Fars sphere. Stepped medallions, hooked diamonds and bright red, blue, orange or ivory are common. Because labels overlap, a Yalameh attribution should be supported by structure and provenance rather than palette alone.
Other Major Tribal and Regional Groups
Bakhtiari Rugs
Bakhtiari carpets are associated with Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and with settled village and workshop production as well as tribal history. Compartment or garden layouts are especially familiar, but medallion and all-over designs also occur. Persian scholarship documents birds and other symbolic motifs in regional compartment carpets. The label covers varied construction and should not be reduced to one garden pattern.
Luri or Lori Rugs
Luri identifies weaving traditions associated with Lur communities of western and southwestern Iran. Pile rugs and flatweaves may use bold geometric structures, stylized animals and flexible, improvised drawing. Wool foundations occur frequently in older tribal pieces. Lori is a common alternate spelling.
Baluch Rugs
Baluch-tradition rugs were woven by multiple communities across eastern Iran, western Afghanistan and neighboring areas. The market label therefore crosses modern borders. Prayer formats, repeated geometric units and dark red, brown, blue and ivory palettes are common, but not universal. Materials and structures vary, so goat hair or one knot type should not be presented as a defining rule.
Iranian Turkmen Rugs
Turkmen communities in northeastern Iran share a wider Central Asian textile tradition. Repeating guls, deep madder reds and specialized woven objects are important, but gul forms and structures differ among groups. Persian-language scholarship also shows that prayer rugs and tree imagery carry specific cultural meanings. “Bokhara” is a broad commercial label and should not replace a more careful Turkmen attribution.
Persian Flatwoven and Structural Types
Kilim or Gilim
Kilim describes a flatwoven structure, most often weft-faced tapestry weave, rather than one place or people. Slit tapestry, interlocking and dovetailing can produce different outlines and surfaces. Persian kilims come from many regions and groups, so a geographic or tribal attribution should be added only when evidence supports it.
Soumak and Varni
Soumak uses decorative weft wrapping to build pattern across a foundation. It is structurally different from both knotted pile and slit-tapestry kilim. Persian Azerbaijan examples may also be described with local terms such as varni. The technique appears beyond Iran as well, so “Soumak” alone does not establish Persian origin.
Jajim and Zilu
Jajim is typically a narrow-loom, warp-faced textile woven in strips and joined, often with stripes or small repeating patterns. Zilu is a durable cotton flatweave with a distinct compound structure, historically important for domestic and religious interiors in parts of Iran. Neither term should be used as a decorative synonym for kilim.
How to Identify a Persian Rug Type
- Start with origin. Persian means made in Iran. A Persian-style rug made elsewhere is not a Persian rug.
- Read the structure. Examine knot form, warp and weft materials, depression of warps, selvedges, end finishes and pile direction.
- Compare design systems. Look at the whole field, border organization and drawing, not one familiar motif.
- Separate place from trade label. Serapi, Sultanabad, Mahal and Bokhara have market histories that need explanation.
- Use condition and age carefully. Wear, repairs, fading and oxidation can change how structure and color appear.
- Keep uncertainty visible. “Heriz area,” “Baluch tradition” or “attributed to Khamseh” can be more accurate than false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many types of Persian rugs are there?
There is no final official count. Iran has many cities, villages, districts and communities with overlapping weaving histories. This guide covers more than 50 widely encountered names, but specialist catalogues use additional local and workshop attributions.
Are Persian rug types named by pattern?
Usually not by pattern alone. Many are named for a place or people, while herati, boteh, garden, tree of life and hunting are design families that can appear in multiple regions.
Is a finer knot count always better?
No. Fineness can support detailed drawing, but quality also depends on wool or silk, spinning, dyes, structure, design, condition and the weaver's control. Many important tribal and village rugs are intentionally coarse and visually powerful.
Which Persian rugs are most valuable?
Value depends on attribution, age, rarity, condition, materials, provenance, design quality and current demand. No regional name guarantees appreciation, and a rug should not be described as an investment without evidence specific to that piece.
Sources and Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Arāk”
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Carpets i. Introductory Survey”
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Carpets iii. Knotted-pile carpets: Technique and structure”
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Carpets xi. Qajar Period”
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Carpets xiv. Tribal Carpets”
- Victoria and Albert Museum, “The Ardabil Carpet”
- Jamal al-Din Toumajnia and Mahmoud Tavousi, “The Tree of Life in Turkmen Carpets,” Goljaam, volume 2, issue 4-5, pages 11-24.
- Neda Fakhr and co-authors, study of bird motifs in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari compartment carpets, Goljaam, volume 8, issue 21.
- A. Cecil Edwards, The Persian Carpet: A Survey of the Carpet-Weaving Industry of Persia.
Ready to compare real examples? Explore the complete Persian rug collection.
Leave a comment