Persian Tabriz

Persian TabrizMore than 1,000 years ago, during the Safavid Dynasty, the first rug producing workshop was established in Tabriz, one of the world's oldest and highly regarded carpet manufacturing centres. Master weavers in Tabriz are among the most skilled in Persia and, as a nod to their outstanding craftsmanship, they often incorporate their signature somewhere in the border of their carpets. Hand knotted Tabriz rugs are renowned not only for their exceptional

flowering branches

The Maimana is a beautiful flat-woven kilim rug made by Uzbek weavers near the city of Maimana in central Afghanistan

the designs of these archaic tapestry carpets have changed little in centuries

Armenian carpets were richly coloured with abundent ornamental motifs

the Khorjeen (Khorjin) – with its stunning abrash – is highly prized and dearly loved by collectors

traditional one-way tribal symbols

with gold threads woven into the base

The skilled Qashqai weavers who make these rugs are highly regarded for their expressive craftsmanship and attention to detail

nicknamed iron rugs

long-lasting

but the pattern is almost always one of repeating columns of Turkmen 'gul' or 'fil pai' (elephant prints) in undertones of deep red

all Khal Mohammadi rugs share the same basic weave