Posted on February 3, 2015 by Behnam Rugs

The Different Persian Cities and Their Rug Patterns

Understanding the origin behind the different patterns you’ll find in a Persian rug helps you understand its history – and appreciate its beauty even more.

Read below for some brief information on the different Persian rug patterns and their city or region of origin.

The names of different patterns usually come from the tribe, village or city from where any particular pattern was traded or created.

Generally, you’ll find that there are two types of Persian rugs, city rugs and tribal rugs. City rugs tend to be a bit better made because tribal rugs are those that have been woven by people who live in small, rural villages, or even by nomads.

Tribal rugs tend to feature geometric designs (and have minimum detail). They also tend to have just a few bright colors. City rugs, on the other hand, tend to have more designs showcasing greater detail; they also have a lot more color.

The rug experts here at Behnam Rugs usually will be able to tell where a rug hails from just by taking a close look at it and analyzing its design.

Heriz rugs come from the region known as Heriz in northwest Iran (northeast of Tabriz). Their patterns tend to be geometric, with a large medallion dominating the field.

A Heriz-patterned Persian rug.

Isfahan rugs come from the city of Isfahan in western central Iran. These rugs are famous around the world for their incredible colors – it’s the rare Isfahan rug that doesn’t have at least 15 colors woven within it. The designs of these rugs tend to be based on the large round medallion mosaic of the interior dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah’s Mosque.

Joshagan rugs, made in the town of Joshagan in the north central Iran province of Esfahan, are of exceptional quality and are made in limited production. This makes them fairly expensive and good investments. The signature design of these rugs tends to be geometric floral motifs arranged in diamond shapes.

Sarouk rugs also are of very high quality. Made in the village of Sarouk in the central Iran province of Markazi, the patterns of these rugs can be curvilinear or geometric.

We love teaching people about the history and meaning of rug patterns here at Behnam Rugs. Visit our Dallas showroom and ask for a quick rug history and pattern tutorial. Give us a call at 972-733-0400.

By Arash Fatemi, Treasure Gallery Inc (Treasure Gallery Inc) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL],via Wikimedia Commons.