PERSIAN / TRADITIONAL

The term "Persian rug" refers not only to a handmade rug from Iran, but also to the Persian-design rugs that are handwoven in India, Pakistan, China, and Turkey, primarily. While all of these countries had been weaving rugs for centuries, the United States embargo on Persian rugs from Iran gave a tremendous boost to the rug production in those countries. Now that the embargo on rugs from Iran has been dropped, we are seeing high quality Persian rugs from Iran coming into this country again. A quality Persian rug, from whatever country, is always a wonderful choice. It can look beautiful in any setting — contemporary or traditional — and will never become outdated.

While we are showing the city rugs of Iran and the traditional, more formal, curvilinear designs in our "Persian / Traditional" section, you will also find Persian rugs under the "Village / Tribal" section. These geometric-design rugs, often less finely-knotted, are used in many homes in our Northwest because they suit our informal, more rustic lifestyles. The Gabbehs and Ghashqai are wonderful examples of these rugs which are brightly colored and improvisational in their designs.