Glossary

The most important technical terms for oriental rugs, explained concisely and clearly.

A

Abrash: Natural color variations across a rug surface caused by different dye lots or wool types. On hand-knotted rugs, abrash is regarded as a quality marker.; Read more
Alum mordant: The most classic natural mordant, draws the dye into the fiber without damaging it.
All-over pattern: A continuous pattern with no central medallion, repeated motifs evenly fill the entire rug field.
Antique finish: An artificial aging process that simulates the look of antique rugs, through chemical washing, sun exposure, or controlled wear.; Read more
Arabesque: Sinuous, vine-like ornament made of floral motifs and foliage, a frequent design element in Persian workshop rugs.; Read more
Art silk: Catch-all for silk imitations from viscose, polyester or banana fiber. Often misleadingly traded as real silk.
Asymmetric knot: Umbrella term for the Senneh knot. Wraps only one warp fully, the second carries the yarn loosely. Allows finer curvilinear patterns.
Animal motif: Stylized or realistic depictions of birds, deer, lions or dragons. Often carries symbolic meaning of protection and power.

B

Border: The frame surrounding a rug, typically composed of several parallel stripes with different patterns that enclose the central field.
Boteh: Drop- or almond-shaped motif with a curved tip, known in Europe as paisley. Originally from Persian tradition.; Read more
Bald spots: Areas with completely worn-through pile, usually along walking lines. Irreparable without repiling.
Beating down: Compacting the weft row with the iron comb after each knot row. Determines the tightness and strength of the weave.

C

Care & Fair: German fair-trade initiative of European rug importers, founded in 1994 by Manfred Kern. Members fund schools and social projects in the weaving regions through turnover-based contributions.; Read more
Chemical wash: Industrial wash with chlorine or tea that controls sheen and color tone. Standard in the Hamburg Speicherstadt showroom process.
Chrome dyes: Synthetic dyes fixed to wool with chrome salts. Highly lightfast but less vivid than plant dyes.; Read more
Cochineal: Animal dye from scale insects, yields carmine to purple tones. Used in Anatolia and the Caucasus since the 16th century.
Compartment pattern: Division of the rug field into uniform rectangular or diamond-shaped compartments, each carrying its own motif.
Calligraphy: Arabic or Persian script woven into the rug, often poetic verses, dates of weaving or the master knotter's signature.
Cartoon (rug design): A millimeter-precise design template on paper showing every knot as a colored square. Manufactory weavers follow it knot by knot. Known in Iran as Talim.; Read more
Cartouche: Elongated, often arched medallion within the border that holds inscriptions or self-contained ornaments.
Cartoon: Gridded knotting cartoon on graph paper, where each square stands for one knot in one color. The bridge between design and loom.
Chintamani: A Buddhist symbol of three balls and two stripes, adopted from Asian art into Ottoman and Caucasian rugs.; Read more
Chichi: Caucasian style from northeastern Azerbaijan with a fine diagonal border.
Cloud band: A sinuous ribbon-like border motif of Chinese origin, adopted into Persian and Turkish rug design.; Read more

D

Dosar: Persian format around 200 by 300 cm, "two zar," sized for the living room. Counterpart to the smaller Dozar.
Dozar: A traditional Persian rug size, roughly 200 × 130 cm, derived from "two zar," an old Persian unit of length.; Read more

E

Elephant's foot: Western trade name for the Tekke gul, since the motif recalls elephant footprints.
Embossed: Trade term for rugs with relief-carved contours. Originally hand work, now also used as a marketing label for machine-finished pieces.
Eslimi: Persian term for the sweeping arabesque vine. Carries palmettes and rosettes and fills the field as an even tracery.

F

False knot: Catch-all for shortcut knots like Jufti. Skips warps, halves the working time and halves the lifespan.
Farsibaff: "Persian-knotted." Fine village-workshop quality, between city work and nomadic work.
Fugitive dye: Early synthetic dye (especially aniline around 1880) that fades fast in light or washing. Reduces value.
Fringes: The exposed warp ends visible at the two short sides of a rug. Their length and condition give clues to age and quality.; Read more
Foundation: Load-bearing weave of warp and weft into which the knots are tied. Determines the stability and shape of the rug.
Foxing: Brown mildew spots from moisture in storage. Hard to remove, often reduces value.
Four-seasons rug: Persian pictorial rug with four panels, each symbolizing a season through its vegetation, animals and human activities.
Full pile: Rug with unworn, intact pile. The top condition grade for second-hand pieces.

G

Gallery rug: A long, narrow rug typically 250 to 400 cm long and 80 to 130 cm wide, designed for hallways and corridors.; Read more
Ghazni wool: Highland mountain wool from Afghanistan, lanolin-rich and elastic. Standard material for Ziegler and Chobi rugs.
Ghiordes knot: The symmetric Turkish knot, used predominantly in Anatolian and Caucasian rugs. The yarn loops around two warps in a symmetric pattern.; Read more
Gol Farang: A "Frankish flower" motif of European origin, naturalistic roses and bouquets borrowed from European patterns into Persian rugs.; Read more
Gold wash: Special after-treatment that produces a warm, golden-yellow glow. Common on Ziegler rugs aimed at the Western market.
GoodWeave: International NGO and seal against child labour in rug production. Unannounced inspections secure a transparent supply chain; every label carries a verifiable serial number.; Read more
Gül: Octagonal medallion typical of Turkmen and Bukhara rugs. Each tribe has its own characteristic gül form.; Read more

H

Hand: Characteristic knotting hand of a region or weaver, recognizable in line work, contour treatment and fidelity to the pattern.
Hand-knotted: A rug whose pile is created by manually tying individual yarn knots around the warp threads, the traditional, labor-intensive method.; Read more
Hand-woven: A pile-free flat weave made by interlacing weft and warp threads, kilims and sumakhs are the best-known hand-woven rugs.; Read more
Hand-tufting: Semi-mechanical method that shoots loops through a backing cloth with a tufting gun, then fixes them with latex. No true knots, not a knotted rug.
Hatchlu (Ensi): A four-field cross design typical of Turkmen tent doors, also used as a prayer rug. The cross divides the field into four panels.; Read more
Heatset: Thermal setting process for synthetic yarns (mostly polypropylene). Stabilizes the cut pile and lends it body and resilience.
Henna: Orange-red plant dye, used in Baluch and Turkmen rugs for warm accent tones.
Herati: A classic all-over pattern of a diamond enclosing a flower, surrounded by curved fish-like leaves, common in Persian village rugs.; Read more
Hunting rug: Classic Persian subject with mounted riders and game animals in the field. Major examples were woven in 16th-century Tabriz and Kashan.

I

Iron mordant: Iron sulfate mordant, darkens tones and over time corrodes the wool. Recognizable by sunken black lines.
Indigo: A deep blue plant dye derived from the indigo plant, one of the most important traditional dyestuffs of oriental rug production.; Read more

J

Jufti knot: A knot tied around four warps instead of two, saves time and material but reduces durability and sharpness of the design.; Read more

K

Karachoph: Kazak subgroup with a large central medallion and four corner squares. One of the best-known Kazak designs.
Kilim: A flat-woven, pile-free rug created by interlacing weft and warp threads, known for graphic patterns and great versatility.; Read more
Kellegi: Persian long format, roughly 150-200 by 350-500 cm, classic for the head position in the three-rug arrangement.
Kenareh: The Persian name for a runner, a long, narrow rug used along the edges of a room or in hallways.; Read more
Kermes: Older animal red dye from oak scale insects, the main source of deep red before cochineal arrived.
Knot density: The number of knots per square meter, an indicator of fineness and quality. Persian village rugs run from 80,000 to 150,000 knots/m²; finest Isfahans and Qoms exceed one million.; Read more
Kufic border: Border motif from stylized Arabic Kufic script, especially boldly simplified in Caucasian pieces.
Kork wool: Particularly fine, soft wool from the neck and underbelly of the sheep. Used for the finest Persian rugs.; Read more

L

La classification: The Nain quality grade based on the number of warp plies (4la, 6la, 9la, 12la). Fewer plies means finer knotting.; Read more
Lamb's wool: Wool from the first shearing of a sheep under seven months old. Especially soft, common in fine Persian workshop rugs.
Lanolin: Natural wool grease that keeps the fiber supple and repels dirt. Aggressive washing strips it and shortens the rug's life.
Lechek-toranj: Persian standard layout with a central medallion and four corner spandrels. The base plan of many Tabriz and Isfahan rugs.
Loribaff: "Lori-knotted." Nomadic and semi-nomadic quality from the Zagros highlands, often with Gabbeh character.
Lul: Inner weft row between two knot rows, locking the knots before beating down. Visible as a fine cross thread on the back.
Low pile: Noticeably worn but still intact pile. Reduces value moderately, does not preclude restoration.
Larkspur: Plant yellow dye, second most important yellow source in Persian rugs after weld.

M

Mordant: Metal salt solution that fixes the dye to the fiber. Alum for clear tones, iron for dark, chrome for synthetics.
Madder: A plant dye from the root of the madder plant, producing warm red tones, one of the oldest and most important natural dyestuffs.; Read more
Mafrash: Large nomadic storage bag, knotted or woven in the sumakh technique. Used to transport household belongings between camps.
Mahi: "Fish" variant of the Herati pattern with elongated leaves. Typical of Bidjar and Hamadan.
Manchester wool: High-grade English worsted wool, imported into Persia in the 19th century. Today a byword for especially lustrous, even wool.
Medallion: A central, often star- or oval-shaped ornament in the rug field, a hallmark of classic Persian workshop rugs.; Read more
Mercerized cotton: Cotton treated with caustic soda, gains an almost silky sheen and is used in prayer rugs as a silk substitute.
Mihrab: The prayer niche on a prayer rug, depicting an arched gateway. Points toward Mecca during prayer.; Read more
Mina Chaneh: Allover repeat of rosettes set on a geometric grid. Closely related to the Mina-Khani pattern but laid out more strictly.
Mina Khani: A classic all-over pattern of stylized flowers connected by vines, frequently found in Kurdish and Persian village rugs.
Mir-e-boteh: A small, finely repeated boteh pattern, the trademark of Mir rugs from the Malayer region.; Read more
Moth damage: Feeding traces of clothes moth larvae in the wool pile and warp. Recognizable by hole patterns and pile pits.

N

New Zealand wool: Pale, long-staple virgin wool with high lanolin content. Prized for purity and dye uptake in high-grade hand-knotted rugs.
Nimbaff: Persian grading for medium knot density. Denotes rugs with roughly half the knot count of a Shahrbaff or Farsibaff piece.
Nomad rug: A rug knotted on a portable loom by nomadic tribes, typically with geometric motifs, sturdy wool, and irregular dimensions.; Read more

O

Oak galls: Tannin-rich oak growths, yield black and dark brown. Eats wool over time (iron mordant), the cause of sunken black contours.
Open knot: Knot where the wool exits leaning left or right. Reveals the knotting direction and often the region of origin.
Oxidized contours: Sunken black or dark brown outline lines caused by iron mordant. A typical relief effect on old rugs.
Overdyed: Vintage rug retroactively dyed in a strong tone (usually gray, blue or anthracite). A design product, not an original.
One-of-a-kind: Hand-knotted rug whose pattern, palette and format exist only once. The result of individual designs and a knotter's personal hand.

Ö

Öko-Tex Standard 100: Chemicals seal for textiles, also applied to rugs. Tests for pesticides, heavy metals, formaldehyde, AZO dyes, and phthalates, but says nothing about social production conditions.; Read more

P

Pictorial rug: Figural rug with hunting scenes, portraits or narrative motifs. Usually intended as a wall hanging rather than a floor covering.
Pile: The surface of a rug, formed by the cut ends of the knots. Pile height varies by style, from short (Nain) to long (Gabbeh).; Read more
Prayer rug: A rug with a directional mihrab arch design, used by Muslims for daily prayer. The arch points toward Mecca during prayer.; Read more
Palmette: A classic stylized flower seen from above, a frequent design element in Persian workshop rugs, often arranged in lattice or vine compositions.; Read more
Patina: The natural surface aging of a rug, a soft sheen, slightly muted colors, and subtle wear that develop over decades and increase value.; Read more
Pazyryk: The world's oldest preserved hand-knotted rug, found in the Altai mountains in 1947 and dated to roughly the 5th century BC.; Read more
Persian knot: Synonym for the Senneh knot, in the trade often contrasted with the Turkish knot.
Plant dyes: Natural dyestuffs derived from plants, madder, indigo, weld, walnut shells; also called "vegetable-dyed". Their colors mature beautifully over time.; Read more
Poshti: A small Persian rug roughly 90 × 60 cm, used as a seat cushion or wall hanging.; Read more
Provenance: A rug's complete origin and ownership history. Value-determining on antique pieces.

R

Running dog: A geometric border motif resembling a stylized dog in motion, common in Caucasian rugs.
Resheared: Pile height artificially shortened after weaving, either to sharpen the pattern or to mask wear.
Raj: The Tabriz quality grade, the number of knots per 7 cm. Finer Raj numbers (50, 60, 70) indicate higher knot density.; Read more
Repeat pattern: Evenly repeating pattern unit that fills the whole rug field. The basic principle behind many allover designs.
Relief carving: Hand-shearing of individual contours after weaving, giving the pattern sculptural depth. Classic in Pekin and Tabriz workshops.
Repiling: Restoration technique that reknots missing knots in the original color. Stabilizes value on antique rugs.
Restoration: Specialist repair of damaged rugs through reknotting, fringe and selvage work. Preserves the value and substance of older pieces.
Rosette: Stylized flower form seen from above, a building block of many allover patterns and border motifs.
RugMark: First seal against child labour in rug knotting, founded in India in 1994. Internationally merged into GoodWeave in 2009; in India still active as RugMark India.; Read more

S

Scatter rug: Format between yastik and dosar, roughly 100 × 150 cm. The classic small accent rug for living rooms (German: Brücke).
Selvedge: The reinforced long edge of a rug, hand-bound around the outermost warp. Its quality reflects the overall craftsmanship.; Read more
Salor gul: Older gul of the Salor Turkmen, often in dark red. Frequently the main gul in Hatchlu door hangings.
Sardar: A particular medallion form found in Persian classical rugs, typically star- or diamond-shaped with elaborate spandrels.
Shah Abbas design: Classic Persian design system of large palmettes, cloud bands, and interlacing arabesques, named after Shah Abbas I (1571 to 1629). It developed in the Safavid court manufactories and still shapes fine city rugs from Isfahan, Nain, and Kashan.
Silk: The most refined fiber for oriental rugs, naturally lustrous, very strong, and suited to the finest knot densities. Used in Qom, Hereke, Kashmir.; Read more
Senneh knot: The asymmetric Persian knot, used predominantly in Iranian rugs. Allows finer detail and curved lines than the symmetric Ghiordes knot.; Read more
Shahrbaff: A Persian quality designation for "city-knotted", a finer, workshop-grade weave as opposed to village or nomadic knotting.; Read more
Shirazi: A particular selvedge technique used on Qashqai and Shiraz rugs, recognizable by colored, alternating bound edges.; Read more
Signature: Name of the master or workshop knotted into the rug, usually placed in a cartouche at the upper edge of the field.
Spandrel: The four corner ornaments of the rug field, surrounding a central medallion, typically arranged as quarter-medallions.; Read more
STEP Fair Trade: Swiss certification for fairly traded rugs, founded in 1995. Audits fair wages, safe working conditions, environmental standards in dyeing, and the ban on child labour.; Read more
Sumakh: A flat-weaving technique in which weft yarns are wrapped around groups of warps, produces a structured, embroidered-looking surface.; Read more
Symmetric knot: Umbrella term for the Ghiordes knot. Wool wraps two warps evenly. Sturdy, with a slightly coarser pattern resolution.

T

Tree motif: Tree of Life as a central pictorial motif. Stands for fertility, paradise and the cosmic axis, common in prayer and pictorial rugs.
Talim: The Persian name for a rug-knotting template, a millimeter-precise drawing on paper showing every knot. Equivalent to the European cartoon.; Read more
Tekke gul: Tribal gul of the Tekke Turkmen, octagonal with a four-part division. The best-known Turkmen tribal mark.
Tencel / Lyocell: Modern viscose variant produced in a closed solvent loop. Used as a silk substitute in high-end designer rugs.
Tibetan wool: Highland wool with a thick fiber cross-section and high lanolin content. Characteristic of Tibetan and Nepalese knotted rugs.
Tibetan knot: A knot wrapped around a metal rod across the loom, characteristic of Tibetan and Nepali rugs. Allows fast knotting and a soft pile.; Read more

V

Virgin wool: Wool from a living sheep, as opposed to dead or tanner wool. Guarantees lanolin content and longer fiber structure.
Vase motif: Central vase from which floral vines grow into the field. The signature motif of 17th-century Kerman vase rugs.
Vintage rug: A semi-antique rug roughly 30 to 80 years old, overdyed or washed for a contemporary muted look. Trend-driven category.; Read more
Viscose: Semi-synthetic fiber from wood cellulose, often sold as "bamboo silk" or "art silk." Lustrous but poorly wear-resistant.

W

Warp: The vertical foundation threads of a rug, stretched on the loom. The warp runs lengthwise; the visible fringes are the warp ends.; Read more
Warp tension: Tension of the vertical warps on the loom. Uneven tension produces crooked rugs and wavy, buckled surfaces.
Weld (Reseda): A plant dye from weld, producing bright yellow tones, one of the oldest yellow dyes in oriental rug production.; Read more
Weft: The horizontal foundation threads of a rug, run between the warps to lock the knots into place. Hamadan-style rugs use a single weft, Bidjar two or more.; Read more
Wagireh: A small sample rug containing every motif of a planned full-size piece, used by master weavers as a knotting template.; Read more
Walnut hull: Plant dye from the green hull, yields warm brown to blackish brown. Classic source for outline contours.
Washed: Post-knotting wash that softens fresh colors and gives the rug a vintage, antique-like sheen. Common on Ziegler and Vintage rugs.; Read more
Wineglass border: Border pattern of stylized chalices with rising vines. Widespread in Caucasian and northwest Persian rugs.
Wool quality: Grading factors such as fiber length, lanolin content, luster and elasticity that govern the durability and look of a wool rug.

Y

Yastik: Turkish cushion format (around 50 by 90 cm), originally knotted for divan cushions.
Yatak: Turkish sleeping rug, thick pile, often Yörük nomadic work.

Z

Zil-i-Sultan: A late-19th-century Persian motif of vases with bouquets, named after Zil-i-Sultan, the eldest son of the Qajar shah.

148 terms registered. This glossary is continually expanded.

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