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.
- 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.
- Arabesque
- Sinuous, vine-like ornament made of floral motifs and foliage — a frequent design element in Persian workshop rugs.
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.
C
- Chrome dyes
- Synthetic dyes fixed to wool with chrome salts. Highly lightfast but less vivid than plant dyes.
- 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.
- Chintamani
- A Buddhist symbol of three balls and two stripes — adopted from Asian art into Ottoman and Caucasian rugs.
- Cloud band
- A sinuous ribbon-like border motif of Chinese origin — adopted into Persian and Turkish rug design.
D
- Dozar
- A traditional Persian rug size, roughly 200 × 130 cm — derived from "two zar," an old Persian unit of length.
F
- Fringes
- The exposed warp ends visible at the two short sides of a rug. Their length and condition give clues to age and quality.
G
- Gallery rug
- A long, narrow rug typically 250 to 400 cm long and 80 to 130 cm wide — designed for hallways and corridors.
- Ghiordes knot
- The symmetric Turkish knot, used predominantly in Anatolian and Caucasian rugs. The yarn loops around two warps in a symmetric pattern.
- Gol Farang
- A "Frankish flower" motif of European origin — naturalistic roses and bouquets borrowed from European patterns into Persian rugs.
- Gül
- Octagonal medallion typical of Turkmen and Bukhara rugs. Each tribe has its own characteristic gül form.
H
- Hand-knotted
- A rug whose pile is created by manually tying individual yarn knots around the warp threads — the traditional, labor-intensive method.
- Hand-woven
- A pile-free flat weave made by interlacing weft and warp threads — kilims and sumakhs are the best-known hand-woven rugs.
- 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.
- Herati
- A classic all-over pattern of a diamond enclosing a flower, surrounded by curved fish-like leaves — common in Persian village rugs.
I
- Indigo
- A deep blue plant dye derived from the indigo plant — one of the most important traditional dyestuffs of oriental rug production.
J
- Jufti knot
- A knot tied around four warps instead of two — saves time and material but reduces durability and sharpness of the design.
K
- Kilim
- A flat-woven, pile-free rug created by interlacing weft and warp threads — known for graphic patterns and great versatility.
- Kenareh
- The Persian name for a runner — a long, narrow rug used along the edges of a room or in hallways.
- 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.
- Kork wool
- Particularly fine, soft wool from the neck and underbelly of the sheep. Used for the finest Persian rugs.
L
- La classification
- The Nain quality grade based on the number of warp plies (4la, 6la, 9la, 12la). Fewer plies means finer knotting.
M
- Madder
- A plant dye from the root of the madder plant, producing warm red tones — one of the oldest and most important natural dyestuffs.
- Medallion
- A central, often star- or oval-shaped ornament in the rug field — a hallmark of classic Persian workshop rugs.
- Mihrab
- The prayer niche on a prayer rug, depicting an arched gateway. Points toward Mecca during prayer.
- 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.
N
- Nomad rug
- A rug knotted on a portable loom by nomadic tribes — typically with geometric motifs, sturdy wool, and irregular dimensions.
P
- 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).
- Prayer rug
- A rug with a directional mihrab arch design, used by Muslims for daily prayer. The arch points toward Mecca during prayer.
- Palmette
- A classic stylized flower seen from above — a frequent design element in Persian workshop rugs, often arranged in lattice or vine compositions.
- Patina
- The natural surface aging of a rug — a soft sheen, slightly muted colors, and subtle wear that develop over decades and increase value.
- Pazyryk
- The world's oldest preserved hand-knotted rug, found in the Altai mountains in 1947 and dated to roughly the 5th century BC.
- Plant dyes
- Natural dyestuffs derived from plants — madder, indigo, weld, walnut shells. Their colors mature beautifully over time.
- Poshti
- A small Persian rug roughly 90 × 60 cm — used as a seat cushion or wall hanging.
R
- Running dog
- A geometric border motif resembling a stylized dog in motion — common in Caucasian rugs.
- Raj
- The Tabriz quality grade — the number of knots per 7 cm. Finer Raj numbers (50, 60, 70) indicate higher knot density.
S
- Selvedge
- The reinforced long edge of a rug, hand-bound around the outermost warp. Its quality reflects the overall craftsmanship.
- Sardar
- A particular medallion form found in Persian classical rugs — typically star- or diamond-shaped with elaborate spandrels.
- Silk
- The most refined fiber for oriental rugs — naturally lustrous, very strong, and suited to the finest knot densities. Used in Qom, Hereke, Kashmir.
- Senneh knot
- The asymmetric Persian knot, used predominantly in Iranian rugs. Allows finer detail and curved lines than the symmetric Ghiordes knot.
- Shahrbaff
- A Persian quality designation for "city-knotted" — a finer, workshop-grade weave as opposed to village or nomadic knotting.
- Shirazi
- A particular selvedge technique used on Qashqai and Shiraz rugs — recognizable by colored, alternating bound edges.
- Spandrel
- The four corner ornaments of the rug field, surrounding a central medallion — typically arranged as quarter-medallions.
- Sumakh
- A flat-weaving technique in which weft yarns are wrapped around groups of warps — produces a structured, embroidered-looking surface.
T
- Talim
- The Persian name for a rug-knotting template — a millimeter-precise drawing on paper showing every knot. Equivalent to the European cartoon.
- 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.
V
- Vegetable-dyed
- A dyeing process using only plant-based colorants — gives rugs a typical depth of color that develops further over time.
- Vintage rug
- A semi-antique rug roughly 30 to 80 years old — overdyed or washed for a contemporary muted look. Trend-driven category.
W
- Warp
- The vertical foundation threads of a rug, stretched on the loom. The warp runs lengthwise; the visible fringes are the warp ends.
- Weld (Reseda)
- A plant dye from weld, producing bright yellow tones — one of the oldest yellow dyes in oriental rug production.
- 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.
- Wagireh
- A small sample rug containing every motif of a planned full-size piece — used by master weavers as a knotting template.
- Washed
- Post-knotting wash that softens fresh colors and gives the rug a vintage, antique-like sheen. Common on Ziegler and Vintage rugs.
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.
60 terms registered. This glossary is continually expanded.
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