A rug's journey to Germany

The journey begins before knotting. A rug needs wool, dyed yarn, and a commission, depending on the workshop either from the family itself, from a regional manufactory owner, or from a wholesaler in Tehran or Tabriz.

In workshop towns such as Nain, Isfahan, or Tabriz, the structures are mid-sized. A manufactory runs ten to forty looms, employs women weavers and apprentices, and calculates per commission.

In village regions such as Hamadan, the Heriz district, or among the Qashqai, things work differently. The women weavers work at home, often one loom per family, and sell the finished rug to a middleman who tours the village every two or three weeks. One to four rugs per family per year.

For a parlour rug of 200 × 300 centimetres, the typical Central European living-room size, a family knots for between six and fourteen months.

From the provincial bazaars, most rugs pass through Tehran. The big export companies sit in the south of the capital, traditionally around the Grand Bazaar. They sort once again, take photographs, check knot density, and pack for export.

The packing is not incidental. A rug roll is first wrapped in parchment or natural paper, then in an outer cover of jute, or since the 1990s also coarse polypropylene. A label with size, knot density, provenance, and a serial number goes on the cover. The number stays with the rug all the way to the end customer.

From the exporter in Tehran, the goods leave by truck either westwards towards Turkey, or by air freight from Imam Khomeini Airport.

Before a new rug goes on sale, it is washed in Hamburg. This is not just a matter of hygiene, it is a creative intervention. The wash pulls out the last knotting dust, evens out the dyes optically, and gives the rug the soft sheen that European buyers experience as oriental.

The Hamburg washing trade works with fresh water from the drinking-water network, which is medium-hard and well suited to wool. Mild, often plant-based detergents are added, and in some houses a brief walnut-hull treatment. After washing, the rug is stretched on a floor and dried slowly, often over several days.

Repairs follow directly. Fringes are re-knotted, edges rewoven, loose knots secured. An experienced repair weaver completes 100 to 300 new knots per day. For a medium-sized rug with light damage, that means one or two days of work.