Khorassan Rugs & Carpets

Mashad is part of the vast northeast Persian Province of Khorassan, but we consider its carpets under a separate entry. ‘Khorassans’ are generally taken as those rugs woven in the area south of Mashad running down to Birjand and including Qaen, Dorokhsh, Gonabad, Turshiz and Mud. The main road leading south passes through the Baluch areas of Turbat-i-Haidari and Turbat-i-Sheikh Jam. According to the early Arab and Persian historians, carpets have been woven there since the tenth century. Many of what used to be substantial towns are now only large villages with rug production to match.

The antique carpets most associated with the area are the gallery carpets and large carpets that are often square. [...]

Mashad is part of the vast northeast Persian Province of Khorassan, but we consider its carpets under a separate entry. ‘Khorassans’ are generally taken as those rugs woven in the area south of Mashad running down to Birjand and including Qaen, Dorokhsh, Gonabad, Turshiz and Mud. The main road leading south passes through the Baluch areas of Turbat-i-Haidari and Turbat-i-Sheikh Jam. According to the early Arab and Persian historians, carpets have been woven there since the tenth century. Many of what used to be substantial towns are now only large villages with rug production to match.

The antique carpets most associated with the area are the gallery carpets and large carpets that are often square. These antique rugs often have repeating allover close ‘Herati’ (lancet leaves, open lozenges, and rosettes) or ‘Mina Khani’ (rosette trellis) patterns on dark blue or lac red grounds, within a broad turtle palmette border. The ‘Harshang’ (crab) allover repeating design of various styles of large palmettes is also popular and several examples are dated to the early nineteenth century and inscribed poetically. It is clear that weaving was already well established by 1800. The Herati pattern probably originated in the area and, if not from Herat (now in Afghanistan), then from the area around Qaen. A few ‘Chahar Bagh’ (four gardens design) carpets, of substantial length, were also woven in Gonabad or Qaen around 1800. The boteh (paisley) design is also popular in Khorassan, seen usually as a secondary motif. Pendanted medallions with en suite corners on open dark blue or dark red grounds are also common. Light ivory grounds appear on antique rugs from Khorassan as well; particularly Dorokhsh rugs.

The weavers employ the asymmetric (Persian) knot, but tie it over four rather than two warps (the jufti knot). The rugs get completed quicker, but there is less wool per square unit and this slightly impacts the wearing characteristic of these carpets in Western shoe traffic settings. Another issue is the use of softer autumn clip pile wool instead of the more elastic and resilient spring clip. In addition, the pile is clipped fairly low. A third problem is the steeping of the yarn in lime water for 24 hours before dyeing with lac or cochineal. This makes the fiber more brittle and corroded red fields are common in antique Khorassan carpets. But when dealing with classic things like Persian rugs, unintended consequences can often become positives. As a result of the jufti knot and autumn wool, the carpets have a venerable antique charm with a lustrous patina. The steeping of the yarn in lime water naturally softens the colors over time to a pallet that is more desirable in modern times. Regardless if it’s a jufti or honest knot, autumn or spring clip, steeped or not, antique Khorassan rugs have survived centuries of war, colonialism and revolutions, and one should expect it to last much longer.

How far back are there extant Khorassan carpets? After the Safavid court workshop in Tabriz closed in the later 16th century, the weavers dispersed and many went to Khorassan. They seem to have adopted the jufti knot by the early 17th century and the large gallery format Cartouche and Tree carpets already employ the technique. In the eighteenth century and later pieces, the foundation is all cotton and the warps are alternately depressed, but the texture is not heavy or firm, but moderately flexible. The Shrine Museum in Mashad possesses a considerable collection of antique carpets from Khorassan and any study of the genre should begin there. Recent political complications have not made the task any easier.

The dyes of antique Khorassan carpets include cochineal for the dark, often bluish red. Older carpets employ lac. This is the same situation as in Kerman to the south and it reflects the proximity of India where lac is the essential red dye. Both cochineal and lac are derived from insects, and the dyeing processes are similar. However, cochineal is much more potent per pound than lac. Blues are from indigo, and the yellow/orange tone is derived from weld and vine leaves.

The antique Khorassan carpet, despite its inherent defects, possesses a genuine period charm and authenticity. Even, or especially, in worn condition, they have the currently popular "distressed" look. The close, allover patterns make furnishing placement a simple task and they look good in almost any context.