What is a Persian Rug?
The fundamental structure of a rug is a series of interwoven strings called warps and wefts.
These are mostly made from cotton, wool or silk (Some warps are made of animal hair depending on the region). Looking straight at a loom, the strings that go up and down vertically are called warps. Warps also will eventually end up as the decorative fringes at either end of the rug. The material that goes back and forth horizontally is called the weft.
The interlocking of the warp and the weft create a simple structure not unlike burlap. Simply put, an oriental rug takes this structure and adds decorative knots between each row of wefts. The knots are woven around two warps.
Below is a picture of an oriental rug stripped of all its knots except for four. The picture shows two different weaving styles:
Below, a close up of the previous picture demonstrates a weave using only one weft, similar to a traditional burlap.
Pictured below is the close up of a two-weft weave. The second weft provides additional security in locking each knot in place. This will be explored later in detail.
Video:
If you are curious to learn more, my eBook The Art of Oriental Rugs - A Weaver's Perspective shows you: 1) how to identify a weave** and how different techniques produce “recognizable” variations in different regions, 2) maps with geographical views of where rugs are woven in the country of Iran and how the regional weaves influence each other, and 3) 750+ close-up pictures of weaves from 170+ rug-weaving regions in Iran and around the globe. I’ve written a book I wish I had when I first started in the rug business. This, I humbly hope, will be seen as an indispensable addition to any library.
What makes a Persian Rug?
The fundamental structure of a rug is a series of interwoven strings called warps and wefts.
These are mostly made from cotton, wool or silk (Some warps are made of animal hair depending on the region). Looking straight at a loom, the strings that go up and down vertically are called warps. Warps also will eventually end up as the decorative fringes at either end of the rug. The material that goes back and forth horizontally is called the weft.
The interlocking of the warp and the weft create a simple structure not unlike burlap. Simply put, an oriental rug takes this structure and adds decorative knots between each row of wefts. The knots are woven around two warps.
Below is a picture of an oriental rug stripped of all its knots except for four. The picture shows two different weaving styles:
Below, a close up of the previous picture demonstrates a weave using only one weft, similar to a traditional burlap.
Pictured below is the close up of a two-weft weave. The second weft provides additional security in locking each knot in place. This will be explored later in detail.
Video:
If you are curious to learn more, my eBook The Art of Oriental Rugs - A Weaver's Perspective shows you: 1) how to identify a weave** and how different techniques produce “recognizable” variations in different regions, 2) maps with geographical views of where rugs are woven in the country of Iran and how the regional weaves influence each other, and 3) 750+ close-up pictures of weaves from 170+ rug-weaving regions in Iran and around the globe. I’ve written a book I wish I had when I first started in the rug business. This, I humbly hope, will be seen as an indispensable addition to any library.