Rug Glossary

A – Abrash, Agra & Early Rug Art

• Abrash: A subtle color variation or striation in a hand-woven rug. This is a sign of a truly handmade piece, caused when a weaver changes to a new batch of yarn that has been dyed a slightly different shade.
• Agra: A city in India, known for producing high-quality carpets, particularly during the Mughal Empire.
• Allover Pattern: A design that repeats across the entire rug field without a central medallion, creating a sense of continuous design.
• Alpujarra: A style of thick, folk-art rug woven in southern Spain, recognized by its uncut looped pile and bold geometric patterns.
• Americana: A broad term for American folk art and traditional crafts, including handmade textiles like hooked rugs.
• Amritsar: A city in India that became a significant center for rug production in the 19th century, known for its distinct earthy and soft color palettes.
• Angora Wool: A very fine, soft, and silky wool, often used to create a luxurious pile in certain Turkish rugs like Oushaks.
• Aniline Dyes: The earliest synthetic dyes, introduced in the mid-19th century. They were initially vibrant but were unstable and prone to fading dramatically over time.
• Animal Motifs: Representations of animals used in rug design. They can range from highly naturalistic depictions in Persian rugs to stylized, geometric forms in tribal pieces.
• Animal Pelt Motifs, Particularly Tiger Pelts: Designs that mimic animal hides, particularly tiger pelts, often found in Tibetan rugs. These motifs can be symbolic, representing power, wisdom, and protection.
• Antique: A rug that is at least 80 years old.
• Arabatchi: A rug-producing Turkoman tribe of Central Asia. Their rugs are relatively rare and prized for their distinctive designs.
• Art Deco: A style of decorative arts from the 1920s and 30s. Art Deco rugs are known for their bold geometric shapes, stylized floral designs, and use of strong colors.
• Ardabil Carpet: A masterpiece of classical Persian weaving from the 16th century, known for its intricate design and historical significance.

B – Borders, Boteh & Bold Tribal Weaves

• Bakshaish: A type of tribal rug from northwestern Iran, valued for its bold, abstract, and geometric designs.
• Baluch: A nomadic tribe from the border regions of Iran and Afghanistan. Their rugs are typically smaller and characterized by dark, subdued color palettes and repetitive, geometric patterns.
• Banana Silk: A type of viscose fiber made from the pulp of banana plant stems, used as an eco-friendly and silky alternative to traditional silk.
• Berber Tattoo Motifs: Traditional tattoo designs of Berber women, adapted into rug patterns. These geometric motifs are often symbolic, representing protection, fertility, and tribal identity.
• Beshir: A sub-group of Ersari Turkoman weavings. They are distinguished by more urban designs that often show Persian or Central Asian textile influences.
• Bezalel: Rugs produced by students at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, featuring a unique mix of Middle Eastern and European influences.
• Bibikabad: A rug-producing town in the Hamadan region of Iran. Their rugs often feature allover designs like the Herati or Boteh patterns.
• Bijar: A city in northwestern Iran known for producing some of the most dense and durable Persian rugs, often referred to as “iron rugs” for their stiff feel.
• Bokara: A major caravan city in Central Asia. In the rug trade, the name is often used as a generic term for Turkoman-style rugs featuring the recurring gul motif.
• Border: The frame-like area at the outer edges of the rug that encloses the field. A rug can have multiple borders.
• Boteh: A pear-shaped, curving design element, also known as paisley, that is a common motif in many Oriental rugs.

C – Colors, Cotton & Classic Motifs

• Cactus Silk: A natural, plant-based fiber from the agave plant. It is used to create textiles with a silky sheen, often found in Moroccan rugs.
• Cairene: A style of rug woven in Cairo, Egypt, under Ottoman rule in the 16th century. They are known for their classical Persian-influenced designs and subdued color palettes.
• Camels: Depictions of camels are common in rugs from Central Asia and the Middle East, symbolizing blessings and essential nomadic life.
• Canakkale: A rug-producing town in Northwest Turkey. Their rugs are known for their soft palettes of apricots, blues, and ivory.
• Carding: The process of combing and untangling wool or other fibers to prepare them for spinning.
• Carpet: A general term for a woven floor covering. It is often used interchangeably with “rug,” though it can imply a larger size.
• Cartoon: A drawing or blueprint of a rug’s design, used by city weavers to ensure precision and consistency.
• Cartouche: A decorative, rectangular-shaped design element with ovate ends, often used in a repeating pattern or to hold inscriptions.
• Central Asia: A broad region encompassing countries like Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, home to various nomadic and tribal weaving traditions.
• Chinese: Rugs made in China, often with a more open and spacious design than Persian or Turkish rugs, featuring prominent pictorial elements like trees and clouds.
• Chinese Dragon: A symbol of the union of earth and heaven. In Chinese rugs, dragons with five claws symbolized the emperor.
• Chintamani: A sacred Hindu and Buddhist motif of three circles above wavy lines, adopted by Ottoman weavers to symbolize power and royalty.
• Chodor: A rug-producing Turkoman tribe. Chodor weavings are less common and are recognized by their distinctive designs and coloration.
• Chrome Dyes: A later, more stable generation of synthetic dyes introduced in the 20th century. Unlike earlier dyes, they are colorfast and do not fade.
• City Rugs: Rugs woven in an urban setting, typically as a commercial venture under highly organized conditions, often using a pre-planned cartoon.
• Cochineal: A natural red dye derived from the bodies of an insect. It was a primary source for vibrant reds and purples in antique rugs.
• Cotton: A natural fiber widely used for the warp and weft foundation of both handmade and machine-made rugs due to its strength and stability.
• Cupid: Depictions of Cupid, often used in rugs to symbolize romantic love, innocence, and leisure.
• Cypress Tree: A common motif in Persian and Turkish art. It often symbolizes eternity and is frequently used in garden carpets to represent a beloved tree.

D – Dyes, Density & Design Details

• Dagestan: A region in the East Caucasus known for its finely woven rugs. They often feature intricate, repetitive patterns and can be easily transformed into prayer rugs.
• Dead Wool: Low-quality wool obtained from the hides of slaughtered animals. It lacks the natural lanolin and resilience of shorn wool.
• Density of Knots: A measure of a rug’s tightness and quality, determined by the number of knots per square inch (KPSI). A higher density typically indicates a finer, more durable rug.
• Depressed Warps: A weaving technique where the weft threads are pulled tightly, forcing the warp threads into two separate planes. This creates a ridged texture on the back of the rug.
• Design: The particular pattern or arrangement of motifs on a rug, including the layout and color.
• Donegal: A type of Irish rug from the early 20th century, closely associated with the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements.
• Drawing: The particular rendering of form and line in the weaving of the actual design, which can be precise and mechanical or spontaneous.
• Dyes: Coloring materials, either natural or synthetic, used to impart color to the rug’s fibers.

E – Early Rugs, Evil Eye & Ersari

• Early Period: A term used to describe exceptionally old rugs, typically from before the 19th century, which are considered part of a “pre-commercial” period.
• Eight Pointed Stars: A common motif in Islamic art and rug design, often referred to as the “Seal of the Prophets,” and symbolizing spiritual significance.
• Evil Eye: A traditional belief that a malevolent glance can cause misfortune. In rugs, the evil eye is often represented by symbolic designs to ward off negative energy.
• Ersari: A Turkoman rug-producing tribe known for its bold and colorful carpets and trappings.

F – Fields, Folk Art & Foundations

• Farahan: A type of rug from the Arak region of Iran, sharing similarities with Heriz and Serapi rugs due to the angular nature of some designs but on a more delicate scale.
• Field: The central, dominant area of a rug, enclosed by the borders. It contains the main design elements.
• Folk Art: Art created in response to a utilitarian need, often made by self-taught or common people, embodying cultural and practical qualities.
• Fostat: A historical city in Egypt where fragments of some of the earliest known Islamic carpets have been discovered.
• Foundation: The supporting portion of the rug, consisting of the warp and weft threads.
• Fuchsine: An early, volatile synthetic dye that produced a bright magenta purple color but faded radically when exposed to light.

G – Gardens, Guls & Geometric People

• Garden Design: A style of rug that replicates the layout of a traditional Persian garden, symbolizing paradise and bringing the beauty of the outdoors inside.
• Geometric People: Stylized, geometric representations of human figures. In some tribal traditions, these can represent the weaver’s pregnancy.
• Gol or Gul: A Persian word for “flower,” often referring to a rosette or floral medallion, particularly in Turkmen weaving.
• Golfarnag or Gulfarang: A Persian term meaning “foreign flower,” referring to design motifs inspired by European floral patterns.

H – Heriz, Hunting Scenes & Historic Weaves

• Haji Jalili: A term used to denote a very high grade of Persian carpet produced in Tabriz in the late 19th century.
• Hamadan: A city in Iran and a major center for rug weaving, influenced by Kurdish and tribal traditions.
• Heddle: A component of a loom used to separate the warp threads, allowing the weaver to pass the weft thread through more easily.
• Herati, also called ‘fish’ or ‘mahi’: An intricate, repeating pattern found in many Persian rugs, consisting of a diamond with floral motifs and leaves that curve outward, resembling fish.
• Heriz: A city in northwestern Iran, known for its monumental floral designs and the expressive power of its angular drawing.
• Holbein: A group of early Turkish carpets named for the Renaissance painter Hans Holbein the Younger, who depicted them in his paintings.
• Hooked Rugs: A type of folk-art floor covering, indigenous to North America, made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric strips through a backing.
• Horizontal loom: A type of loom arranged parallel to the ground. It is portable and is typically used by nomadic weavers.
• Hunters and Archers: Human forms depicted on horseback or in a warrior stance with weapons. These scenes are common in Persian art, symbolizing royal prowess.
• Hunting Scene: A lively depiction of Persian nobility hunting in the forests. These allover designs show humans on horseback, trees, gardens, and the animals being hunted.

I – Isfahan, Irish Rugs & Iconic Motifs

• Ilkahaid: A Mongol dynasty that came to power in Persia in the 13th century. Although no rugs from this period are known, they are represented in various paintings.
• Ingrain: A type of machine-made or loomed flatwoven textile from the 19th century, used as a floor covering.
• Irish: Rugs produced in Ireland, particularly by the Donegal company, which were influenced by the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau movements.
• Isfahan: A city in Persia with a long history of fine carpet weaving. Antique Isfahan rugs are known for their exceptional technical quality and intricate designs.
• Islimi: A design motif, also known as Arabesque, that uses spiral vines to gracefully connect larger floral elements in both the field and borders.

J – Joshagan, Judaic Symbols & Jufti Knots

• Joshagan: One of the oldest continuous weaving centers in Iran, known for its stylized geometric and floral lattice designs.
• Judaic Motifs: Symbolic religious motifs within Judaism, such as the Star of David, which can be found in rugs due to the nomadic nature of Jewish people.
• Jufti Knot: This knot wraps around four warp threads instead of two. It allows weavers to produce a rug much faster but results in a lower knot density and a less durable rug.

K – Kashan, Kilims & Knot Types

• Karabagh: A region in Armenia with one of the oldest and most varied design traditions of any antique Caucasian rugs.
• Karapinar: A type of rug produced in Eastern Turkey distinguished by a design with large, geometric medallions and angular corner pieces.
• Kashan: The city in Persia that has been producing silk and fine woolen rugs since the Safavid period, known for their high quality and elegant designs.
• Kazak: A type of rug woven in the South Caucasus. These rugs are tribal and known for their large medallion patterns and primitive, unique designs.
• Kerman: A major center for the production of high-quality Persian carpets since the 17th century. Kerman carpets are known for the fineness of their weave and elegant designs.
• Khorassan: A prominent rug-weaving district located in the northeastern part of Persia.
• Khotan: The most outstanding rugs of East Turkestan. They have a composition with central medallions or allover medallions, relating to Persian and Turkish rugs, but with Chinese design elements.
• Kilim: A Turkish word for a flatwoven area rug with no pile. The design is created by interweaving weft threads across the warp.
• Kirshehir: These Central Turkish rugs are known for their vibrant color, high-quality wool, and geometric designs, commonly used in prayer rugs.
• Kizilayak: A rug-producing Turkoman tribe often mistaken for Ersari weavings but with a finer and more precise drawing.
• Knots: Loops of yarn wrapped around adjacent warps to produce the surface pile of a rug.
• Knotted Pile Carpets: Rugs made using the knotting technique to create a surface pile.
• Konya: These Central Turkish rugs are known for their vibrant color and bold, geometric-inspired designs.
• Kuba: These rugs are largely considered the finest rugs from the Caucasus due to their tight weaving and high knot count.
• Kufic: A form of angular calligraphic Islamic script used as a prominent border decoration in many antique rugs.
• Kula: A rug-producing town in Western Turkey, known for finely woven pieces with medallion designs.
• Kurdish: Rugs woven by Kurdish people in Western Iran and Eastern Anatolia, known for their bold tribal designs and “happy” upbeat coloration.

L – Looms, Lac Dyes & Ladik Rugs

• Lac: An insect-derived dye that yields a bluish-red tone. It was widely used in classical early carpets from India, Persia, and Turkey.
• Ladik: A town in Central Turkey known especially for its antique prayer rugs with a distinctive arch or mihrab.
• Loom: A rigid framework used for weaving a rug or textile. Looms may be either vertical or horizontal.
• Looped Pile: A technique for making pile carpets in which the adjacent knots are left as a series of loops instead of being clipped.
• Lotto: A group of early Turkish carpets named for the Italian Renaissance painter Lorenzo Lotto in whose paintings they appear.
• Luri: Rugs produced by the Lurs of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, known for their impressive geometric and stylized animal forms.

M – Medallions, Moroccan Rugs & Mughal Courts

• Mahal: The production of Mahal carpets began in the Arak region in the 19th century, characterized by a large-scale curvilinear vinescroll.
• Makri: The antique rugs of Makri in Southwestern Turkey are distinguished by their elongated hexagonal niche-like field and a brilliant palette.
• Malayer: A city in northwestern Iran where weavers created carpets that ranged from allover designs to medallion motifs.
• Mamluk: A dynasty that ruled in Egypt and Syria. The carpet industry in Cairo thrived under their rule, producing complex and beautiful geometric designs.
• Medallion: A type of design that focuses on a central motif or medallion or a series of these arranged concentrically.
• Melas: Rugs produced in Southwestern Turkey, known for prayer rug designs, which feature a hallmark red ground and simple niches.
• Memling Gul: A stepped medallion with hooked embellishments, named for the Northern Renaissance painter Hans Memling.
• Millefleur: A design featuring a dazzling array of small floral forms. These textiles often utilized fine pashmina wool.
• Mohtashem: A term used to distinguish the earliest and finest of the late 19th-century Persian carpets produced in Kashan.
• Mongolian: Mongolian rugs are heavily influenced by Chinese motifs but have their own unique, minimalist design aesthetic and neutral colors.
• Mordant: A chemical additive that fixes dyes to fibers. Different mordants can be applied to the same dye to achieve different shades of color.
• Moroccan: Moroccan rugs are notable for their dynamic colorful designs and strong geometric structure, adapted from central and western Turkish rugs.
• Mughal: A dynasty that came to power in India in 1526. Carpet weaving flourished under the Mughals, creating some of the most exquisite rugs.

N – Navajo, Nomadic Rugs & New Pieces

• Navajo: Rugs woven by the Navajo people of the American Southwest, prized for their authenticity and traditional-inspired designs.
• Needlepoint: An embroidery weaving technique used in Renaissance Europe to copy hand-knotted carpets.
• New: A term used to distinguish a rug less than thirty years old.
• Ninghsia: Rugs woven in the central northern province of Ningxia in China. They are among the most collectible of all the rugs made in China.
• Nomadic Rug: A rug woven by nomadic peoples on a portable horizontal loom. These weavings also include various types of tent equipment.
• Northwest Persian: A term used to denote highly interesting antique pieces made in Northwest Persia, but whose production cannot be located more closely.
• Nylon: A synthetic polymer fiber known for its exceptional durability, resilience, and stain resistance. It is one of the most common materials used in modern, machine-made rugs.

O – Oriental Rugs, Oushak & Ottoman Era

• Old: A term used to distinguish a rug between thirty and fifty years old.
• Oriental: Any rug that is hand-woven in Asia.
• Ottoman: A dynasty that came to power in Turkey. Most of the earliest surviving Islamic carpets were made under Ottoman patronage.
• Ottoman Embroidery: Needlework embroideries produced in the Ottoman Empire that exemplify a mix of Turkish and European traditions.
• Oushak (Ushak): A town in western Turkey that has been a major center of rug production almost from the very beginning of the Ottoman period.

P – Persia, Prayer Rugs & Pile Heights

• Paramamluk: A term coined by a rug scholar to refer to a version of Mamluk rugs that used smaller and more delicate geometric patterns.
• Pashmina Wool: A type of fine, silky wool that comes from the soft downy layer closest to the skin of the animal.
• Pazyryk: The findspot of the world’s oldest complete carpet, dating from 400 to 300 B.C., discovered in a frozen tomb in Siberia.
• Peking: Carpets made in China beginning after World War I, which were produced in larger sizes for the European and American markets.
• Persia: The historical name for modern-day Iran, home to one of the world’s most ancient and revered rug-weaving traditions.
• Persian Knot (Asymmetrical Knot): This knot is tied around one of the two warp threads, then passes behind the other. This allows for a higher knot density and more intricate, curvilinear designs. It is often used in fine Persian, Indian, and Chinese rugs.
• Pile: The thick body or surface of a rug, made up of the knots of yarn.
• Pile or Knotted Carpets: Rugs made using loops of yarn that are then trimmed to create a surface.
• Plying: A process in which two or more spun yarns are twisted yet again into a still thicker yarn to increase durability.
• Polonaise: A very lavish and elegant rug made under the Safavid dynasty in 17th-century Iran. They were known for their soft colors and the addition of gold and silver threads.
• Prayer Rugs: Rugs woven with a mihrab, or niche, design with the specific intent to be used for prayer purposes.

Q – Qajar, Qashqai & Quatrefoils

• Qajar: A dynasty that came to power in Persia in the early 19th century. They fostered a program of cultural revival that encouraged rug production.
• Qashqai: Rugs and trappings woven by the Qashqai nomads in Iran. They are prized for their fine weave and rich colors.
• Quatrefoil: A four-armed or literally “four-leaved” medallion, common in Islamic ornament and rug design.

R – Rya, Repairs & Rug Basics

• Re-piling: A type of repair in which damaged or worn portions of the pile are replaced by sewing or hooking in new yarns.
• Rollakan: A type of flatwoven tapestry rug produced in Sweden.
• Rya: A type of pile rug from Scandinavia, often with a long, shaggy nap.
• Rug: A term for any woven floor covering, often used to refer to a smaller piece.

S – Silk, Safavids & Scandinavian Styles

• S-spun: The fibers are twisted to the left, in a counterclockwise direction.
• Safavid: A dynasty in Persia that lasted until the early 18th century. Under the Safavids, the Oriental carpet reached its peak of technical and artistic sophistication.
• Salor: The oldest and most distinguished of the rug-producing Turkoman tribes of central Asia.
• Saph: A multiple-niche prayer rug, woven for multiple people to use simultaneously.
• Sarouk: Rugs woven in the Arak region of Iran. Sarouk rugs from around 1900 were one of the first mass-produced rug types.
• Saryk: A rug-producing Turkoman tribe. Their weavings are rarer and constitute an important and distinctive component of antique Turkoman rugs.
• Savonnerie: A French carpet that was produced for the aristocracy, mostly woven with a thick and plush pile.
• Scandinavia: A region of rug production where the knotted pile carpet was introduced from Ottoman Turkey, later developing into a distinctive northern idiom.
• Seljuk: A dynasty of Turkic warriors who rose to power in Anatolia. The earliest extant Anatolian Turkish rugs are presumably woven under their patronage.
• Selvedge: The finished, woven side edges of a rug.
• Semi-antique: A term used to distinguish a rug between fifty and eighty years old.
• Senneh: Rugs that were woven in the northwestern Iranian city of Senneh. They are among the finest carpets ever woven.
• Silk: A natural protein fiber produced by silkworms. Silk rugs are valued for their exceptional softness, luminous sheen, and ability to hold intricate detail.
• Skirt: A term referring to the lower border area of a rug, often found in tribal and nomadic pieces.

T – Tabriz, Tribal Rugs & Turkish Knots

• Tabriz: A city in northwestern Iran that is known for producing some of the finest and most desirable rugs.
• Talish: Rugs from the Caucasian region, typically long and narrow, and known for their soft wool and medium pile.
• Tapestry: A flat-woven textile comprised of vertical warp fibers completely covered by closely packed weft facing.
• Tehran: The weaving of rugs in Tehran is relatively recent and began after the late 19th-century Persian rug revivals.
• Tekke: One of the most powerful and leading rug-producing Turkoman tribes of Central Asia. Antique Tekke carpets are prized for the quality and variety of their design and weave.
• Tibetan: Rugs made in Tibet, largely based on a Chinese weaving tradition but with distinctive Tibetan designs like the tiger pelt.
• Timuri: A sub-group of the antique weavings produced by nomadic Baluch tribes in Afghanistan.
• Timurid: A dynasty that came to power across much of the Middle East in the late 14th century. They extensively fostered the production of the earliest Persian carpets.
• Tribal Rug: A rug produced as part of an established cultural tradition, either by sedentary tribal groups (village rugs) or by wandering peoples (nomadic rugs).
• Turkish Knot (Symmetrical Knot): This knot wraps completely around both of the two warp threads. It is a very strong and durable knot that results in a more robust and uniform pile. This knot is typically found in rugs from Turkey, the Caucasus, and by Kurdish weavers.

U – Ukrainian Carpets, Uzbek Textiles & Unique Weaves

• Ukrainian: The pile carpets that were woven in Ukraine are very similar to the French Savonnerie carpets of France.
• Uzbek: A major group of peoples in Central Asia. Uzbek textiles, particularly embroideries, are considered to be some of the best examples found anywhere.

V – Vintage, Village Rugs & Vertical Looms

• Vertical Rug Loom: A type of loom used in rug weaving that stands erect, allowing the weaver to sit on a chair. It is typical of urban and village production.
• Village Rug: A rug woven in a small town or village, generally as part of a domestic family operation.
• Vintage: A term for a rug that is between 30 and 50 years old.
• Viscose: A semi-synthetic fiber made from wood pulp. It is often referred to as “rayon” or “art silk” and is prized for its silky sheen, though it is less durable than natural fibers.

W – Wool, Warps, Wefts & Wilton

• Wagireh / Sampler: A template or pattern for the design and production of larger carpets.
• Warps: The vertical yarns or fibers strung on the loom and comprising the foundation of a rug.
• Weft Faced Tapestry: A technique where the weft threads are the primary visible part of the rug, as in a Kilim.
• Wefts: The horizontal fibers or yarns of a rug, passing over and under alternate warps.
• Wilton Rugs: Machine-made rugs, manufactured in England, that were based on Persian rugs and patterns from the Arts and Crafts movement.
• Wool: A natural fiber derived from the coat of various animals, mostly sheep, goats, and camels. It is the most common material for quality rugs due to its durability.

Y – Yarkand, Yomud, Yuruk & Yarn

• Yarkand: A type of rug made in East Turkestan, that relates more to the Islamic world than to Chinese weaving.
• Yarn: A spun or plied cluster of fibers that can be utilized as warps, wefts, or pile.
• Yastiks: Small Turkish rugs that are often used as pillow or bolster covers.
• Yazd: Antique rugs from this city are finely woven, often in allover symmetrical patterns of delicate floral sprays.
• Yomud: One of the leading rug-producing Turkoman tribes of Central Asia, second only to the Tekke. Their weavings are robust and expressive in their design.
• Yuruk: Rugs produced by the Yuruk tribe in Eastern Anatolia. They are considered an exquisite example of the tradition of nomadic Turkish carpet weaving.

Z – Zakatala, Z-Spun Yarn & Zigzag Traditions

• Zakatala: A highly distinctive village weaving from the South Caucasus. Their designs are quite varied, and their use of form and color is unmistakable.
• Z-spun: The fibers are twisted to the right, in a clockwise direction. This is a very common twist for yarn used in rug weaving.