An antique Kashan rug is a finely knotted carpet woven in the central Persian city of Kashan, most often between 1870 and 1930, recognized by its dense weave, lustrous kork wool, and elegant medallion-and-vinework designs in deep reds, blues, and ivory. Among Persian city carpets, Kashan is a byword for refinement.
How to identify an antique Kashan rug
Kashan’s signature is precision. The classic design places a lobed diamond medallion with pendants on a field of scrolling vines, palmettes, and flowers, framed by a main border of connected cartouches or samovar-shaped palmettes. The drawing is curvilinear and controlled, made possible by a fine, dense weave of asymmetrical knots on a cotton foundation. The wool, known as kork, is clipped from the underbelly and shoulders of the sheep and feels noticeably softer and silkier than ordinary carpet wool. Reds run from brick to a deep wine, blues from mid indigo to near black, and ivory is used with confidence in the field or border. Silk Kashans, woven entirely of silk, are the luxury grade of the type.
History and origin
Kashan is one of the oldest weaving centers in Persia. In the Safavid era of the 16th and 17th centuries its workshops wove court carpets of silk and precious metal thread, and several of the most famous carpets in world museums are attributed to the city. After a long quiet period, Kashan led the great Persian revival of the late 19th century, when master workshops returned to the old standards of design and dyeing. The finest carpets of this revival, the Mohtasham Kashans, are named for the most celebrated of those workshops and set the benchmark for the type.
How to tell the age
Natural dyes with soft tonal variation, gentle abrash, and colors that have mellowed into harmony point to the classic 1870 to 1930 window. The handle of an antique Kashan is firm but supple, never boardy, and honest wear follows the traffic of a room rather than a uniform chemical wash. Later Kashans, from the mid 20th century onward, tend toward brighter synthetic reds and a stiffer handle, and the drawing loses some of the earlier delicacy.
What affects value
Fineness of weave, wool quality, dyes, condition, and size, with the Mohtasham attribution and silk construction at the top of the market. A Kashan with original ends and selvages, saturated natural color, and unrestored pile is the collector’s ideal. Room sizes in good condition are consistently in demand, and smaller prayer-format and pictorial pieces attract specialist interest.
Care
Give a Kashan a quality pad, rotate it once or twice a year, and vacuum without a beater bar. Its dense pile wears extremely well, but the fine kork wool deserves gentle treatment: blot spills immediately with plain water and entrust washing to a hand-wash rug specialist, never a carpet-cleaning service.
Explore
Browse our antique Kashan collection, the broader antique Persian rugs, and the full antique rug collection. To place Kashan within the wider tradition, start with our guides to antique Persian rugs and antique Oriental rugs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if a rug is a genuine antique Kashan?
Look for a very fine, dense weave with the asymmetrical Persian knot, soft lustrous kork wool, and precise curvilinear drawing, most often a diamond medallion on a field of scrolling vines and palmettes. The classic palette pairs deep reds and blues with ivory. On the back, the knotting should be tight and even, finer than most other Persian village and town rugs of the same era.
What is a Mohtasham Kashan?
Mohtasham is the name given to the finest grade of Kashan carpets woven in the late 19th century, associated with the workshop tradition of Hajji Mollah Mohtasham. They are distinguished by exceptionally soft, silky kork wool, precise drawing, and a refined palette. Genuine Mohtasham Kashans are among the most collectible of all Persian town carpets.
Are antique Kashan rugs valuable?
Yes. Kashan sits in the top tier of Persian town weaving, and fine antique examples, especially Mohtasham grade and silk Kashans, compete with the best carpets on the market. Value follows fineness of weave, dye quality, condition, and size, with prayer-format and unusually drawn pieces attracting collector premiums.
How old are antique Kashan rugs?
The great revival period of Kashan weaving runs from roughly 1870 to 1930, so most antique Kashans on the market are 90 to 150 years old. The city’s weaving fame is far older: Kashan wove court carpets for the Safavid shahs in the 16th and 17th centuries, including some of the most celebrated carpets ever made.