However there are still some carpets that are produced in the city and surrounding villages although the volume of the production and quality is not comparable with the past.
Modern Kashans are mostly in classic Shah Abbasi patterns and tend to be in pastel colours. Most of such carpets are designed and made for Iran’s internal market where Kashan carpets have reputation for their durability and good value for money.

The most traditional design from Kashan is “Panj Matn” ( that means five fields in Farsi). The design consist of a central medallion in the centre of the field, mostly in red, decorated with four corners of identical patterns similar to that of medallion, all framed with a wide border. Panj Matn red Kashan is probably the most common pattern in Persian carpets.

Kashan has glorious history in carpet making. Great artists like, Mohtasham, Atayee, Sanei, Afsari and many others have created fabulous master pieces. Early to mid 20 century examples of such pieces can be found in the markets along with many newer pieces.

Some of the small rugs of Kashan that were woven in early 20 century are highly popular with collectors. Such rugs can be found in variety of qualities. Number of knots in some examples can go as high as 750 knots per square inch. Of Kashani weavers works of Mohtasham are most south after however the original works of the great master are very rare. It is a normal practice in market to call every fine old Kashan a Mohtasham specially when the design of the piece is not as curvilinear as normal Kashans. The other notable weaver is madam Afsary who is distinguished for creating fabulous master pieces from memory and without any pre drawn design.

In late 19th century and early 20 the century some large pieces where woven in Kashan for American market, along with similar pieces that were produced in Sarugh. Such pieces were generally large piece. They are famous as “dughi” Kashans. Dugh is a local drink in Iran that is made from mixing yogurt, water and some herbs. The name was adapted because the procedure of dying the yarn for such carpets involved keeping the yarn in dugh after dying it with madder. The result was a pinkish shade of red that is dominant in all such carpets.

Traditionally Kashan weavers never use hook to tie the knots. Every knot is done by bare fingers and thus it takes a longer time to weave Kashan rugs.

I will add more information and pictures to this blog soon…

Depending on the geographic location of the weavers or their ethnicity Fars carpets are classified as tribal or village carpets.

Major tribal ones are: Lori, Qashghai, Khamseh and Gabbeh. Khamseh and Qashghais are mostly marketed at the city of Shiraz, capital of the province thus called Shiraz as well.

Major village weaves are: Abadeh and Yalameh and most of the time much finer in weave compare to the tribal ones.

Khamseh (Shiraz)– rugs that are woven by group of tribal people consist of five different groups that are Ainalu, Baharlu, Baseri, Nafar and Arab. Of these, the Arabs are the most productive ones. Khamsehs have produced or are producing variety of different qualities from inexpensive commercial to magnificent pieces of superb quality. Designs are mostly geometric and made from memory.

Qashghai – Qashghais are one of the most important nomadic tribes of Iran. They weave the finest of the carpets and kilims that are produced in Fars region. They generally are better weavers than Khamseh. Most of the time colors used in such carpets that are woven by them are brighter and more vibrant. Qashghais have nomadic lives. They spent winters in planes of southern Iran and migrate to mountainous areas of west of Iran in summer. Their life depends on their animals, mainly sheep and they produce everything that is necessary to weave their carpets by themselves. Their carpets are generally wool on wool base and the dyes that are used, especially for the old ones, are obtained from plants that they gather from nature during their moves. Designs of Qashghai carpets are mostly geometric and created from memory and based on ancient traditions.Qasghais produce kilims as well. Recent products are mostly commercial but older ones are superb in quality, rare and sought after by collectors.

Lori carpets – the home land for Lors is mountainous province of Loristan but due to their nomadic lie style they spent autumns and winters in warmer planes of Fars. The carpets produced by them are generally not larger than 260×170. Larger sizes are very rare. Designs that are used in such carpets are bold geometric designs that are created from memory. Lors are divided to three major groups Qashghai Lors, Bakhtiar Lors and Lors of Ola. Qashghai and Bakhtiar Lors use lots of orange and many other bright colors whereas colors used by Lors of Ola are limited to four and of dark hues.

Gabbeh – gabbehs are woven by either Qashghais or Khamsehs in large numbers. They have been very popular in past few years specially in western markets. They are produced in wide variety of qualities, designs and sizes. Gabbehs that are produced today are very different from older ones some of which, called Shuli, and generally are very rare and collectable.

Abadeh little town of Abadeh and villages around it is famous for its fine carpets. Desing of such carpets are typically geometric and consist of numerous animal figures.

Sizes are usually not larger than three by two meters.

Warp and weft of Abadeh rugs are cotton and good quality wool is used as pile.

Yalameh named after a sub tribe of Qashghais, such carpets are now woven in the villages around Abadeh and Shahreza. The weave is usually finer than average tribal or village carpets. Very fine wool is used to make them. Main characteristic of such carpets is soft and shiny use of blue and navy and intricate geometric pattern. Warp and weft of yalamehs are mostly wool.

Josheghan (No 42 in the map) is a town in northern-central Iran, near the famous city of Kashan (No 20 in the map). Carpets are produced there since early sixteen centuries. One of the most traditional designs that is produced there is jungle design (pictures attached); a name given to such carpets due to the numerous stylized trees that normally decorates the field.

Josheghans are woven in different sizes from small (about 200x130cm) to large ones but the most common size is about 320 by 230 centimeters. The production of such carpets has been declining and they area getting harder to get.

The materials that are used to make such carpets are wool pile, dyed with natural elements, on cotton base. Such carpets are generally woven with red field and navy border.

Zeigler and Co. a firm of Manchester, England, exported carpets from Persia (Iran) for a period from late 19^th century to early 20^th century. During this era, they commissioned many weavers in central and north west Iran to produce carpets in colors and designs that were more suitable for their western markets. Today such carpets that are generally called Ziegler are rare and very collectable.

The carpets that are sold today as Chubi or Ziglars are reproduction of such rugs in colors and design, very similar to the original ones. The material used are; good hand-spun wool and mostly vegetable dyes. New Ziegler carpets are generally woven by Afghan weavers in northern Pakistan or southern Afghanistan in recent years. Good material and firm knots make them very durable decorative carpets.

2. Rotate the carpet once in a while. This would prevent uneven ware and the carpet will age evenly. The rotation is particularly important when one part of the rug is exposed constantly to strong sun or walked on more than other parts.

3. The fringes are the weakest part of a carpet. Avoid vacuuming them when not necessary. If the floor is cleaned, make sure it is completely dry before putting the carpet and specially the fringes back on the floor. The liquids that are used for cleaning floor often contain chemicals that can damage carpets and their fringes seriously.

4. Most of the time the fringes are reinforced with a thread that is knotted where the pile ends. This helps to protect the fringes and stops pile from unraveling. If you find it loose, you can take the rug to a specialist to redo it or just simply reinforce it by sewing it (in zigzag) to the carpet.

5. Water can damage the carpets seriously. If your carpets get wet scrape the water out using spoon (if it is a small spot) or a hard surface like a tray. Use a dry towel to dry the spot further and put the carpet flat on the floor and if possible under the sun to dry. Avoid hanging them because the dyes might run. The slight running of color can be cleared if the carpet is left under strong sun for a few days. In such cases carpet got to be checked everyday to make sure the effect of sun on other colors is not dramatic.

6. If you spill red wine on the carpet, pour salt on the spot. It would absorb the tint. If stain remains refer to a specialist.

7. For food stains, pour some plain water on the spot, scoop the water out with a spoon. Repeat until the stain is gone. If necessary a little bid of normal hair shampoo and a soft brush can be used. Always remember to return the pile to original direction after such cleanings.

8. Washing is not necessary if the carpet doesn’t look dirty. To wash your carpets always consult a reputable specialist.

9. Sun your carpets once every few months. This will help to keep the insects and fungus away.

The words “rug” and “carpet” are often used interchangeably. You’ll see either of these words on store signs, in books and right here, on our website. For the general public, there isn’t much difference between the two (which is why we use them interchangeably here), although most would refer to a rug as a floorcovering that covers just part of the floor while a carpet can cover all or part of the floor. However, for the more discerning client, there is a slight difference between a floorcovering that has been labeled a rug and one that has been labeled a carpet.

Technically, it all has to do with size
The basic difference between a rug and a carpet is, indeed, size. In the industry, rugs generally refer to floorcoverings that measure under 1.8m x 2.7m. Floorcoverings that are larger are known as carpets.

Because the words are confused, some in the industry clarify by using the term area rug, which can only mean something that covers just a portion of the floor.

Another Difference
Another difference that may be implied can relate to quality and construction. Some would never refer to a smaller machine made, hooked floorcovering with a glued backing as a “rug”, but we believe this rule is more arbitrary.

We have just published this webpage. We are still updating the site and adding pictures. We hope you like it. We would appreciate your comments very much.

Useful information on carpets will be posted soon. Please don’t hesitate to ask any question you have.

Looking forward to get your notes,

Nasser and Hadi Nishaburi